Teen Therapy
Therapy For Teens Can Make A Huge Difference
Is your teen asking for help with their mental health?
Does your teenager appear depressed or anxious and perhaps overwhelmed by growing up or from changes in their lives?
Does their sensation-seeking or substance use concern you?
Maybe communication in the house is tense, and you hope to better understand your teen or repair a difficult dynamic.
It's natural for parents and teens to feel confused during their adolescent years. Whatever the issue, therapy for teens is an opportunity to support healthy development during this confusing phase of life.
Mental Health Struggles Can Make The Teen Years Even Harder To Navigate
The most common mental health issues for teens today are depression and anxiety, lack of motivation, low self-esteem, emotional confusion and overwhelm, and patterns of avoidance.
Teens can feel tremendous pressure to perform well and meet others' expectations. Regular fluctuations in mood, energy, enthusiasm, and reactiveness are common. This can seem unclear to others from the outside, but it all makes sense once understood.
Teenagers are trying to figure out how to be themselves while differentiating from their families and trying to fit in with their peers while standing out. It's a tall task in a crucial phase of growing up.
A therapist can help your teen explore what's happening in a safe and judgment-free environment, allowing them to grow through the struggles as they discover their unique selves. No matter what you hope to achieve, therapy can help resolve the challenges of the teen years and give you and your family some peace and hope for the future.
It’s Typical For Teenagers To Struggle With Sharing Their Worries
Depression and anxiety are common in the teenage years, but teens also seek out counseling more often today to find relief.* This formative time can be challenging for teens to figure out their road to independence and feel comfortable in new relationships.
The structure of current society, overreliance on social media, busy schedules, and little free play often reduce teens' access to supportive friends and opportunities to develop comfort in their growing selves.
The complexities of sociopolitical and climate crises can foster the frustration of living in a world where teens have little say in their day-to-day lives and little effect on the world they're inheriting. Without understanding their feelings or having stress management skills, it's easy for teens to explore and soothe themselves with unhealthy and possibly harmful coping mechanisms.
Technology Can Further Complicate Their Lives
Teenagers live in a complicated world: They are both hungry for independence and frightened by the thought of becoming adults.
Kids today face the impact of isolation through increased technology use, often having conversations on screens and in chat boxes rather than in person. Social media, combined with a natural tendency for social relations skills to mature while in comparison, can set teens up for problematic ways of relating and developing their egos.
All the external and internal pressures can quickly leave them confused and overwhelmed. A therapeutic environment offers a neutral space for teens to understand these complex issues and explore their processes. Counseling can also help teens practice identifying, tolerating, and sharing feelings with others to become more confident and assertive in the larger world.
Teen Therapy With Sara Nevius
I offer my teen clients a space to talk about whatever is on their minds about their daily lives and their wishes, frustrations, and hopes for the future.
My goal is to help them feel safe and not judged so we can learn how they connect or disconnect from themselves and they can feel more equipped to navigate the larger world as they move toward adulthood. In counseling, we’ll talk about how they relate to their world and think about facets of their lives they may struggle to discuss, like their spirituality, their sexual orientation, or gender considerations that many teens experience, including LGBTQ youth.
While their parents and even their close friends may be able to provide support, it's healthy and appropriate for teenagers to want spaces outside their lives to engage with and support them unbiasedly. While teens try to figure out who they are, having opportunities to separate from their families is one key to that change, and counselors can support them in developing individuality.
Therapeutic Approaches That Are Tailored Specifically To Your Teen
I offer teen therapy both in person and online. In-person therapy provides a more personal connection, while online therapy offers convenience and comfort, especially for teens who may feel more at ease communicating digitally. I use a relational, client-centered approach to psychotherapy, which allows your child to be at the center of our work. I often rely on motivational interviewing with teens, which helps my clients explore their goals and work through ambivalence about changes and choices in life.
Part of the goal of therapy is to figure out what one wants and explore the necessary steps toward growing into an adult. I encourage opportunities for my clients to develop agency in their lives and choices, which, when appropriate, might look like the teen taking charge of scheduling and communicating directly with me about our sessions.
For support with teenage anxiety, in therapy sessions, we might practice self-soothing in healthy ways like mindfulness, deep breathing, and emotional regulation. I aim to create a space for your teen to explore themselves and all they feel and want for their lives. With support, your teen can feel more confident, speak for themselves, and pursue what they want for their future.
You Might Still Have Concerns About Teen Therapy…
Do you have enough experience working with teenagers to understand their needs?
I started working with teens almost a decade ago as a school-based counselor while focusing my graduate studies on adolescence. What often resonates more for my teen clients is that I remember the complexities of growing up in a social world, with mixed feelings about parents, familial beliefs, and pressures to conform while trying to figure out how to fit in. When I first meet with your teen, I'll focus on building rapport, making them comfortable, and relating to them authentically, as my goal is for all my clients to feel more authentic in themselves.
As their parent, what role will I play in my teen’s therapy process?
Parents often play an essential role in their teen's counseling. I like meeting with parents once every four to six weeks to gain their insights and observations and help them understand how to support their teen at home. I can also share tips on fostering or repairing your relationship, improving your communication, and helping your teen's identity development. Your involvement can significantly enhance the effectiveness of therapy and support your teen's well-being.
Why won’t I learn everything my child shares during therapy?
Healthy boundaries are essential in family relationships. My role as a psychotherapist with my teen clients must allow them a safe and confidential space where they can share without reservations. I won't disclose details to parents, even when asked unless I have the teens’ permission.
However, I help parents understand the complexities of the teenage years, unpack any ways they can adjust their approach, and help them process their feelings during this phase.
Give Your Teen The Relief And Support They Need Through Counseling
Reach out through my contact form, or call (650) 449 - 6054 to discuss your teen’s needs with a free 20-minute consultation. I look forward to helping your child resolve the challenges of their teen years in therapy, which can give you peace of mind today and hope for the future.
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