I have been helping Adolescents achieve their potential and deal with life’s many challenges for two decades. Adolescents don’t underachieve in school, or get into conflict with authority, or develop problems with substance abuse because they are lazy, uncaring, or bad. These are all signs of underlying struggles, typically with ADHD, anxiety, depression, loneliness, and loss and acceptance. Adolescents often say: “I don’t care”, but they really mean: “I care too much”.
There are few things as frustrating as knowing you can do better, but not being able to figure out how.
Very typically, my adolescent clients and their families see me at a time of great distress; with high levels of family conflict in addition to the adolescent’s own struggles. By the time they see me, concerned parents are exhausted, frustrated, angry, and scared. Unfortunately, efforts to help by families typically lead to worsening cycles of conflict at home. Families also need support and tools to better handle their teen’s struggles.
My program involves:
- Identifying the real cause of the young person’s struggles
- Working with the young person one-on-one to provide guidance, counseling, and tools to succeed
- Identifying triggers and causes of family conflict
- Helping family members reduce tension and conflict and enable them to begin working together, rather than against each other