Adolescents and Struggling Teens: Collaborative Therapy 

I provide both brief treatment, evaluation and longer-term therapy for Teens, Pre-Teens and Young Adults. The chosen therapeutic plan and goals for a teenager will be determined based on the bigger picture of a teenager’s situation, and presenting problems or symptoms. We will follow a thorough, ongoing psycho-social assessment. I provide individual, group, family, and experiential therapies—and offer consultation, networking, and confidential collaboration with parents, schools, courts, child psychiatrists and other health care professionals. 

As a Senior Management Supervisor, Clinical Social Worker and Child/Adolescent Therapist, I have been a leader in the design and development of state-of-the-art, family-centered behavioral health programs for adolescents for over 20 years in Connecticut, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia. These programs were multi-faceted programs incorporating parent and family education educational services. This long-term experience helps me select a wide range of research-based treatment approaches for young people and parents, in addition to meaningful and creative interventions for youth.

My Approach With Adolescents

I work actively both with adolescents who are the most fearful, anxious, resistant, or angry; and with those who may be “high achievers” and typically “well-adjusted,” but now suddenly struggle with pressures of academic or athletic  performance, self-image, anxiety, identity concerns, depression, and worries about the future. This includes the pressures of work, family circumstances, and intimate relationships or of approaching college, independent living and vocations. 

I work with “acting-out” teenagers who are capable of being involved in therapy but may be increasingly involved in drug use, delinquent behaviors or involvement with negative peers and co-dependent, enmeshed, or destructive dating relationships. I help Middle-School Students and High School Freshmen from both Public and Private Schools who are not rising to the challenges socially, academically or behaviorally with their age-mates.  

As a therapist I work with diligence, patience, support and appropriate limit-setting where necessary. I attempt to honor each adolescent’s  level of motivation, acceptance and willingness to collaborate with me as a therapist in order to build accountability, awareness and self-responsibility. I am capable of looking at both the factors of motivation for change as well as heavy resistance to change. This is a normal and expected component of the adolescent developmental period, and how most teens view adults in the world.

Services

• ADD/ADHD Consultations

• Adoption Issues

• Autism Spectrum Disorder, Level I, Neurodivergent youth & adults

• Anger Management, Problems with Impulsivity 

• Substance Abuse Treatment,  Substance Abuse Assessment

• Anxiety and Depression

• Climate anxiety, pre-traumatic stress

• Assessment for Serious Mental Health Concerns 

• School Problems, Academic Underachievement, Learning Problems

• Identity Issues, LGBTQ+

• Support for Adolescents with Divorcing Parents and/or Blended Families

• Children of Alcoholics/Addicts

• Parent Education 

• Aftercare Therapy following Inpatient Psychiatric Treatment, Substance Abuse Treatment, Residential Treatment and/or Wilderness Treatment

• Grief and Loss Issues

• Child and Adolescent Trauma

• Evaluation and Referral for Experiential/Wilderness Programs, Therapeutic Boarding Schools