For example, let’s say that your teenager is a 16-year-old female who has recently been experiencing heightened anxiety, panic attacks and difficulty planning ahead for her classes, resulting in incomplete assignments. I would approach working with your daughter through a combination of emotionally-focused and executive functioning focused interventions. I would start by helping her better understand the root causes of the anxiety and panic attacks. She will ultimately gain the ability to soothe herself and decrease the increased arousal that her nervous system is experiencing. Planning ahead is an executive functioning skill and can be harder to accomplish under heightened stress. While we work on decreasing her overall anxiety levels, she and I would incorporate routines and scheduling checks to help her preview her schedule and know what to do in order to succeed in her classes.

While I tailor my work specifically to each unique client, there are some general tenants that I hold in mind when working with teenagers.

My Approach

Identity: Being a teenager is all about learning who you are as an individual. This is an incredibly exciting and important time, as a well-defined identity is a major source of self-esteem and strength in adulthood. Without gaining a sense of identity as a teenager, young adults can struggle. I work to help teenagers find and feel good about who they are and where they are going in the world in spite of life’s challenges.

Undoing Aloneness: When children become a teenagers, they start to notice more and more who they are as individuals. “Individuating” can feel exciting. We can probably all remember buying a clothing item as a teen that helped us to feel more separate and unique. However, this can also be a lonely time in life. Teens can feel like no one understands them amidst a sea of change. Teens also may not want to tell their parents about certain struggles they face. I help teenagers feel less alone by offering unconditional support, normalizing their experiences and partnering with them as they navigate their circumstances. Having this kind of support helps to prepare teenagers to navigate the world as a rising adult.

Building a Compass: Teen years are also a time of figuring out how to make choices. During this time, teens learn a great deal about who they are, what they want, and what they value. I work to help teenagers develop an internal, trustworthy compass that helps to guide their choices as they grow. Developing a strong compass increases confidence, emotional stability, and positive life choices.

Parent Collaboration: While teenagers want more independence, parents still play a critical role in their teen’s emotional and mental health. When appropriate, I work closely with the parents of my teenage clients to help our work create a greater impact. This support is unique to each parent but can include support with active listening, responding to behavioral challenges, skills for helping teens with learning disabilities, and trouble-shooting just about anything else. Despite the many wonderful books on parenting, there is no perfect manual for each teen. For this reason, I make myself available to schedule appointments for parents wanting to increase their effectiveness and improve their parent-child relationships.

If terminology is helpful, the following have been especially influential for my theoretical/conceptual approach to therapy: relational psychoanalysis, object relations, attachment based, family systems and educational therapy.

We can discuss more of what your teenager is needing in a free video or phone consultation.