Typical Challenges:

• Defiance - a.k.a. talking back, not listening to rules, having a constant attitude

• Difficulty finding a sense of self

• Hanging out with the “wrong” crowd or having no friends

• Isolating - a.k.a. never coming out of their room

• Emotional Dysregulation - a.k.a. that emotional rollercoaster with lots of ups & downs

• Impulsiveness or unnecessary risk taking

• Difficulty concentrating or paying attention

• School grades dropping

• Loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities or not wanting to try new things

• Difficulty sleeping

• Substance use

How I Can Help:

Many teens deal with the impact of trauma by trying to avoid or numb their feelings. Doing this is like trying to keep a beach ball under water! All of their focus goes into keeping the feelings away, which leads to frequent distraction and them engaging in behaviors that may be harmful to them (e.g., risk taking, substance use, etc). On top of this, that beach ball is bound to slip through their grasp and pop up - and when this happens, it’s usually at unexpected times, leaving parents and others (and usually the teen too) completed shocked and confused by their behavior.

I help parents and teens understand the impact that trauma has had so these behaviors can be approached from a place of understanding and compassion. I will help your teen develop skills that will aid them in being able to accept and change their emotions, which will help them to feel comfortable experiencing the emotions they are desperately trying to avoid. On top of that, I like to think of myself as a “teen-parent interpreter” - meaning I seem to have a knack for helping teens and parents communicate in a way that they begin to understand each other, because let’s face it, most of the time it seems like teens are on another planet!

This is done through the evidenced based approach of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, of course, with my added flair of fun!

If your teen is still struggling emotionally after DBT, I will integrate trauma reprocessing via Eye-Movement Desensitization Therapy (EMDR). Think of DBT as the foundational treatment needed for EMDR to be successful!

What You Can Expect:

Since your teen is in the period of development whereby gaining independence is important for establishing their identity, I will primarily meet individually with your teen. However, as your teen learns new skills, I will either have them invite you into a session to share what they are learning or I will have a separate session with you to keep you updated on all of the skills they are learning. This is done so I can (1) help them practice the skills outside of session, and (2) so you can learn and practice the skills as well to create a better relationship with your teen! Please note that I will not share any details of your teen’s therapy unless there is an immediate safety risk.

What Your Teen Can Expect:

Simply put - a fun and safe place for healing! I strive to create a space where your teen can feel safe enough to be themselves so they can learn to walk confidently in this world. They will learn mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotional regulation, communication, and peer relationship skills that will support them in being able to share and process their traumatic experience later in therapy. I typically do this by connecting with them through their current pop culture interests - I’ve found that somehow I am so uncool that I am cool - I am still unsure how this works, but it works for teens and helps them to build further confidence as they show me their cool ways.