Teen Therapy in Atlanta
A room that is genuinely theirs, and a plan you are part of
Teenagers can tell within about ten minutes whether an adult is actually listening or waiting for a turn to give advice. The first job here is being the former, because nothing useful happens until a teenager has decided the room is safe.
I work with teens who are anxious, burnt out, newly identified as neurodivergent, struggling socially, or worn down by expectations they have been carrying since primary school. Many are bright, capable, and quietly exhausted by the effort of appearing fine.
If you are the parent reading this: your instinct that something has shifted is usually correct, and bringing them in is not an overreaction.
Parents Often Notice
- Withdrawal that has lasted longer than a phase and does not lift on good weeks
- Grades sliding in a kid you know is capable, with no explanation either of you can name
- Anger or shutdown out of proportion to what set it off
- Sleep, appetite or routines that have quietly gone sideways
- A recent ADHD or autism identification, and nobody sure what to do with it
- They have said they want to talk to someone, and neither of you knows where to start
None of that means something is wrong with them or that you did something wrong. It usually means they are carrying more than they have language for yet.
What We Work On
Anxiety and the pressure to perform
School, applications, sport, social standing. Teens carry expectations from more directions at once than most adults do, and they are rarely allowed to say it is too much.
Neurodivergence and identity
For teens working out what an ADHD or autism identification means about them. This is the age where that either becomes self-understanding or becomes shame, and which one it becomes is not left to chance.
Burnout and perfectionism, early
High-achieving teenagers burn out too, and they hide it well because the grades hold up until suddenly they do not. Caught now, it does not become the adult version.
Friendships, belonging and social exhaustion
What is actually happening socially, including the part where being included still costs them everything they had that day.
Emotional regulation
Practical work on what happens before an outburst or a shutdown, so there is somewhere to intervene other than the aftermath.
Talking to you again
Where it fits, work on the parent-teen relationship itself. Often the goal is not more conversation but a different kind, with less of it happening in the middle of a bad moment.
How I Work With Teens and Parents
The teen gets confidentiality, because without it they will manage me the way they manage every other adult and we will get nowhere. Within that, you are kept informed about themes, progress and anything affecting their safety. We agree how that works at the start so nobody is guessing.
I use Internal Family Systems, Somatic Experiencing and person-centered approaches, adapted for teenagers, which in practice means less sitting across a desk being asked how that made you feel. There are fidgets. Sessions can move sideways into whatever they are actually interested in, and that is often where the real material shows up.
Parents are collaborators here, not spectators. Sometimes the most useful work in a given month is with you rather than with them.
Common Questions
- What ages do you work with?
- I work with teenagers from 13 and with adults. If your child is younger than that, tell me anyway and I will point you toward someone whose practice fits better.
- Will you tell me what my teenager says?
- Not verbatim, and that is deliberate. Teens need to know the room is genuinely theirs or they will not use it. You will get themes, direction and progress, and I will always tell you about anything that affects their safety. We set those expectations together in the first session.
- My teenager does not want to come. What then?
- That is common and it is not a dead end. A first session with no obligation attached is often enough — plenty of reluctant teenagers arrive braced for a lecture and relax when they realise that is not what this is. If it is still a no afterwards, working with you on the situation at home is a genuine option.
- Do you diagnose ADHD or autism in teens?
- No. I am an Associate Professional Counselor, so I do not conduct formal assessment or testing, and I do not prescribe. I work with teens who are diagnosed, being assessed, or strongly suspected, and I can point you toward providers who do evaluations.
- Do you offer sessions online?
- Most sessions are in person at my Atlanta office, which tends to build the strongest working relationship. I also offer online sessions across Georgia when that fits your life better.
- How do we start?
- With a free 15-minute consultation. It is a short, low-pressure conversation about what is going on and whether working together makes sense. Nothing is committed to on that call.
Start With a Free Consultation
Fifteen minutes, no cost, no pressure. We talk about what is going on and whether working together makes sense.