As a State Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist/Psychotherapist for the last 14 years I have provided Special Services For Teens And Parents. With the parents signing a Permission-To-Treat Release Form (and the teen and parents signing a Limits of Confidentiality Form) I have been able to provide a confidential safe place for Teens to have professional help.

With that place for the teen established I also work with the parents alone (every few weeks after the initial consult) to guide them on developmental needs of teens- what to expect - and how to manage at a higher level as single parents or as a parental team. The focus is often balancing the limit-setting with sponsorship of additional freedom. Creating effective and appropriate behavior management plans is a key component. These plans always need to be updated and fine-tuned.

This kind of approach has often proven crucial for many teens to overcome crises or bumps in the road to becoming adults. It is normal that teens struggle to one degree or another as they try to get their bearings with their newly forming identity, newly forming hormonal and growth changes, and their need for separation and individuation. These needs can be either precocious or delayed. It can be quite helpful to parents to have a coach for how to balance setting limits firmly and also giving more responsibility as the teen incrementally grows.

I have the ability to bring the parents together with the teen by phone (if needed)to improve communication and mediate problems. I often coach the parental team (during parent-only consult calls) on how to have family meetings at home to re-establish their authority and sponsorship of their teen in new ways.

My experience also includes working with Teens and Parents when there are learning differences such as ADD, NLD, or Autistic Spectrum Disorder issues, anger management, relationship dependence, or Depression or Addiction issues. It is common that teens have difficulties with suicidal ideation, emotion regulation issues, relationship loss, coping with divorce, academic troubles, sexual identity confusion, isolation, sibling relationship problems, parent-teen bond issues and acting out of various kinds.

The GOOD NEWS is that talking out feelings and thoughts (related to teen and parent goals) in an integrative way usually reduces acting out behavior. CALL NOW FOR A CONSULTATION.