Teen Issues

I have experience working with teens on issues like anxiety, school stress, burnout, advocacy and boundary setting, relationships and break-ups, technology use, and friendships struggles.

Kristen works with adolescent and young adults on issues of peer pressure, identity, self image, self worth, transitions, and work/ school stressors.

I've spent most of my career working with adolescents in a wide range of settings. My genuine caring and interest in the lives of my clients helps establish a trusting relationship where healing can take place.

It’s extremely difficult navigating through adolescent issues by yourself. This is a period of time where the support from a professional help would make great and lasting changes to help support your growth.

In my counseling practice, I support teens, college students and young adults who are struggling with the stressors and anxieties of the pandemic, school, friends, families, life, and self. Many teens and young adults may also be experiencing other emotional or behavioral responses to the challenges they are enduring, as well as past traumas. Add in a pandemic and todays youth’s lives have been flipped upside down. Together we work collaboratively as we navigate through the up's and downs.

Since I was a trainee in my Master's program in the 1990s, my heart has been working with adolescent girls (ages 13-19). During that time I have also raised two amazing daughters and still love this population!

Your teen isn't always going to feel comfortable approaching you with hard topics. A lot of my clients discuss their discovery of sex or drugs with me whenever rapport is built, and I always want to foster open communication and trust regarding those topics. I always tell my clients that I wasn't their age too long ago and want to explore the reasons why they do things that we often view as dangerous or irresponsible.

From the moment I got into this field I knew I wanted to work with adolescents as they bring a unique energy and perspective to the therapeutic process which I enjoy tremendously. Adolescents also have distinctive issues they need help with and after 26 years of working with this population, I feel I have a special skillset to help them work through those while feeling supported and encouraged.

Brain development, peer and relationship issues, sexuality, independence seeking and family conflict, impacts of social media, school, depression, lack of motivation, anxiety, achievement and perfectionism

Young people idealize this period of adolescence time life in which they focus on the positive developments that occur during this period. Unfortunately, teens face significant issues that can throw them off-course. These issues include depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and a variety of other significant challenges. Family background and family cultures can shape the ways in which teens face situations, but it’s almost impossible to protect a teen from risks to their well-being.

Being a teenager is hard, especially when you feel misunderstood. You may clash with your parents, who don’t see that your experience is different from theirs. Home and school values might conflict, leaving you feeling like you’re living a double life, constantly adapting but never truly seen. Feeling trapped, angry, or alone can take a toll on your mental health. Adolescence is a time of self-discovery—figuring out who you are and where you belong. Therapy can help you!

At Newport Academy, we believe that true transformation occurs as our teens learn to see themselves as beautiful, bright, and powerful people who can take control of their own lives. In order to help our patients achieve that goal, we maintain the highest possible standards for our services, and commission third-party evaluations of our programming. By consistently gathering and analyzing data related to our outcomes, we’re able to make more strategic and tailored decisions for our patients.

Working with teens requires an eclectic set of skills. In my experience with teens, the recipe for successful therapy is a safe trusting relationship. To build that I combine a play therapy approach with Internal Family Systems and Somatic Therapy work. I provide many options to work through the discomfort some teens experience in the therapy process. Art, play, movement, and nature are some modalities which allow teenagers to more easily explore their experience.

Adolescence is a time where it can feel difficult to navigate changes and the brain of an adolescent is complex. I specialize in adolescent mental health and gear my post graduate study towards this age group specifically.

In both the community-based and hospital setting, I've worked with adolescents for several years in both severe psychiatric crisis, and in more moderate stages of therapeutic work. I'm comfortable with, and enjoy, building therapeutic relationships with my adolescent clients and helping them to find ways to incorporate therapeutic tools into their lives.

Navigating the teen years can feel like trekking through a maze with no map. As an adolescent, you might grapple with self-esteem issues, feel unheard, or struggle with fitting in. I'm here to tell you, it's okay, and you're not alone. Using my knowledge of narrative and cognitive-behavioral therapies, we'll explore these feelings together. We'll work on building your confidence, identifying your unique strengths, and creating coping strategies that help you conquer the challenges you're facing.

As a therapist specializing in teen issues, I bring deep expertise in understanding the unique challenges today’s adolescents face. I support teens through anxiety, depression, trauma, and family conflicts, offering insights into the pressures of modern society. My approach creates a safe space for self-discovery and empowerment, helping teens navigate identity struggles and societal expectations while building resilience and confidence for their future.

In addition to experience working as a high school counselor, I have been seeing teens in my practice for 20 years. I have parented two teens (very different from one another) and my personal experience has given me a depth of understanding, compassion and humility that my clients find comforting and real.