Teen Counseling in San Jose

Being a teenager can just be straight up hard sometimes. And being a parent to a teenager can be extremely challenging too, I see you! There’s drama and pressure with school, stress of living up to expectations of everyone, and not to mention all the things that come with social media-good, bad and otherwise. All while living through one of the most influential and important developmental stages of life where your teen is just finally starting to become their own person and create their own identity and feel some sort of independence for the first time! Trust me, this period is hard for parents too, you finally just figured out your teen and then…bam…they switch it up on you again, I see you, you're not alone in this. 

Teens often experience constant back and forth with wanting to make decisions on their own and still wanting and needing guidance and emotional support from their parents, you. Teens are learning and growing, most of the things they are learning to do might be for the first time. There’s new school expectations and pressures, new social expectations and pressures and for the first time they probably have new responsibilities like driving themselves to school or learning to balance their time between school, extracurricular activities, a job and their social lives. Teens' social lives are often the heartbeat of everything and sometimes they just don’t feel like their parents get it. Or maybe their parent’s response is to dismiss the social issues and prioritize school. I get why, you want your teen to succeed. But if we miss out on helping our teens work through their emotions as it relates to friends, dating and in general fitting in at this age, we miss an opportunity for connection. 

As a teen counselor, I remember how lonely it felt at times being a teen and how difficult it was to manage all the new responsibilities while trying my best to be as independent as possible from my parents. 

In teen counseling, I make it a priority to build connection with your teen and meet them where they are at in their adjustment to teenage life and all that it brings. Teen counseling isn’t only for those teens with severe mental health issues (like severe depression, severe anxiety, or even trauma), it’s also a safe place to talk through all the things they’re managing day in and day out and all the pressures that come with being a teenager today.

In teen counseling, I help your teen work on identifying and cultivating healthy relationships,  learn and practice healthy coping skills like how to deal with their anger and frustration when something doesn’t go their way. Your teen will learn skills to manage their time and increasing responsibilities. And most importantly your teen will learn how to communicate their needs and feelings more openly and effectively with you so that you can support them and reestablish a connection that meets their needs and age. In teen counseling we will also explore your teen’s self esteem to help them grow into the person you know they can be. But most importantly, my biggest goal in teen counseling is for your teen to have a positive experience so that if they are looking for support later in their life, they feel comfortable asking for help. 

Imagine your teen feeling more confident about themselves and thriving. I know you want that for them, you wouldn’t be here if you didn’t. Teen counseling is a good way to invest in your teen, their potential, their strengths and ultimately your relationship of trust with them. 

If you feel like this is what your teen needs and you're ready to invest in your teen, contact me, your teen counselor in San Jose, today for a free consultation.