I help teens who are struggling with anxiety and depression to find their voice through art and talk therapy.
Being a teenager can be a hard experience. You are watching your own teenager now and are amazed at just how much time they spend on the internet or texting. You wonder if you would have been attached to your phone if they existed when you were a teen.
The thing is, though, you worry your teen is not doing so well with her peer relationships, and it seems like your teen is sad a lot because you don't see him smile as much. You wonder how long they have been feeling this way but you have definitely noticed changes.
You have asked them what is wrong but he doesn't seem to want to talk to you about it. Or, she opens up about what she is experiencing but it seems like no one prepared you for how to handle these types of situations. You need someone to help you figure out how best to respond as a parent.
Let's face it - we were all teenagers. Despite the range of experiences teens go through, it is a universal fact that we were all that age once. I also work with teens who are depressed, anxious, struggling with communicating their needs, and have thought about suicide or self-injury, like cutting.
The good news is, your teen doesn't want to feel they way they do. When I work with teens (or their parents), therapy becomes focused on problem solving how to provide the right amount of support and guidance, helping teens to open up about how they feel, and ways for teens and parents to cope with their thoughts and the situation in a healthy way. |
