Therapy for Teens

secure online therapy for depression, anxiety, and relationship challenges for pre-teens and adolescents in Portland, Oregon

Are you having more problems lately at school or with friends, or are you arguing more with your parents?

Whatever it is that you're experiencing, you're beginning to notice the impact everywhere:

you have trouble getting out of the house and doing things you enjoy in your downtime
you dread going to school, and maybe your grades have started to slip
you feel more irritable, restless, or disconnected from yourself or others
you're noticing new things like panic attacks, difficulty getting out of bed, a hard time falling asleep/staying asleep, loss or increase in appetite

Individual support can help

It may feel impossible now, but you can begin to feel happier in your relationships and enjoy life. You can learn new skills to face your challenges without worry, and feel more confident.

Therapy can help, here's how:

Increasing your awareness of any negative thoughts or beliefs you have about yourself, and where they impact you the most, maybe at school, in relationship, or by yourself
Practicing new ways of checking in with yourself: tracking your body's signals and ways you relate to those signals; i.e. do you find yourself pushing away positive emotions as they come up, or do you have trouble believing your friends and family when they tell you how much they care about you
Lastly, we'll work on integrating the information you learn so you can feel more like yourself again
Types of interventions I use: drawing/collage, sandtray, role-playing, journaling/dialoging with the self or the inner critic, good old fashioned talk therapy, music, DBT/CBT interventions, and guided visualization/mindfulness

I'll help you through this process every step of the way. My approach to working with teenagers starts with relationship and rapport building. It matters how we relate to one another in the therapy room, and it's important to me that you feel more understood, cared for, and content.

You don't have to feel out of place or left behind. You matter.

Feeling unsure?
FAQ's

Q: What are sessions like? How long? How often do we meet?

A: I start every session by checking in about what's most difficult to manage. Once we identify the theme of the day and how it fits with our goals, I use a mix of interventions: talk, art, role-play, dreamwork, creative interventions, movement, and other interactive techniques to help clients feel like they can express themselves fully and uninhibitedly. I will not force clients to engage in interventions they aren't comfortable with, and all sessions are confidential with certain limitations I outline before we begin treatment (think: safety concerns).

All sessions are scheduled for an hour, and initially it's important for me to have weekly contact. We can arrange for bi-weekly if necessary.

Q: How long do I need to be in therapy?

A: I work with people as long as they need. It's all based on how the client feels they are doing and whether I feel like I'm still being effective for them as well. It's an ongoing process of negotiation, checking-in, and giving feedback that I do with clients and parents throughout our time together. My focus is always to help you feel differently and better than when we started.

Q: I'm skeptical... I don't want to do therapy... how do I know it will work for me?

A: Therapy can feel emotionally risky, so I spend a lot of time making sure that my clients and I can see ourselves working together. It's a relationship, and it's important to me that you feel seen and understood, and like I really "get" why you're interested in treatment. As we build rapport, I try to get information about what is working and not working, what you wish felt different or better, how it used to be, and where you notice you're having the most difficulty. Then we go from there together.

Q: Do you offer in person sessions?

A: All sessions are offered online through a secure telehealth platform, Zoom. There are so many benefits to online treatment, including being able to join at a convenient time of day, no commute to and from the office, and being able to schedule around the events and tasks of the week.

Q: How do we get started?

A: Reach out. I offer a free initial consultation to make sure we fit each other, and then we make a plan for treatment together. I meet with people weekly in order to establish a good working relationship and to ensure that I can best support you. All sessions are virtual, and I schedule a recurring appointment time, e.g. Wednesdays at 1pm, for continuity.