For Parents
You want the best life for your child. You want them to have a full and happy childhood and a successful future. You’re noticing your child has been having some big emotions and feeling overwhelmed. They're now struggling in areas of life that used to come easy to them. They’re holding themselves to really high standards and it feels like it came out of nowhere overnight.
Your child is flourishing in many ways, but is challenged by the weight of their big feelings.
Does my teen need therapy?
Growing up is a series of big life lessons and big transitions with a ton of identity shifts along the way. All kids and teens face these changes, and many struggle with finding healthy ways to cope. If your child having a hard time managing their stress, they may need some more support. Or, if things that didn’t upset or worry them before are now a big obstacle, it's possible that they could use some help.
Many kids and teens find themselves wanting a safe space to talk about their lives. They know their parents love them and are there for them. At the same time, they worry about burdening their parents or hurting their feelings. They feel unheard or worry about speaking up about things bothering them. These kids have a lot of emotions and want to have another person on their side. They want someone who will listen to them, validate their feelings, and maybe help them look at things in a new way. For kids and teens, sometimes it’s just easier to talk to someone who isn’t their parent. It’s okay and normal for kids to want to talk to someone who isn’t their parent - you remember being a teenager. You’re enough for them, but sometimes it just takes a different adult voice.
Just like they may have a soccer coach or a piano teacher, many kids can benefit from a therapist to help them learn about their emotions and how to process them.
How I work with you to support your child
In supporting my teen and child clients, I often need to involve one or more of their parents. Sometimes this is to get extra information about what's going on for the family or in the child's life. Sometimes I help facilitate a conversation between the child and parent. Other times, I may provide some suggestions on how the parent can better support their child. For younger kids, I like to spend the first part of each session with the parent and child together. This way we can catch up on what's been going on for them before the one-on-one part of the session. Some kids, especially teens, may not want to involve their parents beyond what it is necessary. In these cases, I generally honor this request and only involve parents if there is a safety concern. Privacy and independence both become more and more important to kids as they grow up. Therapy is a great opportunity to exercise those needs. Rest assured, I take safety concerns very seriously. During the first session I make it very clear to all clients that safety takes priority over privacy. I explain what situations would require me to break confidentiality and answer any questions they have about this.
If your child is interested in therapy, have them check out the For Kids/Teens page. If you both think I’d be a good fit, contact me. I’d be happy to answer any questions and we can schedule a consultation or a first session.