In our opinion, the adolescent years are some of the most difficult years in human development. The adolescent’s social pressures, brain and bodies are all changing rapidly. These years often create anxiety about getting good grades, fitting in or navigating cyber and social groups. Your teen may agonize over social cliques at school, feel like he or she isn’t attractive enough or stress about having few or no friends. You may even have difficulty getting your teen out of bed in the morning, finding that he or she doesn’t want to go to school because the social anxiety is overwhelming. As a result of these anxieties, teenagers often begin to turn inward. If your teenager has shut out the world – and you along with it -that can be a discouraging feeling. Perhaps you feel that you have failed as a parent and you’ve lost your child. You may desperately wish that you could reach out to your teen, but feel you lack the tools to do so.
There is hope! The adolescent years don’t have to wreak havoc on your teens self-esteem. Through the process of psychotherapy we can help your teen become more self aware both consciously and subconsciously, secure in him or herself, improve academic achievement and find fulfillment in relationships. In teen therapy sessions, your teen can begin to draw on strength from personal insight and discovering things he or she does best. Building on strengths and engaging in enjoyed activities-like art, music, or other extracurricular pursuits-helps build confidence, which can ultimately help your teen find happiness in other areas of life. If your teen struggles academically, we can meet with teachers (with your consent), visit his or her classroom, help develop organizational skills and even connect your family to outside services to gain academic support as they move towards all around success.
As a parent you are your child’s greatest advocate. Providing your child therapeutic support during this time is a true gift . With the help of therapy,teens can talk through their problems, identify issues that are creating anxiety and learn to manage complicated emotions.
Psychotherapy is not a quick fix or an easy answer. It is a complex and rich process that, over time, can reduce symptoms, provide insight, and improve your adolescent’s level of functioning and quality of life.