Most parents don’t wake up one day and decide their teen needs therapy. Therapy becomes an option in parents’ mind when their teen is dealing with something so overwhelming, the parent doesn’t know how to help.

Saying “No” to a teen is tough, especially when you want to do so in a way that doesn’t ruin your relationship. It’s almost like something’s stuck in their ears, or after they ask a question, they simply turn off listening.

Any new experience may set your heart aflutter and give you the cold sweats, therapy is no exception. It’s normal to have a stress response when doing something new or different. You will get through this, just like you’ve gotten through other new, different experiences in your life.

Choosing a therapist is a personal decision. If you’re at all like I am, I have all these questions and then when I actually get someone on the phone, they flow right out of my mind.

Holidays change after divorce, separation, or remarriage. They aren’t better or worse per se, simply different, and often they come with sometimes unexpected emotions as each member of a family grapples with the “new normal.”

Choosing a therapist for your child is tough, especially when your child is a teen. Not only do you need to trust the expertise of the therapist, feel like they understand you as the parent, and connect with them, your teen also needs those same things.

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), suicide is the second leading cause of death for middle and high schoolers. Suicide is often, though not always, preventable. Four out of five teens who attempt suicide have given clear warning signs.

Many of you who are reading this are parenting adults.

You may have processed during this pandemic your own big feelings of fear, anxiety, uncertainty, and loneliness. You may still be taking the emotions as they come each day as we get new information, policies change, and hope and fear of the vaccine coming out swells. Most of us have found some sense of rhythm, even though the tectonic plates underneath us keep shifting, and we’ve learned to get our needs met through work, online community, etc. We’ve adapted and processed along the way.

Just as adults have had such big emotions regarding this life altering experience, teens are too.

Almost a third of teenagers (age 13-18) had an anxiety disorder according to the National Institute of Mental Health. If it seems like anxiety in teens is on the rise, it’s because it is. Teens face unprecedented pressure to “succeed,” more adversities in childhood (parental divorce, parental substance abuse issues and other adversities), and an unregulated social media system designed to create addiction. When compared to raising teens five decades ago, suffice it to say, things have changed drastically.

So you caught your teen vaping…

You are probably experiencing a whole range of emotions right now…anger, disgust, fear, shame, sadness and more. You may be wondering how your teen got a vape and why, oh why, they’re doing this.

Thanks for stopping by. You may be a parenting adult looking for support for a teen in your life. Or maybe you’re a teenager and your parent MADE you look at this site to see if I’m a good fit for you. Or maybe you’re an awesome teen and you found me on your own. Either way, I’m really glad you’re here!