If your teenager is feeling sad, irritable, drained, and overwhelmed all or most of the time, it doesn’t have to be this way! Depression can be managed successfully so that teens can fully participate in and enjoy life again.

When things get overwhelming, teens often turn to hurting themselves as a way of managing intense emotions. In therapy, we explore the function of self-harm without endorsing the behavior so that we can get to the root cause of what’s going on and find a healthier way forward.

Sometimes symptoms of depression and anxiety are so overwhelming and persistent that feeling like the world would be better off without you

The majority of teenagers will experience at least one traumatic event or series of events before reaching adulthood. Exposure to trauma can contribute to negative beliefs about the self and others that make it difficult to have secure relationships and get our emotional needs met. These patterns of relating to others can be addressed in therapy so that teens can grow into happy, healthy, securely attached adults.

The world is a scary place—it makes sense to be nervous! When our protective worries shift into overdrive, it can have a negative impact on our lives. Therapy helps teens learn to tolerate the inevitable anxieties of life without letting fears hold them back while processing underlying emotions and beliefs that contribute to worries in the first place.

Becoming who you really are is a central task of adolescence. In a world of hyper competition and social pressure to be the best, it can be hard to feel good about yourself. Therapy helps teens identify and own their personal strengths and their imperfections.

LGBTQ+ teens face the highest rates of mental health difficulties in their age group. Therapy can serve as an affirming environment where teens can explore the intersections of their identities without feeling judged.

Coping with chronic health issues and disability during the “prime of your life” is no easy feat. Therapy can help teens come to term with their body’s limitations and find ways to focus on what they can do.