Teens

Being a teen, especially in Los Angeles, comes with unique challenges and transitions. In the first session, we focus on building rapport and providing education on mental health. It is very important to build trust between the teen and the therapist so that they may learn to see therapy as a safe space to explore their struggles and develop new insights.
At this developmental stage, teens are desperately trying to figure out and formulate their own unique identity. It is not uncommon for teens to experience curiosity as they begin to explore beyond the boundaries of their comfortable environments.

Our team is up-to-date on today’s teen challenges such as: social media addiction/overuse, life transitions, self-harm, vaping and/or other drug use, binge drinking, teen sexual health, identity, and many others. We speak fluent “teen” and work to help parents understand the teenage thought process.

After the first few sessions, if clinically appropriate, we like to invite the family or parents in to the therapy room. We believe it is important to get the family’s perspective so that it can better help the course of treatment for the teen. If family therapy is not in the works at first, we encourage parents to “check-in” at the beginning or end of the session in order to provide their observations and insight.