Treatment for Adolescents

Some adolescents ask for therapy, but most do not. Adolescence can be an exciting time when children start to explore and build their identity, but it can also be a challenging time. Children and teenagers experience a host of issues and oftentimes they occur behind the scenes, such as bullying at school. Hormone levels are rapidly increasing, their bodies are changing, and they are becoming more emotional (and sometimes they may even feel out of control).

 

Perhaps you’re noticing your child is acting more withdrawn, emotional, aggressive, anxious, or defiant. Maybe your child is an overachiever – whether that’s academically, artistically, or athletically – the stress may be taking a toll on them as school and extracurriculars become more rigorous and competitive with age. Maybe your child is gender-expansive and they or your family are struggling to navigate this. Maybe they are struggling socially. Maybe your teenager is starting to use drugs and alcohol. These kinds of behaviors and issues may indicate that your child would benefit from therapy.

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My Training

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I have extensive experience working with adolescents. I work with children ages 12 to 18, although I sometimes make exceptions for particularly mature children who are younger than 12 and for children who are exploring their gender and/or sexuality or transitioning. I have worked at a high school with at-risk youth from multilevel stress backgrounds, at an intensive outpatient clinic with emotionally disturbed adolescents who were struggling to keep their lives on track, and with adolescents dealing with anxiety, depression, acting out behaviors, insecurity, social struggles, and dysfunctional family dynamics in my private practice.

 

If you feel like your child may need psychotherapy, give me a call and we can discuss if therapy may be the right route to take.