Your teen may benefit from therapy if:

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• He/she is struggling with strong emotions such as frustration and anger that is difficult for them to control and to recover from.  Your teen may internalize these emotions by keeping them bottled up and presenting as shut down.  Your teen may externalize these emotions by becoming verbally or physically aggressive or engaging in other dangerous or risky behaviors.

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• He/she is struggling with feelings of worry and anxiety.  Triggers might include new situations and experiences; social situations; going to school; stress related to academics; worry about the future; worry about what others might be thinking of them and fearing judgement of others.  These feelings might lead to problematic behaviors such as emotional meltdowns that are difficult to recover from; irritability; rejecting help and support; avoidance; etc.

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• You are concerned that he/she might be experiencing symptoms of depression.   

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• He/she is displaying problematic behaviors at home and/or at school such as defiance of rules and/or refusal to comply with expectations.

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• He/she is struggling with a life adjustment such as coping with divorce; a death; a move or change of schools.

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• He/she is struggling in social interactions with peers such as difficulty connecting with peers; making and keeping friends; getting bullied.

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In the context of individual therapy, I can help your teen:

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• Practice to become more comfortable expressing their core emotions in the context of a safe and comfortable therapeutic environment. 

• Identify and increase awareness of triggers to their negative emotions.

• Learn to recognize their unique physical signs associated with their emotions.

• Identify and take responsibility for the actions/behaviors that come along with their strong emotions.

• Identify and understand ways in which their actions/behaviors might be a problem for themselves and for others.

• Increase awareness, understanding and empathy for feelings and experiences of others.

• Learn about and gain increased awareness of dysfunctional or negative thoughts that might be contributing to strong, negative feelings.

• Learn a variety of coping and emotion regulation skills including positive self-talk; thought challenging; physical coping skills; relaxation and mindfulness skills; problem solving skills, etc.

• Learn how to face fears and gain increased confidence in the context of "exposure" therapy for anxiety.

• Gain increased self-esteem and confidence.

• Become more confident in how to handle and respond to difficult / complex social situations.

• And much, much more.

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My Therapeutic Style / What to Expect:

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At an intake evaluation (first time appointment) for a teenager I will request to meet with both the teenager and his/her parent(s).  We can determine at the time of the appointment whether this would be most appropriately done all together or separately.  A primary purpose of an intake evaluation is to gather information.  I will be asking a lot of questions about your teenagers symptoms and behaviors and it is important to me that this is not a negative or uncomfortable experience for your teenager or for you.

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After gathering information, we will discuss recommendations and options for treatment.  My professional ethics are extremely important to me, therefore, I will always be honest with you in regards to treatment recommendations as well as feedback about how the therapy process is going.  I will be transparent with you regarding whether or not I believe that I would be the best fit, therapeutically, to work with your teenager/family.  I will be honest about whether I believe that working with your teen and/or working with the family as a whole would be most beneficial.  I will will also provide on-going feedback as to how your teen is responding to therapy.

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Teens experience a wide range of thoughts and feelings about coming to therapy.  Perhaps your teenager is the one who requested that they want to see a therapist.  If so, it is amazing that they are advocating for their own health and wellness.  Perhaps your teenager has been in therapy before but they have had difficulty connecting with previous therapists.  Perhaps you have decided that you want your teen to be in therapy and he/she wants nothing to do with it.  

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Whether your teenager is excited and motivated to be in therapy; angry and shut down or nervous and uncomfortable, I am up for the challenge.  I am ready to meet your teen where they are and do my best to make this a positive experience for them.  A goal that I will have is to give your teen a sense of control over what they want therapy to look and feel like for them while also teaching them that the outcome of treatment is largely, up to them.  Ultimately, I want your teenager not to view therapy as a bad thing, but rather as a positive, rewarding and empowering life experience.

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Specializations:

 

• Anxiety Disorders 

  • Generalized Anxiety Disorder​

  • Social Anxiety Disorder

  • Performance Anxiety

  • Separation Anxiety

  • Phobias

  • Panic Attacks / Panic Disorder

  • School avoidance / refusal

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Other Diagnoses Treated:

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• Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

• Adjustment Disorders

• Depressive Disorders

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