Individual Therapy for Teens

Being a teen is brutal.

And parenting a teen can feel even more challenging. Here is a client story of Cameron* that captures her journey in therapy.

Cameron is a 15-year-old high school freshman who can’t take it anymore. She knows she’s not dumb but can’t keep up in school. She has ADHD and feels distracted and nervous constantly.

How she feels could result from feeling nervous about her friends suddenly “dropping her” or whether she said the wrong thing in class and looked like a fool. And then she beats herself for wasting so much time.

Deep down, she knows she’s a good friend and genuinely trying her best in school. But her head is spinning in a million different directions, and she’s simply trying to stay afloat.

And then, at home, it feels even worse sometimes.

Although Cameron knows her parents have good intentions, she feels uncomfortable talking to them. They ask too many questions. Cameron could tell they were worried about her, making her feel terrible.

She feels like she is letting herself and everyone down.

One day, her parents tell Cameron that talking to a therapist would help. Cameron says, “But I’m not crazy!” Her parents encouraged her to try therapy because they found an excellent therapist who would understand her problems.

The first session went better than Cameron expected.

Cameron was surprised by how comfortable she felt in my therapy office in her first session. She felt like I genuinely cared and was interested in getting to know her, making answering questions feel more accessible and manageable.

Finally, Cameron felt she had a space to be herself without expectations. She talked about her anxiety with friends, schoolwork, feeling like she wasn’t pretty or cool enough, and letting herself and others down.

Cameron said she would do things to feel better, like skipping meals to gain a little more control of things. My words, nonjudgmental nature, and curiosity to get to know her helped Cameron feel validated.

Cameron and I learned about her fear and empathized with the unhelpful thoughts that appear when “big emotions” arise. She gained an understanding of the teenage brain, how ADHD shows up, and ways to work with it. We also explored ways to cope and communicate with her peers, teachers, and parents to meet her needs better.

Parental connection makes everything better.

I also met with Cameron’s parents and helped them understand their daughter’s needs better.

Cameron and her parents started to talk more, using some of the communication tools of therapy, and she felt less alone in her struggles.

Their relationship took a BIG positive shift, and now, home feels like a safe place to talk about her school day – the bad and increasingly good moments.

Because of this positive connection, Cameron felt she can ask for help and agreed to have her parents find a tutor.

Cameron gained confidence.

In social settings with peers, Cameron began using mindfulness techniques which helped her better cope with anxiety and negative thought patterns. Unhelpful thoughts like “don’t say something stupid” may pop up here and there, but they aren’t as loud. Cameron can notice how they feel in her body and self-regulate and calm them.

Cameron stopped skipping meals, seeing she didn’t need to restrict herself to feel better.

She felt more confident and hopeful, didn’t dread school anymore, and has deepened several friendships. Cameron wakes up more excited and prepared for the day ahead.

Make the teenage years less stressful.

Therapy provides a safe space for teens to interact and express their feelings without fear of judgment or criticism. My focus is helping your teen sort out their fears and deepest negative feelings. This allows them to start living with more confidence and ease.

Like Cameron, your teen can learn coping skills to make life less burdensome.

If this story resonates with you and your child, or you feel a therapist’s support would be helpful, please get in touch with me.

Call me at (202) 875-5861 for a free phone consultation. I’m excited to help your child find a positive way forward as they learn to cope with those teen years.

*Name and story is a composite narrative and does not reflect an actual client.