Therapy for Anxious Teens

Does your teen seem to excessively worry? 

Have you noticed increasingly avoidant behavior or a decline in academics? 

Maybe they are isolating now more than ever.

Parenting a teenager can be so challenging, but parenting an anxious teen can feel almost impossible. If you’ve noticed any of these changes it’s quite possible your child is dealing with anxiety. 

Truth be told, many teens (and let’s face it, adults) deal with anxiety on a day to day basis, but teens often feel like their whole world is a stage and all eyes are on them making their anxious symptoms more prevalent and the emotional pain more excruciating.  

But how can you tell if your teen is struggling with anxiety? 

Here are some symptoms to keep an eye out for: 

• Excessive worrying or fear: Do they worry about anything and everything even if it’s out of their control? Does their worry impact their behavior? 
• Isolation: have they started pulling away from friends and family or even stopped participating in extracurriculars? 
• Academic decline: Have you noticed a significant drop in their grades or do they seem to be avoiding school more often? 
• Changes in Physical Symptoms: Do they often complain of stomach ache, heart palpitations, or headaches without any evidence of a medical condition?  
• Sleep Disturbances: Do they struggle to fall asleep at night or report racing thoughts at bedtime? 
• Panic Attacks: Do they report feeling dizziness, shortness of breath, tunnel vision, rapid heartbeat, or a feeling of being outside their body? 

 As a therapist who has worked with teenagers for over 10 years I have seen a variety of these symptoms ranging from mild to severe. Anxiety in teens is SO common. But fear not! With the right care it is very possible for your teen to learn the skills and tools to not only cope with their anxiety but to feel some relief as well.  

How can therapy help? 

As we all know, adolescence is not a time of abundant conversation between parents and teens. In fact sometimes it can be downright painful for both parties or even nonexistent. However, while teens may remain tight lipped when it comes to their parents their inner world is rich and can sometimes feel like an emotional rollercoaster.  

Therapy can support teens to learn and name their feelings as well as give them a space to process their experiences. For anxious teens they can learn to identify their triggers and develop coping skills to help manage anxiety. 

My approach to therapy is compassionate, warm, and authentic. I bring humor and lightness to therapy and pride myself and being able to create solid relationships with my clients. I truly believe that a strong, trusting connection to your therapist can be a huge catalyst for change. When it comes to anxiety I like to use a blend of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Mindfulness, there are great tools within those modalities to help regulate emotions and challenge negative thoughts. 

Have more questions or want to see if I would be a good fit for your teen? 

Feel free to schedule a FREE 20 minute, no pressure phone consultation