Therapy for Teens

Depression and Anxiety

I have found that with the flood of exposure in social media, many teens have developed a highly self-critical voice that reduces the ability for high self-esteem. This along with the increased level of competitiveness in academics, sports and extra-curricular activities, can often lead to feelings of anxiety and depression.

Learning Self-Compassion

Learning self-compassion can aid in creating a kinder internal voice.  Through identifying and exploring each individual’s strengths and empowering self-acceptance, I work with clients to help them find this inner voice.  This serves to reduce the stressful, and at times, all-encompassing feelings of self-doubt.  This is especially helpful and important as they begin to move toward independence and adulthood.  

Transitioning From Teen to Adult

Teens are in a stage of life in which they are struggling to reach the stage of independence and their parents are transitioning from being responsible for their children’s safety and welfare to preparing them to face the world on their own.  This can mean going away to college, taking a gap year traveling or in service or entering the work force and venturing out on their own.  Each is facing a particularly challenging transition. 

For many teens, this is a confusing and frightening time.  Questions like, “Will I be able to handle being on my own?” “Will I make the right choices?” “Will I be successful?”  “How will I know what to do?” The world can seem a scary and lonely place when not returning to the safety of a home and family at the end of each day.  On the other side of the coin, they are driven to independence, which is the next stage of their development.  They long to be self determined, to not have “someone always telling them what to do” which is how it can seem to them, to test themselves and to answer the many questions they have about themselves and their abilities. 

For many parents, this can also be a frightening and confusing time.  Questions like, “Will my child be safe and successful out there in the world?” “Will they make the right choices or fall to the temptations presented by being able to choose for themselves?”  As parents, we remember the tiny, vulnerable infants we spent a large part of our days for the past 14+ years taking care of their physical and emotional needs.  Babies who are now moving away from us and our care in an effort to become independent adults.  Even though that is the ultimate goal of parenting, that moving away can be a painful, conflict-filled time.

Having someone to guide both the teen and the parent trough these uncharted territories can be supportive and helpful.  By helping the teen learn to evaluate their values and priorities for themselves and develop a strong self-directed inner voice they can begin to see themselves as competent and capable.  This makes some of the uncertainty of the future less anxiety-filled and scary.  They become the captain of their ship. 

If you are experiencing this type of transition and would like some support along the way, I would like to help make this transition a healthy, positive step in the next stage of your child’s development.