You want your teenager to find relief by opening up to an adult who is on their side and who you can trust

A teenager’s brain is bombarded with thoughts that trigger tidal waves of emotions, leading to challenging reactions and behaviors.

My approach to therapy for teenagers

First, I will ask you and your co-parent to share your parenting experiences. I will ask about your teen’s strengths and challenges, familial and peer relationships, academics and extracurricular activities and the behaviors about which you are most concerned.

For the initial weekly sessions, my goal is to build a bridge of trust between myself and your teen. I want them to feel my authentic curiosity about their perception of the world. As they become comfortable, they will be more open to considering alternative points of view and learning new communication and reasoning skills.

I will also meet with you at least once a month for an exchange of thoughts, observations and questions.

I won’t disclose what your teen is saying as therapy needs to be a place where they feel comfortable exposing and exploring anything. If your teen doesn’t trust me they will censure vital information they want to communicate. However, sometimes I will encourage them to invite you to a session so we can discuss sensitive topics together.

Therapy is where teens can explore their unanswered questions, troublesome thoughts and nagging fears

I can help your teen make sense of their world and learn to distinguish the rational from the irrational. I can be another trusted adult in their life. They can never have too many.