Counseling for Teens and Young Adults
Support for early life transitions in Vancouver, Clark County, and WA state
Are you unsure how to navigate the tumultuous seasons of your teen or young adult years?
Maybe you feel stuck from something that happened in the past, or perhaps you are facing some major life transitions.
You may feel unsure how to navigate your current situation, what decisions to make about your future, or simply paralyzed and unable to move forward. Perhaps you’re feeling depressed, anxious, or dysregulated, and no adult truly understands you.
Whatever it is that you’re experiencing, you’re beginning to notice the impact of this in every facet of your life:
● You’re either under or overachieving at school and/or work.
● You’re resorting to unhealthy coping mechanisms such as binge eating junk food, excess use of electronics, isolating, using substances, or cutting.
● You feel disconnected with others and are unsure of yourself.
Teen & Young Adult Counseling can help.
It may feel impossible now, but you can get through your teen years well and start to lay a good foundation for adulthood. You can learn ways to overcome unhealthy patterns so you can reach your full potential. And I can be the ally who helps get you there.
Teen & Young Adult Counseling helps you do 4 things:
● Process difficulties in a productive way so you can resolve them and move on.
● Clarify your own identity and emerging values to help you make good decisions you can be proud of.
● Gain tools to relate in healthy ways with others to set yourself up for relationship success.
● Learn how to cope with overwhelming emotions and live a lifestyle that lends itself to good mental health.
What we’ll do together:
I’ll help you through this process, tailoring each step to your unique needs and circumstances. My approach to working with teens and young adults comes from a strength-based place of connection: You will gain a relatable ally who truly gets you and helps you walk through the unique difficulties of youth so you can go from surviving to thriving.
It’s time to gain the tools you need to successfully navigate the difficult transitions of early life and build a strong foundation for adulthood.
I can help get you there.
Common questions about counseling for teens & young adults:
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I work to build a strong rapport with my teen and young adult clients, which is something I have a natural knack for. My style is down-to-earth, deeply respectful of youth, and highly strength-based, which has been honed from my work with troubled youth over several years. I also weave in an educational and practical approach so you can learn more about yourself and be better equipped to manage your difficulties in a way that feels within reach and not complicated or mystical.
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State law allows clients age 13 and up to have a lot of say in how much they want their parents to be involved in their therapy. I offer the option of my teens to fill out a Protected Health Information release form that allows me to communicate with their parents, which can range from simple scheduling and billing issues to providing basic updates on your goals and progress to allowing me to disclose anything from our sessions. Because my role is to be your ally, I will only share information that I believe would be in your best interest and will help your parents better support you. While we will meet individually to allow you your own space to talk about things, there may be times we decide that including your parent(s) in a session would be helpful for some spot-check work. For young adults who are fully independent, none of this may apply.
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This all depends on your individual needs. I will work with you to tailor treatment frequency and length in a way that is right for you. Here are some examples: for a simple presenting problem, our work may just take a handful of sessions while others with more complex or longstanding problems may require months or longer.
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There are many factors outside the therapy office that can influence outcomes, so I cannot give guarantees. However, I have found that a lot of healing can take place from the relationship we form, and if there is resolve present and clients keep showing up, they can start to see results. After working with troubled youth for several years, it became clear that working with this population was not just a season but a calling. My love for young people shines through in my work and I have a myriad of expertise to help them overcome their difficulties and get where they need to go in life.
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Reach out to me today for a free consultation. I am happy to answer any questions you have to help ease you into the process and get a feel for what it would be like to work with me. I will then give you a chance to schedule an initial appointment so you can see for yourself if we would be a good fit. I look forward to talking with you!
