Teen counseling

You think #adulting is hard?

try being a teenager.

Some of you might be thinking: The issues teenagers face are far smaller and less significant than the ones we face as adults. Sure. Okay. Maybe so. But being a teenager is hard. And most days, I would argue that it’s harder than being an adult because of the unique dynamics at play.

Hear me out. Take a minute and put yourself in a teenager’s shoes…

As a teenager, you’re getting older, forming your own opinions, figuring out who you are, and learning to appropriately assert your independence.

You go to school for several hours every day and learn things your parents have never even heard about. You study for hours on end for exams in subjects you don’t care about.

You think to yourself, “When will I ever use this in real life?!” But you do your best because that’s your job. That’s what you’re supposed to do.

You try your best to keep up with friends in between school, after school sports/clubs and other extracurricular activities. This keeps you busy, and sometimes it gets tiring.

Meanwhile, your hormones are raging. Your body is changing. You can’t stay out past curfew. You might not even be able to drive! You can’t really do anything without permission, supervision or more guidance than it feels like you need. You can’t vote or decide where you want to live, and sometimes you don’t even have a say as to what you’re having for dinner!

Basically, teenagers are treated like children, but expected to act like adults.

How would you feel?

teens: you don’t have to do this alone.

It’s okay to need a little help.

• Maybe you find it absolutely insufferable to talk to your parents about the inner-workings of your brain. They just don’t seem to get it.

• Maybe you'd like to have an objective outsider - someone who isn’t emotionally involved - to bounce ideas off of, without fear of judgement or consequence.

• Maybe you’re worried that your friends are getting sick of you venting to them every time something stressful happens. You need some new ways to cope.

• Maybe you don’t know what you want or need, but you’ve heard about therapy and you’re down to give it try!

That’s where i come in.

In my St. Louis counseling practice, I help teens figure out the hard stuff. Don’t worry. I’m not going to lecture you. I’m not your mom and I have no interest in taking on that role. I’m a therapist who happens to remember what’s it’s like to be a misunderstood teenager. I have a lot of compassion for you, and everything you have to put up with at this stage in your life. I’m in awe of how far you’ve come, and I want to help you feel better.

I’m not going to tell you what to do. That’s not my job.

Instead, I’m going to walk alongside you to help you figure out what you want out of life and how we can work together to help you achieve that. I want you to enjoy these years as much as you can, because they don’t last forever!