Adolescents and Pre-Teens

Confidential Psychotherapy is Essential

Teens have a lot they need to talk about and I love connecting with them to help them do just that. They are dealing with a number of different struggles, including anxiety, school, grades, preparing for college, trauma, fighting with friends, dating, arguing with family, depression, trauma, sexual orientation, gender identity, bullying and more. It's not always just adolescent angst, a phase, or hormones. Building trust in therapy can help them unpack it, make sense of it, and help them communicate it for real change. The other crucial part of my work is in helping parents—because parents are struggling when their kids are struggling.

As a parent or guardian of a child receiving psychotherapy, I will involve you in helping your child to the fullest extent possible. However, the content of your child’s sessions must be confidential in order to enable your child to confide in me and for therapy to be effective.

In treatment of adolescents, there are many issues that therapists have no opportunity to address unless adolescents trust that communication in therapy will not be shared with parents or guardians. These issues include use of cigarettes, alcohol, and drugs, sexual behavior, sexual orientation, involvement in gangs, ditching/truancy, school failure, peer involvement that parents do not approve of, and criminal activity. I am committed to work to help him/her behave in ways that are not self-destructive, that do not limit his or her options for the future, facilitate healthy decision-making, and that are considerate to the needs and feelings of others.

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I have advanced training and experience in pre-teen and adolescent psychotherapy. I also work closely with parents for optimum benefit, while still maintaining the confidentiality of your adolescent. Please feel free to contact me for a brief phone or email consultation on how therapy can truly help with the struggles your teen or preteen is experiencing.