Pre-teen & Adolescent Therapy

I have extensive experience in working with pre-teens, adolescents, and their families.  I believe in utilizing a team-oriented approach which would include the client, primary caregivers, and when necessary, other support structures. My goal is to meet the adolescent’s needs where he or she is, and help the person feel comfortable, open up, and share inner feelings. To gain trust and create a safe environment for therapeutic healing to occur, activities such as basketball, painting, or simple conversations can be the first step towards a healthy therapeutic alliance.

Some of the issues that teens come to therapy for include:

• School stress
• Depression, Anxiety
• Difficulty with peers
• Conflict with parents/caretakers
• Low self-esteem
• Self-harm
• Sexual Orientation

I aim to help adolescent clients work on issues of identity and self-confidence, while supporting them with building a stronger sense of self, which will guide them in making healthier decisions in life. Through the course of therapy, my clients work on feeling empowered to advocate for their needs, communicate effectively to authority figures, and to feel more confident managing stressful situations.  In addition, I believe that maintaining or strengthening the parent/child relationship is extremely important while respecting the adolescent’s need for confidentiality.