Therapy for Teens

The preteen and teen years are a time when communication with parents often declines and conflict may increase.
Depression and/or anxiety may cause further withdrawal.
It can be difficult for parents to determine when a teen's irritability and withdrawal are a normal part of growing up or a problem that needs to be addressed.
Teens often turn to alcohol and other drugs to self-medicate.

Because of their growing need for independence, teenagers will often share their feelings and problems more readily with a therapist than they will with their parents.
Rather than indicating a flaw in your parenting, seeking help at this time shows that you want what is best for your son or daughter.
Often, teens are intimidated by their parents' well-developed and clearly expressed solutions to problems.
It takes patience, objectivity, and some humor to encourage teens to begin to come up with their own ideas to solve their problems.
Parent's fears make this process difficult, and a few sessions with a skilled therapist can make it easier.

A psychologist can assess how your teen's emotional and behavioral issues compare to others in the same age range
Communicating this information to the teen and parents can be helpful in itself.
Therapy increases a teen's skill and confidence in communicating with parents.
Increasing independence for the adolescent is a goal of therapy.