Therapy for Teens
in-person and virtual in Virginia
Does it feel like nobody sees how much you are struggling?
Why is it that every time you try to tell someone that you need help, they tell you that you are fine? Maybe they are looking at your good grades or all the activities you participate in and can’t imagine you are struggling underneath. Maybe they hear you but dismiss it as “being a teenager” or assure you that “we all felt that way”. Perhaps you feel like you can’t share because you don’t want to ruin everyone’s perception of you. The idea that your parents, teachers, or friends might be disappointed in you is terrifying. You find yourself feeling disconnected and misunderstood, worried that it will all fall apart at any moment, and constantly wondering how does nobody see the real me?
Even though you did everything you were “supposed” to do, you keep noticing that day to day life doesn’t feel quite right:
Your accomplishments feel kind of fake and like they could disappear at any time
Your relationships with partners, friends, and family feel fake or disconnected
You feel annoyed every time you are told how “smart”, “gifted”, and “mature” you are
You feel more and more stuck - like you don’t have the space and flexibility to figure out the real you
I want to help you feel calm, connected, and in control.
Therapy for teens helps you better understand your brain and the accommodations that it needs to feel successful. It helps you learn tools to manage your feelings, discover your authentic self, and embrace your imperfections.
It helps build the self-esteem and self-confidence that suffer when you feel showered with empty compliments. It helps you separate what you are able to do from your self-worth as an individual and manage the inevitable shame that arises.
It helps you recover from the burnout and exhaustion that come from feeling like you have to be perfect.
It gets better.
FAQs
-
Therapy is only effective when sessions are safe and confidential. How can we expect you to share anything if you are worried I’m going to turn around and tell your parents? There might be times in therapy where I encourage you to loop in your parents. The only times that I would insist that we have to share something with them is in the case of imminent danger and even then, it is almost always a conversation you and I would have first. I practice honesty and transparency in my work.
-
There is no standard answer for this! Some folks find that they only need a few sessions to kickstart their success. Others can spend 9 months, 12 months (or longer) diving in. There is no minimum or maximum requirement.
-
I always start with a check-in to make sure that I am prioritizing whatever is on your mind that day. I don’t ever want someone to leave a session feeling like they couldn’t bring something up because I was too heavily directing the conversation. Some sessions focus on processing feelings and self-exploration. Other sessions focus on identifying and navigating barriers.
-
A standard session is 50 minutes because that typically gives us enough time to tackle a manageable amount. However, I do both shorter and longer sessions depending on you! Some folks really struggle to focus for more than 20-30 minutes and we can do shorter sessions. We will usually meet either every week or every other week depending on schedules and your preference. I encourage folks to meet weekly for the first 4-6 sessions if possible because it allows us to build a relationship and dive in faster.
-
Reach out to me today and we can get a free consultation scheduled. This allows me to answer any questions you might have and help you feel like I’m the best fit for you.