Adolescents

Adolescence is a time of transition for the teen as well as the other members of the family. The experience of adolescence varies for each individual and can change day to day, hour to hour. These years of life are characterized by physical and emotional changes. Values, morals, abstract thinking, increasing independence, and figuring out one’s identity are just a few of the challenges of this stage in life. Parents or care-givers are often challenged by the role of parent-to-teen because so much of the child’s behavior is unpredictable, or predictably difficult, depending on the many variables that contribute to the health or illness of a family.

I have always had a passion for working with adolescents and helping them separate from their families of origin in a manner that reduces strife, and improves communication and a new kind of closeness, while doing “damage control” by helping the teen make choices that are the least destructive to themselves and their families.
This is not always easy because many people wait too long to start therapy, hoping the behavior is a phase and will go away on its own. They continue to use strategies that fail, despite contrary evidence. Too often, parents are shocked and unprepared for the changes in their previously-cooperative latency age (7-11/12 child). Somehow, despite the conflicts in families with teens, it is hard to accept that YOUR teen could act in such an unkind, self centered, defensive and fault-finding manner. How this stage is negotiated by families is critically important as it lays a framework for later adult-child/parent relationships.

During the many years I have worked with adolescents I developed considerable experience in a variety of problem areas, including:

Academic/school-related problems
Abuse; sexual/physical/emotional
ADD/ADHD
Anxiety
Depression
Eating disorders
Family-related problems
Internet abuse
Self-injurious behavior
Separation (healthy) from family of origin
Sexuality and sexual orientation
Substance abuse of teen or parent
Stress

At the start of my career, I worked as a personal counselor in four high schools in San Francisco, Oakland, and Berkeley. I soon learned that it was critically important to work with the families or significant others in the teen’s life in order for the treatment to succeed. For this reason, I began to study family and couple therapy. This enabled me to understand the situation from both the parents’ and the teen’s point of view. Even though I work individually with teens, it is my practice to involve the family, with the frequency of family visits depending on the issues of concern, the age of the teen, the degree of the dysfunctionality of the family system and other variables.Seeking Help

If you are interested in talking to me about working with your teen and/or your family, please call or email me for an initial consultation. I do a short assessment and answer questions you may have for the purpose of developing an initial treatment plan, whether with me or not, depending on the variables. I often refer people to reading material, websites, or community support organizations. This is because I have often found that a variety of interventions work more effectively than any one by itself. Please note the books below so you might get started right away on the issues at hand.

Please see the books I recommend on Adolescence here.

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