Therapy for Teens (ages 13-17)

At this time, I am not accepting new teenage clients. I only work with teens with whom I have already worked when they were younger. 

I help the teen know that therapy is about being heard, understood, and validated.

What Issues Can Be Addressed?

Issues often addressed in therapy with teens:

peer relationships
pressure about expectations, worry about the future
bullying, specifically cyber bullying
self-harm
isolation

What therapy with teens is NOT:

making them do what their parents want
lecturing them
convincing them to change their mind or behavior

No therapist should promise a parent that these are attainable goals for teen therapy.

How Does Confidentiality Work with This Age?

For children and adolescents to feel comfortable revealing private information, they need a safe place to communicate about anything they'd like, without fear of that information leaving the room. Yet parents can feel left out and worried when they are told nothing about what happens in the room.

What I say to parents is this: without breaking confidentiality, I will tell you the general theme of what we are working on, and I will encourage the child to share with you challenges and solutions we’ve come up with. I ask young children and teens what they are willing to share with the parents and address worries about sharing any particular information. I might try to mitigate worries, but ultimately I respect the child’s decision.

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Booking Guidelines

How do I begin?

Call or email to inquire about booking a session.

Why can’t I schedule a full session, only a phone call?

Existing clients can use the client portal to schedule any type of session during available hours. Prospective clients can only schedule a call to inquire about setting up a first session. Before scheduling a first session, we want to see if I am the right therapist for you. A good fit between client and the type of issues the therapist can treat is crucial to the success of treatment. The purpose of the initial call is to see whether we should book the first session. It is not a free consultation. Case material will be discussed on the first session. 

Also, during the initial call, I will address medical insurance. If I cannot address your therapy needs or if you need to use in-network insurance, we will not book a session.

What if the Parent Wants to Tell the Therapist About a Recent Issue to Address in Session?

Any information communicated about the child’s behavior, especially if it makes the child look or feel bad, should not be communicated in the presence of the child. I am available for communication to take place between sessions to revisit or re-evaluate treatment goals.

In addition, it is good to remember that sessions are not prescriptive, or decided in advance. Sessions follow the child’s lead, with therapist taking opportunities to work on treatment goals.