Do you have a teen with whom you are constantly at odds? Does every conversation you have with him/her end up in a fight? Perhaps you see troubling behaviors and patterns emerging (e.g. substance use, pornography, concerning friend choices etc.) and you have no idea how to best help. These problems are challenging enough, but they are even more painful if you used to have a good relationship with your child.  Conversations that once came with ease are now laden with problems and may make you feel like you have failed as a parent.

Nothing can make a parent feel inadequate quite like parenting through the teenage years.

I specialize in working with teens and their families to help restore healthy family relationships. For teens, I provide a collaborative approach that utilizes CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) to address behavior concerns, existential techniques to help (re)discover one’s identity and MI (Motivational Interviewing) to address any type of addiction (e.g.alcohol, substances, pornography etc.) that may be present. I also work alongside parents and provide the tools they need to interpret their teen’s behaviors, which allows parents to respond in a way that fosters healthier communication and family life.

Often, dealing with conflict between parents and teens requires family sessions to directly address the issue. I utilize a systemic approach that acknowledges everyone at an individual level. At the same time, I focus on the dynamics of family relationships and how they are positively or negatively affecting the family as a whole. The goal is to help family members better understand one another, change harmful behaviors and resolve conflicts.