Negotiating the transitions of adolescence and young adulthood is complicated. The many choices and changes of adolescence sometimes lead to emotions and behaviors that result in problems for teens and for those with whom they are close. In young adults, the acquisition of new responsibilities and life roles may be equally as challenging.
Adolescents: Teenagers and college students seek assistance with issues including increased stress, depression and anxiety as well as concerns about their academic progress, daily living, adjustment to college, or relationships with others. Counseling can be an opportunity to talk about issues that are of concern with an objective person who can help to develop skills and view situations in ways that may enable you to be more effective in managing life's challenges down the road.
Some of the reasons teens and adolescents come to me for counseling (psychotherapy) include:
I can give you a safe, private space where what you talk about in the room, stays in the room between you and I.
Young Adults: The exact age at which an adolescent grows into and becomes an adult has become more and more vague. This transition, which can begin in late teenage years and continue through one's early thirties, has created the need for a new developmental stage assignment which is called young adulthood. Possibly the most turbulent years in one's life, young adulthood is the period of time in which an individual often seeks to make a myriad of commitments, including but not limited to commitments of profession, geographic location, sexual identification and committing to a significant other. Young adults can find themselves immobilized by societal pressures to make such lifelong commitments seemingly simultaneously.
Obtaining support during this time can make the difference between experiencing years of struggle versus experiencing years of positive exploration. I offer a safe, non-judgmental environment in which an individual feels secure to examine and consider all options available and to ensure that any commitments made are as authentic as possible.
Couples: Regardless of sexual orientation and whether you are dating, cohabitating, engaged or married, all relationships require work. Young couples today face challenges that are made more complicated by our fast paced society. Choices are vast and the decision to settle into a committed relationship can be daunting. I help young couples develop the communication skills needed for a long term bond. When couples are at different stages in their level of commitment to one another, communication and tolerance are essential. Insecurity and impatience can derail established connections unnecessarily. Couples therapy facilitates the development of empathy for the other, which helps to guide the development of committed and stable relationships. Issues of communication, trust, not feeling respected, or dissatisfaction with sexual intimacy become too challenging and couples need support. At other times it is not an issue between two partners, but pressure from the outside -- crisis at work, parenting, family and in-law issues, becoming step-parents. I can help you find new ways to communicate in a more loving and respectable way, resolve conflicts without it always escalating into a fight and learn to solve problems as a team. I want to help you support each other as friends, lovers and partners in life.