Our counselors offer counseling for teens in Irvine, CA

My typical approach for helping teens is fundamentally the same across all modalities — meeting them at their level and their readiness for change. I find this works best because they are the experts on themselves. They need to be the one driving or the actions won’t be meaningful. With the teen population, this is especially true because they’ve been told what to do by so many adults in lives. They don’t need another adult in their lives to do more of that.

I teach many tools in therapy with teens that are catered to each person’s needs and level of functioning, for example:

• coping tools that build upon their existing coping mechanisms to help make their tools more effective.
• mindfulness tools that help build awareness and understanding of their emotions
• psychoeducation on the transitional period of their life
• insight tools like the cognitive triangle & schemas to help understand their common thinking traps
• communication tools to help them feel heard when expressing feelings & needs

I know clients are making meaningful progress in therapy when they start reporting improvements in their lives and/or relationships. It’s important to help clients recognize and celebrate their successes, no matter how small.

Teens can supplement their therapy by practicing some good self care & the coping tools discussed, or just by merely considering how the concepts from sessions can be applied. Sometimes, teens don’t realize the fun things they do are also coping tools—like listening to music, playing sports & games. In therapy, consistent practice of tools is the foundation of forming new and healthier habits.

To prepare for their first session, teens can consider what their goals for therapy might be, and to keep an open mind for their new journey. It’s important for teens to be able to differentiate their goals from their parents’ goals as well, sometimes this can be difficult to do. Therapy can open doors to new concepts and methods of approach if clients are ready to open those doors.