Adolescent Therapy
Adolescence is a hard time in the best of circumstances. While trying to survive all the hormone changes, teenagers have to make the adjustment to a new and often bigger school when moving to middle school and then to high school. School moves often mean leaving friends behind while trying to make new friends which is not always easy. Teenagers are learning to separate from their parents and become autonomous while becoming closer to their friends and still trying to make safe and appropriate choices. This can be a scary time for kids as well as for their parents.
I can help your teenager navigate through this difficult time while helping to nurture and support the child-parent relationship.
When I meet with an adolescent patient, it is important for there to be an understanding that, although the parents have hired me, I am the teenager's therapist. I need to be able to build a trusting relationship with the teenager so that he feels able to confide in me.
Parents of teenagers often complain that they no longer feel the closeness that they shared when their child was younger. This is typical because one of the main developmental tasks of adolescence is separating from one's parents in order to grow into an adult. However, I can work with you and your teenager to help make the transition from childhood into young adulthood as easy as possible while keeping the lines of communication open.