Therapy for Teens
Does your teen have trouble expressing thoughts and feelings? Or have a hard time opening up to you or others?
Does you teen seem to worry constantly about, or react strongly to things that don't necessarily seem important?
Does your teen spend all their time hidden away in their room or isolating?
Are you frustrated with your teen's behavior?
Do you often hear "NEVERMIND, YOU JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND!!"?
It's hard to feel helpless when you see your child struggling. To add to that, teenagers don’t always ask for help when they need it. A child’s adolescent years are naturally turbulent and can arouse anxiety, confusion and pressure in both adolescents and parents. You may find it difficult to explore the idea of therapy for your child because you think it may stigmatize your teen (it won't, therapy is becoming increasingly normalized by adolescents) or it implies that you have failed in some way as a parent (you haven't, those teen years are tough for everybody). Maybe you're worried that if you try to bring it up with your child and they aren't interested, it will cause them to pull away from you even more or cause them to feel like you're suggesting there is "something wrong with them". You are not alone in your experience.
The adolescent years are a struggle between autonomy and dependence. Your teen wants to be self-sufficient but does not yet possess all the skills necessary to achieve that. And you struggle with finding a good balance between still viewing them to be your child and wanting them to start taking on more responsibility and being more independent. This is often leads to conflicts and difficulties for both teens and their families.
You just want your child to feel better. I can help you make that wish a reality by empowering your teen to learn and effectively use tools to successfully navigate through the teen years into adulthood.
In therapy with me your teen will:
have a safe, comfortable place to express all the thoughts and worries they've been carrying around.
find support and validation for the way they have been feeling.
start to identify where their thoughts and feelings may be coming from and what they can do about it.
learn coping skills to help reduce the frequency and intensity of their distressing thoughts and emotions, and how to be better able to manage them when they do occur.
I'm familiar with the unique challenges that teens face and have experience working with teens in a variety of settings, including those who were not interested in therapy and attending involuntarily. I conduct therapy as much as possible using the normal, natural way people talk to each other in different circumstances, without premeditated rules, protocols, or scripts. I use clear, understandable language and real-life examples that will help your teen be better able to understand themselves and feel heard, validated and understood. These things can often have a positive ripple effect into other areas of their life. I'll work with your child to help get them out of their own head and start feeling better.
You don't have to continue feeling like you're constantly at odds with your child or like they are struggling alone. Help is possible.
* Frequently Asked Questions *
How do I know if therapy will be helpful for my teen?
This is a common question for those considering starting therapy. It can be difficult as a parent to wonder if what your child is experiencing is just the usual "growing pains" of being a teenager or if there is something more serious happening. Allow me to ease your mind. If they are a living, breathing human person therapy will be beneficial.
Often for teens, regardless of the reason for the change in behavior (whether just normal adolescent behavior and moodiness or a more significant mental health issue), therapy can give them a safe, trusting place to openly express themselves and talk about what is bothering them. Which means it may reduce the irritability and agitation they may be directing at others, which can often be a very welcoming change at home. It also provides them a non-judgmental space to explore their own thoughts, beliefs, and values and help them figure out who they are and who they want to be as they get older and become more independent.
It's not magic or an overnight solution and it will take effort on their part. But if they meet with me regularly and are willing to be open to the process of therapy, they (and you!) will see results.
How long does therapy take?
This varies from person to person and will depend on various factors like duration and intensity of symptoms, whether or not they have other sources of support outside of session, whether there is a history of trauma or adverse experiences, and what the goals are with coming to therapy. Some people have very short-term, solution focused goals while others enjoy having the option of more long-term, consistent emotional support.
Personally, I operate from the perspective of ‘this is their therapy’ and they (and you) get to choose. Typically, if a they are in crisis or having severe difficulties, then I suggest meeting weekly until things become more stable. Once the crisis is past, we can move to bi-weekly or even monthly sessions. It depends on what we determine is in your best interest therapeutically and we will work together to determine what their needs are. But somewhere between 6 to 12 months is a good estimation to start from.
Do you accept insurance?
Yes, I am an in-network provider with Blue Cross/Blue Shield and Aetna. I bill the insurance company directly for services provided. For other health plans not listed, I am considered an out-of-network provider. If you are with an insurance company that I am out-of-network with, you will be responsible for the cost of session at the time of service and I will be happy to provide you with a "Superbill" to submit to your insurance company for possible reimbursement.
For more information on my fees
Do you offer online therapy?
Most of my clients have chosen to resume in-person sessions but I still offer the option of online telehealth sessions via secure video. Video sessions offer the flexibility of meeting online without having the added worry about possibly being exposed to Covid-19 or needing to wear a mask to feel safe, especially during the cold and flu season. If using insurance, most plans cover “telemedicine” as a part of your mental health/behavioral health benefit.
How does confidentiality work?
Basically, whatever you say in therapy, stays in therapy. However, there are times when a therapist is legally required to break confidentiality. This is called mandated reporting and is important to understand for families who have a minor receiving services.
Mandated reporting includes:
Harm to self or others. If a therapist believes that you are in imminent danger of hurting yourself or someone else, contact will be made with a family member, police or ambulance to ensure safety.
A child under the age of 18 being in current danger, experiencing abuse currently or reports past abuse that has not been previously disclosed to anyone. Depending on the degree and type of danger involved, this may also require a report to Child Protective Services or calling the police.
My files are subpoenaed by the courts.
A client experiences a health emergency during a session. In this case, medical staff would be provided only with necessary information. No information about why a client is in therapy will be shared.
When working with teens confidentiality can be a tough thing for parents. Often you're worried about your child and want to know what is going on and if they are making progress while engaging in the services you are paying for. I will often encourage teens to discuss certain topics with their parents, or suggest inviting their parents into session occasionally to discuss issues that may be significant but ultimately leave this up to the teen to decide if this is the right move for them. You will always and immediately be informed of any safety concerns that arise in session. I will provide updates for you regarding "how things are going" in therapy and if I'm seeing progress, but keep in mind these updates will often be general in nature if I don't have permission from your child to share specifics. While this can sometimes be frustrating for parents because they believe they are "owed" more information about their child (and I can understand this line of thinking), please keep in mind it's one of the primary reasons I'm effective with helping teens. They trust that they can be honest with me and I won't share their information with others.
Some therapists (myself included) carry confidentiality into the community. I inform clients that if I see them in the community I will not say hello. I don’t want to put anyone is a situation where they have to explain how they know me if they aren't comfortable or prepared to do so. I am always open to speaking to clients outside of the office, but they get to make that decision and approach me.
Do you assign homework between sessions?
This is a very common question and clients often have differing feelings about. The short answer is probably, but it's really up to you whether you choose to complete it or not.
The long answer is that I will often offer various suggestions of helpful activities to engage in outside of session.
This could include:
- trying new coping skills between sessions
- topics that it may be beneficial to reflect on before our next appointment together
- books related to our work in session that may be helpful or interesting
- having conversations with other members of the family to resolve specific issues
- asking you to keep track of specific symptom intensity or frequency or other information between appointments to help me have a better idea of the best way to help you during our time together.
I will never suggest you do something outside of session that I don't believe will benefit you in some way but, ultimately you have the choice as to whether you decide to follow through on those suggestions or recommendations or not. You won't "get in trouble" or be marked down in any way if you don't engage in recommendations outside of session, but you will like likely notice more improvement and quicker improvement if you do complete them (even if you just do "a little bit"). It's important to remember that the changes you're wanting to see won't just magically happen on their own by showing up in my office once a week; it also takes some effort from you too.