Adolescents

Adolescence can be an extremely difficult time, especially in our fast-paced, cyber-based world. Kids are constantly battling to navigate becoming adults while balancing increased academic and social pressures. Add a mental health concern on top of that and young adults can quickly becoming boiling pots, trying not to spill over.

How Therapy Can Help Adolescents

Therapy provides a safe, non-judgmental place for adolescents to process what they are dealing with, and try to make sense of it. As necessary, therapists serve as a liaison between parent(s) and child, while simultaneously modeling a safe relationship filled with boundaries and mutual respect.

My Approach to Treating Adolescents

While I personally am no longer working with adolescents, my associate Erin O’Donnell is an adolescent pro. Her extensive experience with ages 10-20 has proven invaluable for our community. She treats each adolescent differently, based on their unique needs and personality. Erin loves to take children out for day trips into the wilderness, when appropriate, and makes each session as fun and experiential as possible (including walks, throwing around a ball, playing therapeutic games, etc).

Things to Consider

Most teenagers share just a tiny portion of what is going on with themselves with their parents. If you have even a slight hunch that something might be going on with your kid, it is important that you get them to a safe space where they can freely open up about their (and your) concerns. Also, please note that the privacy therapy offers is incredibly valuable; Erin will share themes with you about how your child is doing, but as long as your kiddo is keeping him/herself safe, she is unable to provide too many details, as this will break the trust of your kid and make therapy obsolete.