Therapy with Teens

 

“As long as you’re learning, you’re not failing.” – Bob Ross

I have worked with teens from diverse backgrounds and parents seeking support for their teenagers.  This is how I work with youth and their families: 

1) Read over my Adolescent Consent Form: It will give you more details about how I handle confidentiality with teens and young adults in my practice.

2) All legal guardians must consent to therapy: If parents and legal guardians reside within multiple families or homes, it is important to be aware that I include all legal guardians in the therapy I provide. 

3) If determined to be of value, and in conversation with teen client,  I will ask to meet with parents/guardians for some sessions: I value being honest with my teen clients, so I will be up front with them if I think it might help to have a few sessions with their parents. Parents must also be aware that in order to better support your child, I may need you to come in for some sessions (because you are an important part of your teen’s life!)

4) Therapy with me does not need to be forever! I find that many teens don’t want to be in long term therapy (which I generally think is great and healthy).  Some teens don’t want to go to therapy at all and it can feel like a forced choice.  If this is the case, I am happy to meet for a session or two so that you can get a better sense of who I am and what I have to offer and if therapy is worth your time.  My dumb therapist joke is “How many therapists does it take to change a lightbulb?”  The answer is “One, but the lightbulb has to want to change.”  It’s pretty stupid, but also accurate.  If you are a teen who feels like you don’t want to go to therapy, then you probably are not going to get that much out of therapy at this point in your life.  I respect that, so you are welcome to try me out and see what you think. Most of my clients work with me for about 3 months. If we work together, we can be clear about what you want to get out of therapy and how long you want to be there.  If you are unsure of what you want out of therapy, we can also explore that when we meet.  Or, you are more than welcome to call and chat over the phone for a free 15 minute consult at (510) 761-6707! 

Why Teens Seek Out Therapy…

“You believed in Santa Claus for 8 years, you can believe in yourself for 10 minutes.”                                      – Anonymous

There are many reasons why teens come to therapy.  Below are some situations that have commonly brought teens to me for therapy:

  • When you find yourself feeling overwhelmed by stress or anxiety (related to school, social situations, friends, or life in general).
  • You find yourself pulling away from people, isolating yourself, wanting to be alone a lot more, but you still feel badly.
  • You often are thinking about the past and wishing you did things differently, and/or worrying a lot about the future.
  • When you feel like you are always fighting with your parents. 
  • Things you used to enjoy are not enjoyable any more and you don’t know why.
  • When you might feel so stuck or helpless that you start to think about harming yourself.
  • You might feel like things are so out of your control that you start to cut or self harm to feel better.
  • When you find yourself struggling a lot at school and/or getting in trouble at school.
  • Something really terrible happened to you or someone you care about and you are not sure how to deal with the feelings and the event.
  • You are having some issues around drug use/experimentation.
  • You have experienced bullying, harassment, teasing, or abuse. 
  • You feel really bad or even just unsure about yourself.

If any of these, or similar issue, are the ones you are looking to address, we will meet, talk about them, and then start to identify steps, plans, and tools to address these painful experiences.

For most of my teens, we don’t have to do a lot of therapy.  Most of the time, in about 3 months, we start to see results.

A good experience in therapy will stay with you for the rest of your life.

To make an appointment, you can click here or call (510) 761-6707

Contact Me

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