Therapy for Teenagers

High school students often experience as much closeness with their friends as with their families.

You will find yourself in a variety of social situations with these friends and when you do, you will be encouraged to take risks.

How do you strike a balance between experiencing new things and staying safe? How do you locate your internal compass and listen to its direction? How do YOU as a young person listen to the wisdom you carry in your body? Because guess what? Your brain ain’t done cooking yet.

Your prefrontal cortex is not finished making all the connections it will have later in life. But there is a voice, a feeling that lives deep in your gut which can be a helpful guide for drawing boundaries.

Maybe that voice speaks from your lived experience, perhaps it is a parent’s voice repeated often enough that the message stuck. Do you trust it? Do you disregard it? Would you like some help deciphering it?

Adolescence is tough.

You’re discovering who you are but you don’t have all the freedom or knowledge that adults do. Maybe the adults in your life want to help but have forgotten how to talk with you. Maybe they stopped listening. Listening is my job.

Let’s talk about sex, drugs, rage, grief, self-destructive impulses, body image, love, fear – any big experience that is impacting you deeply.

Maybe your friends want to support you with those overwhelming feelings but have never been there themselves. Maybe it’s too high stakes to turn to your parents or siblings.

• I promise to be nonjudgmental and authentic.
• I’m a safe, sane adult with your health and happiness in mind.
• I can sit with as you move through this difficult place and help you get to what’s next.

You are not alone.