Teen Therapy - ATX

My Experience with Teens

I have been doing teen therapy since my very first internship in graduate school and have not stopped since. For years, I Co-Facilitated a group for at risk youth at the Southern California Counseling Center. I was also a Counselor and Liaison for a public middle school in Los Angeles, CA, where I saw a wide variety of patients and presenting problems. This is also where I learned just how stressful our school system can be for young people today. I have also worked with teenagers through a local Los Angeles police department as a Counselor in their Juvenile Diversion Program, which gave teens a chance to keep their criminal record clean, while learning positive coping skills and paying restitution to the community.

Why choose me?

I have a wide variety of experience with teenagers and a long track record of positive feedback from teens and parents alike. I am open and accepting of people of any race, gender, or sexuality -- and these are the years where these subjects become that much more important to talk about! I'm also a young professional, which can help make me more relatable and trustworthy. At the end of the day you should choose me because I sincerely care about the outcome and wellbeing of your child and will do everything in my power to make that outcome a positive one. 

A note to teens:

Hi! I want you to know that my goal as your therapist is to earn your trust and help you to talk through or work on any issues that you find significant in your life. My secondary goal is to be an adult in your life that is reliable, listens to you, talks with you (not at you), and generally doesn't suck. Seems simple enough, right? So give it a shot and see what you think! 

If you are feeling suicidal, please call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline immediately. Their number is 1 (800) 273- 8255 

A note to parent(s)/guardian(s):

You have come to the right place! I am super excited to work with you and your teenager. You should know upfront that I will be asking you to place your trust in me, and my professional judgement. It is my general policy to not report the minutia of each session, but believe me, you will be the first to know if I have any concerns whatsoever for the health or safety of your teen. The reason for this policy is simple: in order for me to have a strong therapeutic relationship with your child, they will need to trust me and be able to speak freely without worrying about what will or will not be kept in confidence. We will talk more about this when we meet. 

What to expect on your first visit

The first appointment is 1hr. in duration and I encourage any and all parent(s) and legal guardian(s) to come to the first session. Please print, complete the applicable forms prior to your arrival. For the first 10-20 minutes of the session, we will meet all together. This will give us a chance to get to know each other and go over all the "ground rules" of therapy. During this time, please feel free to ask any questions you may have. After which, I'll walk you back out to the waiting room and the remainder of the session time will be spent one on one, getting to know your teen.

All subsequent sessions are 50 minutes long, and parent(s)/legal guardian(s) do not need to be present unless we have talked about it before hand.