Adolescent Therapy

Picture the prototypic teenage girl: peach petals peeking at the sun. Both tender and tenacious, she tests her ability to unfurl or enfold depending on the conditions she meets.  If she were a work of art, she’d be labeled “in progress,” because everything about her is in transition. Focused on her bodily changes and new hormonally-driven emotional states, she also yearns for the revelations of conversational intimacy, hoping they will help acquaint her with her own inner space. Her ties with her parents are beginning to fray as her customary cooperativeness turns to surly discomfort with the status quo they represent.  She knows she must leave them behind, but doesn’t know how she will manage on her own.

Picture the prototypic teenage boy: gawky or pudgy, stringy or squat, he feels his size is all wrong. He longs to belong – and usually travels in groups —  but faces daunting prospects since he’s always competing over his rank among peers. His anger often covers over sadness, and can make him reckless at times.  In lieu of striking out, sometimes he goes on strike instead – sullenly shut up in his room with games, music, and electronic gadgets or on the streets where there’s little supervision but lots of stimulation, even violence.

Both need adult help in learning which risks are safe to take as they navigate this transition from establishing a sense of self to enjoying relationships with others.  For a variety of reasons, that adult is not always their parent.  A therapist can create a relationship with a teen that enhances their capacity for self-understanding through mutual reflection.