Teen Counseling

A Labyrinth of Discovery, Nestled into a Cluster of Contradictions

(In other words, a parent’s worst nightmare)

Your teen insists on independence while asking you to reassure or rescue them.

They blow your mind with their ability to take on increasing responsibilities, then completely exasperate you by their inability to turn a school paper in on time.

A teen brain that is wired for risk taking is also wired for faulty judgment (the frontal lobe of the brain where sound decisions are made is not fully developed until our early to mid 20s).

Being a teen was never easy.

(Flash back to your own, awkward coming-of-age years)

But with the pressures placed on today’s teens by things like social media, standardized testing, and the highly competitive worlds of high school sports and academics, the teen years are even harder now.

It’s understandable that you’d be concerned about your teen’s mood and their unwillingness to open up to you.

Drinking, using drugs, cutting, breaking curfew, and other high risk behaviors can set your teen down a path of suffering and confusion, well into their adult years. How can you get through to them before it’s too late?

Help is just a phone call away.

(It really is)

I can help you speak the language of your kid, making it more likely that you and your teen will begin to truly hear one another.

During the teenage years it can be normal for a teen to turn away from family and shift toward a focus on the outside world of peers, school, and other adults.

Teens no longer want to be “treated like children,” yet they are still in the process of maturation. They often dismiss parent involvement at a time when receiving input from a caring, concerned adult could provide them with a much-needed, level-headed sounding board.

That is when therapy can help.

Having a therapist can make a world of difference to a teen.

My office can be a safe space to share and confide, to map out consequences of behavior in advance, to learn new skills to manage emotions, express desires, and address situations head-on in healthier ways.

If your efforts at improving things with your teen are not getting either of you anywhere, it’s time to try something new.

Call me at (848) 333-7018.

Together, we will see if I am a good fit for your teen.