My Work with Teens and College Age Individuals

Working with adolescents and young adults is a core feature of my work. Adolescence is a time filled with immense change and growth. Developmentally, this is a time to ferociously accumulate new experiences, relationships, and knowledge. Along with all the concrete milestones, teens are trying on different identities in school, with friends, alone, in terms of dress, and in the family, discovering their sexuality, and coming up with who they are within the parameters of the world. It is a time of shifting from a reliance on the family as the primary support system to the pursuit of independence, a time when rebellion is normal and connections outside of the family become paramount.  

In this period of growth, adolescents are often presented with various challenges, obstacles, and difficult experiences that they must navigate past. Adolescents are often excellent at compensating for mental health issues, and problems often go untreated until they are revealed in times of transition. Problems at this age can encompass alcohol or substance use, risky or impulsive behavior, decline in grades or motivation, suicidal thoughts, self-harm and isolation. Early intervention and treatment can make an enormous difference and allow adolescents to continue their developmental process. I am passionate about walking alongside young people and assisting them in this journey. Adolescence is all about developing one's identity, and I seek to support teens in this pursuit. I believe in an integrated approach working with the individual and family while simultaneously preserving and promoting autonomy. I work closely with the pediatrician and any psychologists and school professionals, as well as with the school system to ensure that students have the best possible chance at a good education.

In working with adolescents and young adults, I have been told that my natural ease in relating to teenagers shines. I excel in working with tweens, teens, and college age students. As this has been an area of particular clinical interest, I have cultivated a wide skill set in psychotherapy and psychopharmacology to help patients in this particular age group. I help tweens, teens and young adults to be engaged in their own life and success, develop a collaborative treatment plan, engage in healthy decision making, and develop a positive outlook on life.