Working with Adolescents

I have a focus in working with adolescents as this is an age that I really enjoy. I think young people have an enormous amount to offer the world, and can have really different challenges than adults.

As a therapist for adolescents, I get to be someone other than a friend, parent, or teacher. I don’t have the right answer or all the information, and I’m not asking a young person to be any different from who they are.

My approach to working with adolescents is to take the same approach that I take in working with adults, while also acknowledging that they are most able to access change with the support of their caregivers. In order to facilitate change, I like to have regular engagement with caregivers and keep an open channel of communication. This can look like regularly scheduled family meetings, or separate meetings with the caregiver in addition to individual sessions with an adolescent. I always want to hear the input of all family members who are close to the client, and my goal is to increase connections between an adolescent and their families when possible.

As with adults, I believe that an adolescent is the expert on their own life. I work collaboratively with adolescents and children to develop plans for therapy and continually seek their input on our work together. Sometimes my role is to advocate for a young person within the family or within the school system and help them address the stressors that brought them to see me.

I also try to make the therapy hour an enjoyable and useful experience. I don’t believe that every conversation has to be serious in order to be helpful.