Teens (Lots of content here we know, but bare with us, it will take 5 minutes to read max.)

This website is probably your first contact with us. It seems you are doing some data gathering on us as your potential therapists, on what we do, why and where we do it. Good for you! You likely did not anticipate having to schedule yet another commitment into your hectic life, so researching us makes all the sense in the world – is this worth your time and energy? Therapy IS a commitment. We would be lying if we minimized that. It can be difficult work for those fully committed to a different way of coping and it can be impossible for those who don’t want or feel a need to try. Because we actually don’t want you coming here every week, for any longer than necessary, we will be looking for certain signs that we are a good fit for you.

Obviously, we need the consent and commitment of your parents to work with you. However, we cannot work successfully with you, if we do not have your buy-in. It is necessary to have your parents’ permission, but it is critical to have your commitment.

We will talk about confidentiality and it limits during our first session together. Your parents will not get information about our sessions:

unless you report an intent/plan to harm yourself or others
unless we have an agreement with you to tell them specific things
unless we are in a family session, and we have a prior agreement with you to disclose info

Our relationship with you in therapy is built on trust and our ability to work together well. It is not our job to communicate information between you and your parents. We are not here to spy on you for your parents. Many parents are surprised by our confidentiality agreement. It is one of the cornerstones of our work with you. Earning your trust is our job. Teaching you skills to cope differently is part of our job. Working with your family so everyone feels supported is also part of our job.

So, if you think of your favorite teachers, or at least ones you can tolerate, that is how we would like you to feel with us. Ask yourself if you like us, how you feel having met us, do you feel over time we can work together? If the answer is yes, we would like to be on your side as you continue to figure out your life and learn to approach it with different tools and skills.