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I help families
navigate through the pressures of life.
A lot of times parents bring their child in to see a therapist and present them as a problem but the truth is the teens behavior is just a symptom of a larger issue that is taking place in the family system as a whole.
You can’t change the symptom without dealing with the system that facilitated or influenced the symptom. This is why I am here, to help you undo the impact of dysfunctional behavior patterns that have been passed down from generations to generations that might be unknowingly impacting you and your family.
Families are a living organism
That need time, attention and nuturing
Family therapy is necessary to address family issues and heal a family’s wounds. Family therapy allows the family to learn communication techniques, how to manage stress, and effective discipline strategies.
Developing healthy boundaries.
Defining someone's role within the family
Improving family dynamics and relationships.
Providing strength and coping tools for family members.
Addressing dysfunctional interactions.
Improving the family's problem-solving abilities.
Family therapy is necessary to address family issues
and heal family wounds.
When a family member is struggling with mental health issues, it can be very challenging for everyone else in the family. Family members may feel like they don’t know how to help, or they may feel guilty because they think that their loved one’s struggles are somehow their fault.
Family therapy is a way for you to learn how to cope with your loved one’s mental illness while still supporting them and keeping your other relationships healthy.
I am here to help you navigate through this difficult time. I help clients understand what is going on with their loved one and give you tools so that you feel empowered to support them in their recovery process without losing yourself along the way.
Bringing your
Back Together
FAMILY
Family therapy typically brings several family members together for therapy sessions.
Sessions typically take about 50 minutes to an hour. Family therapy is often short term — generally about 12 sessions. However, how often you meet and the number of sessions you'll need will depend on your family's particular situation and my recommendation.
During family therapy, you will:
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Examine your family's ability to solve problems and express thoughts and emotions in a productive manner.
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Explore family roles, rules and behavior patterns to identify issues that contribute to conflict — and ways to work through these issues.
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Identify your family's strengths, such as caring for one another, and weaknesses, such as difficulty confiding in one another.
Do you have Questions?
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What will the process of therapy look like?I believe that when working with teens the client-therapist relationship is one of the most important factors for successful therapeutic work to occur. Your teen must feel safe, comfortable, and connected with the therapist they are working with. Therefore, my main priority when an adolescent comes to see me is to help them decide whether I am a good fit for them and their particular needs. My next step is to help them to begin exploring those issues that they are struggling with. Because this may be the first time they are talking about these things and I make sure to go at a pace that feels comfortable to them. Together we start looking at what is getting in the way of their overall sense of happiness and well-being.
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Will you be able to tell me as a parent what goes on during sessions?When working with teens, it’s very important that they feel like therapy is a private place for them to talk about whatever is on their mind. Without a sense of privacy and confidentiality between your teen and their therapist, they are likely to remain closed off or distrustful of the therapist. They want to feel confident in knowing that what they talk about in session is not being disclosed to their parent’s. Therefore, when I work with teens, what they share in therapy stays between the two of us. However, there are a few very important exceptions. You will be the first to know if there is any reason to be concerned about your child’s health, well-being, or safety. To avoid any confusion, I always make sure to discuss my policies around confidentiality with both you and your teen in our first session together. This way you both know what to expect moving forward and I can answer any specific questions that you may have.
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How often will we meet?I typically like to meet with my teen clients on a weekly basis. I have found that meeting consistently every week helps to build a stronger therapeutic relationship and encourages them to more effectively address the issues they are struggling with. There are times, however, when it is appropriate to meet more or less frequently based on your teen’s current needs or schedule.
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How long will therapy last?Therapy typically does not have a set time length, unless there’s a specific need target area of trauma that we are focusing on. Some problems resolve very quickly while others are more complex and take longer to work through. Usually, I work with teens for at minimum three months, meeting on a weekly basis. I often continue working with them for up to a year or more and then we may transition to once monthly or on a as needed basis.
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How can I best support my teen while she is in therapy?One of the greatest things that you can do as a parent when your teen is seeing a therapist is to ask both your teen and the therapist what type of involvement would best in her experience in therapy. You may be invited into a session to directly address specific issues that your teen is struggling with and figure out how you can most effectively support them. A joint session with relevant family members and your teen may also be appropriate if there are specific issues that would best be addressed with their direct involvement.
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What is your approach as a therapist who works with teens?As a therapist who works with adolescents, my aim is to create an environment in which they feel comfortable opening up about what is going on in their lives, without fear of judgment or ridicule. We partner together to help them sort out their feelings, find solutions to their problems, and develop improved coping skills so that they can be more productive at managing the emotional ups and downs of being a teen. Working successfully with adolescents also requires finding a balance between providing them a safe space that is truly theirs, while involving parents and other family members, as necessary, in the service of your teen’s growth and development.
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