Adolescence
Adolescence is a critical time of growth. It is a time of formation, of self-discovery, and identity formation. During this time, your adolescent may hit a bump in their road to adulthood. They are affected by emotional distress in very different ways than adults and they may need help getting back on track. These struggles will present themselves many times as boundary testing with parents or go to the extreme by presenting themselves through eating disorders or substance abuse.
Almost any adolescent who is struggling with issues related to growing up can derive some benefit to counseling. The issues faced can be similar to adult issues such as stress, anxiety, depression, or relationship issues. They may also be issues more common onset to adolescence such as a dealing with a first breakup, parental power struggles, social skills, attention deficit, eating disorders, or coping with death of a loved one for the first time.
Individual counseling offers an adolescent a chance to discuss problems with a professional to try to get to the heart of the issues so that they can move on to their next stage of development. In any successful counseling with minors, it is essential to have parental involvement for success. Parents attend the initial session with their child so I can get a full psycho-social history on what they see in their child’s life.
They continue to be involved on an ongoing basis with “check in” on a regular basis so that therapy can be effective as we go forward.
Finding a counselor that has experience dealing with the unique perspective of an adolescent is crucial in counseling. Also, finding a counselor that your teen feels comfortable is crucial to success. I have been working with youth on tough issues since 1997. To see change in an adolescent and to help them move past their difficulties brings me joy. If you feel I may be of some help, please call me and I will be happy to talk to you to determine see if my skills fit your concerns and to set an appointment.
