Making the transition from childhood to adulthood has never been easy for anyone, but the traditional challenges associated with adolescence are exacerbated by our current age of the Internet, social media platforms, and a new kind of peer pressure and desire to belong that has never existed before in human history. All of these factors create enormous possibilities accompanied by great instability and confusion for adolescents and their families.

With the social and academic demands of today’s world, many teens struggle to feel successful or even adequate to those around them. This can lead to parental concerns and increased conflicts at home when a teen falls behind or demonstrates changes in mood and behavior. The adolescent be experiencing depression or chronic anxiety with the pressures they are experiencing. These issues may lead to isolation, acting out behaviors or self-harm gestures. It is difficult as parents to know how to manage these problems and sometimes efforts to intervene may seem to worsen the symptoms.

“Adolescence represents an inner emotional upheaval, a struggle between the eternal human wish to cling to the past and the equally powerful wish to get on with the future.” - Louise J Kaplan

Common Issues

• Depression/Sadness

• Anxiety/Stress/Worry

• Perfectionism

• Poor Grade/School Problems

• Social Skills

• Traumatic Experiences

• Attention Deficit

• Parent/Child Relationship Issues

• Peer Relationships

• Self-Injury Behaviors

• Alcohol/ Drug Use

• Sexual Identity Questioning

• Separation/Divorce of Parents