Child & Adolescent Therapy

Tweens today have it harder than previous generations. Many of them have social media with or without parental consent.  Society says, “grow up fast, be sexy, have an adult physique and show it off, follow social media trends, vape and talk to strangers online to be a champion gamer, or influencer.”  It is natural to want to follow your peers whether they recommend something healthy or not for you. When you run back to your parents for hugs and safety, they may think they are babying you too much or you may not like them “in your business”. I help parents navigate the developmental challenges through consultation through this stage as well.

In addition to anxiety, depression, ADHD, school pressure and other clinical issues for tweens, one of the big topics I help with is “Friends versus Frenemies”. Who is truly on your side? How can you identify who to trust? How do you navigate those different levels of relationships with peers, siblings, teachers, parents and other adults?

I have worked with hundreds of late elementary and middle school-age young people to provide a safe harbor to work through what can be rough waters of “tweendom”.  Parents/Guardians, call for a free consultation to see if your tween might need some extra support right now. 

Teens have great challenges. Their bodies, for the most part, appear adult.  Adults in their lives often make the mistake of assuming adolescents’ brains grow at the same rate as their physicality.  In reality, the part of the brain that controls judgment recognizes consequences before actions and avoids impulsivity, is not fully developed until the age of 23.

The gap in understanding and development is why you hear a parent say, “What were you thinking?” To which the teen in all honesty answers, “I don’t know”.  They were not thinking, they were reacting. They need a lot more support than most are receiving to foresee consequences. (Frances Jenson, MD, 2015) I help teens and parents navigate this challenging season.

I regularly help teens work through school stress, peer pressure,  and bullying. They have a judgment-free zone to process the differences between online and in-person relationships through gaming, social media, and IRL with the pros and cons of each. Teens I work with are experimenting with vaping, getting high, or self-harming to stop feeling so much angst. We explore new healthy ways of coping along with the clarity of how and why to move through feelings versus escape them. (For more on self-harm, see Specialities).