Anxiety Therapy for Teens
SAN FRANCISCO AND ACROSS CALIFORNIA
Therapy to help teens manage anxiety, school stress, and relationships
You want to see your teen succeed, but lately things have seemed off...
Maybe your previously cheerful kid has become moody or withdrawn. Or maybe your teen has started struggling in school or having difficulties with friends. You may be feeling like no matter what you do or say, they won’t give you more than a one-word answer. Or perhaps your teen has told you what is going on, yet your suggestions aren’t working or you don’t know how to help. Life may even have become unmanageable for the whole family.
Let’s face it, raising a teenager can be really tough. The only thing more difficult might be being a teenager. In their teen years, many adolescents begin to argue more, push boundaries, pull away from family, and make choices that we don’t understand or agree with. And sometimes, bigger things are going on with our teens including anxiety, trauma, self-harm, substance use, and other mental health concerns.
Nothing is more painful or frustrating than watching your child struggle and feeling helpless to make it better. You want to see your teenager thrive, you just don’t know how to get there.
You don't have to keep struggling alone
How teen counseling works
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Let's talk
We’ll start by looking at what’s prompting you to seek counseling for your teen: when it first showed up, how often it’s affecting your day-to-day life, and what you’ve done in the past to address it. I’ll also take the time to gather information from you about your teen’s early life and development to better understand their story and what they’ve experienced.
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Invest in you teen
When I meet with your teen, we’ll look at what life is like for them now, what’s challenging and where they feel successful. Together, we’ll explore things like their experience at school, friendships, family dynamics, and childhood memories. By examining these things, we can begin to identify limiting thoughts and beliefs that may be holding them back.
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Find relief
Then, we’ll work on the areas you and they want to see change. We’ll discuss how they want life to look and feel, create a plan, and then build the skills and insights they need to make it happen. They’ll learn how to identify and manage overwhelming feelings, develop coping skills that make them feel empowered, and cultivate healthy relationships with peers.
Teen counseling can give your teen skills and habits that will benefit them for the rest of their lives
TEEN COUNSELING THAT’S TAILORED TO YOUR FAMILY’S NEEDS
Things we can focus on in teen counseling:
Identity development - racial identity, gender identity, sexuality and more
Self confidence
Emotion regulation
Managing social media use
Social skills and Peer relationships
Success at school / Transitioning to high school or college
Body image
Healthy coping skills
Setting boundaries
I use a variety of evidence-based methods and proven approaches to help your teen thrive.
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CBT is a form of therapy that highlights the relationship between someone’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Using CBT, I can help your teen learn to stop negative thinking patterns when they start, allowing them to feel more in control of their thought patterns and actions. I am certified in Trauma-Focused CBT (TF-CBT) for use with adolescents.
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Learning mindfulness can help teens to become more aware of and accepting of their feelings. Mindfulness can help teens better identify the thoughts they have about themselves and the world and make changes to thought patterns that are limiting them.
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Sometimes, we don’t have the words to express what we are going through or the shame and embarrassment we have about what has happened to us becomes an obstacle to getting the help we need. I have trained in Expressive arts therapy for children and adolescents and use a variety of games and activities to engage with your teen and help them express who they are and what they are experiencing.
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Narrative therapy helps your teen consider the stories they have been told by others and by themselves about who they are and how the world is. Together, we take a look at their story and decide which parts we want to challenge, which parts to re-write, which to keep, and those we would like to expand.
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Brainspotting is a form of therapy that is used in treating symptoms of trauma. Brainspotting helps teens to process and heal from trauma by reducing or relieving the symptoms of emotional distress that often emerge after traumatic experiences. Brainspotting uses bilateral stimulation (engaging both sides of the brain) to allow your teen to process the memory where it is stored in their brain in a manner that is not debilitating.
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Teens can learn the skills they need to succeed in a supportive group of other adolescents going through the same challenges.
IMAGINE A LIFE WHERE YOUR TEEN IS…
Calm in the face of stress
They have the skills to manage and communicate their emotions✓
Confident in who they are
Their sense of worth isn’t tied to achievement or fitting in, but rather in their own sense of their intrinsic worth.✓
Connected in healthy relationships
They have the tools to communicate clearly, set boundaries, and navigate their relationships with friends, peers, and family.✓
All of this is possible
Peace at home is possible!
Teen counseling can help you get there.
What you need to know about teen counseling
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That will vary based on each teen and family. I will work with you to come up with the right treatment plan for your goals.
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While there are no guarantees, we take great care and intention in exploring your family’s needs and creating appropriate goals.
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I typically involve parents in the treatment process and encourage my teen clients to share what is going on with their parents. In some cases, minors can consent to their own treatment with me without parental involvement.
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I’m so glad you asked! First, click the “Schedule a free consultation” button 👇to book our initial call. During our call together, we’ll have a short conversation about what’s bringing you to therapy now, answer any additional questions you might have, and overall get a chance to see if we’re a good fit.
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