Counseling for teens and young adults is a specialized therapy approach, and you will have the most effective and positive experience in therapy if you work with someone who is an expert in working with teens.
Over the past 18 years as an adolescent therapist, I have found that nearly all adolescents are intelligent, sensitive and caring young people.
Yet they often experience feeling depressed, anxious, exhibit low self-esteem or self-identity, or feel pressure to achieve yet struggle to meet their potential.
As a result of these internal pressures, they might begin to exhibit manipulation, keep secrets, start to lie, abuse drugs, get lost in video games or technology, show low motivation or become more oppositional.
These behaviors are what get our attention as parents, and while important and sometimes very serious, they are often the symptom of a deeper internal struggle and difficulty managing their lives.
““Jeff is just an amazing therapist! He helped me see myself and my life in a different way—not by giving advice, but by helping me get to my own insights. He gave me courage to take risks, to drop my “armor.” He respected me and he “got” me, better than any other therapist I’ve ever had—he believed that I am much more than just my problems. He challenged me to take real responsibility for my life, which can be scary but also feels really good. I feel like I can finally accept myself, with all my quirks, and be happy.””
Teens respond very well to a strength-based approach, drawing on their innate strengths and values to create the catalyst for change.
It is my central belief that teens are experts in their own lives and are often intelligent and capable, yet sometimes engage in behaviors or ways of thinking that undermine their wellbeing.
How I work with teens and young adults
Rather than just focusing on the symptom (the outward behavior), we work together to address the beliefs and experiences that may lead to chronic emotional distress.
Being overwhelmed (school, friends, family, feelings, life in general), feeling misunderstood, having feelings and emotional issues we don’t know how to talk about, experiencing traumatic events, or believing we "aren’t good enough" can contribute to feeling stuck.
By addressing these underlying issues, we can get some relief, relax into our life in a meaningful and healthy way, and the problem behaviors aren't necessary anymore.
My clients have experienced very positive outcomes through our use together of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), Family Systems, mindfulness practices, Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), Dialectic Behavior Therapy (DBT), art therapy, and somatic/body-centered therapies.
We work together to explore and understand you as a whole person, and what will best support your return to mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing.
It is my hope that by reading this page, you are ready and open to the next step. Let’s get started!