Teen Therapy

It is the rare teenager that enters a counselor's office with fists in the air, excited to start therapy. For those of you who have teenagers, the image is almost humorous. In no other context is it more obvious that counseling, by its very nature, is weird. To talk with someone you have just met about things are significant and meaningful to you - things you have not yet disclosed to your closest friends - is weird.

We can help with teens who struggle with:

• Anxiety/depression
• Reactions to a traumatic experience
• Poor self-concept
• Connecting to peers
• Meeting expectations at school or home

At Solace Family Counseling, we start from there. We understand that the greatest asset in adolescent therapy is the relationship that is formed between the counselor and the client. We understand that adolescents have learned by necessity to protect themselves - they have learned that self-disclosure and vulnerability has led to overreaction, hyperbolized conclusions and loss of dignity.

"The changes during adolescence are not something to just get through; they are qualities we actually need to hold on to in order to live a full and meaningful life in adulthood." Dan Seigel

We understand that the teenager world is full of adults telling them what to think, what to say, where to be and who to spend time with. Very little space is left for them to shape. We choose to build the therapeutic relationship on trust and respect and believe that an authentic, organic relationship is the building block for lasting change and healing. As we provide a safe environment with predictable boundaries and unconditional acceptance, we believe that the healing path can be fully discovered.

We believe that what a teenager does is not what is most important - it is who they are. We believe that if adolescents who are confident in themselves and are given safe space to learn and explore, they will find what they need to grow and develop into he fullness of who they are.