Therapy for teens ages 14–18
The teenage years bring increasing independence alongside new academic, social, emotional, and relational demands. Teens may be developing a stronger sense of identity, managing more complex friendships and relationships, thinking about college or work, and renegotiating their role within the family—all while still needing support from the adults who care about them.
Rachel supports teens experiencing anxiety, academic pressure, social stress, friendship or dating concerns, family conflict, ADHD-related challenges, emotional regulation difficulties, self-confidence concerns, identity development, life transitions, and uncertainty about the future.
A private space to develop a stronger voice
Therapy can give teens a space to speak openly, better understand their thoughts and emotions, recognize patterns that may be keeping them stuck, and develop more effective ways to cope, communicate, make decisions, and advocate for themselves.
Rachel works to create a therapeutic relationship in which teens feel respected rather than managed. Depending on the teen's needs, therapy may incorporate IFS, ACT, CBT-informed strategies, attachment-based and relational work, practical problem-solving, coping skills, and experiments between sessions.
Appropriate parent involvement in teen therapy
Adolescence involves a natural movement toward greater independence, privacy, and autonomy. At the same time, parents and caregivers often remain an important source of support and an important part of a teenager's emotional environment.
The appropriate level of parent involvement in therapy depends on the teen's age, developmental needs, presenting concerns, treatment goals, and individual circumstances. Rachel works to maintain a therapeutic relationship in which teens have enough privacy to speak openly and develop their own voice, while also considering when parent involvement may strengthen treatment.
When appropriate, Rachel helps teens and parents identify patterns of communication that may be contributing to conflict, disconnection, or misunderstanding. This may include helping a teen communicate needs or concerns more effectively, helping parents better understand what their teen may be experiencing, and creating opportunities for both to hear one another differently.
As adolescents move toward adulthood, the goal is not to eliminate the parent's role, but to help that relationship evolve. Rachel strives to support increasing independence while strengthening communication, connection, trust, and the teen's ability to turn to their parents when support is needed.
Support through changes and life transitions
The teen years can bring significant changes, including shifts in family structure, loss or illness of a loved one, changing friendships or dating relationships, increasing independence, academic pressure, graduation, and decisions about college, work, or what comes next. These transitions can bring uncertainty, anxiety, sadness, conflict, or questions about identity and belonging.
Therapy gives teens space to understand their reactions, develop their own voice, and build skills for navigating change. When appropriate, Rachel also helps teens and parents communicate more effectively as the parent-teen relationship evolves toward greater independence.
More than 17 years supporting adolescents and families
Rachel's experience as a professional school counselor and private therapist provides perspective on the overlap between emotional health, academic demands, peer relationships, identity development, family expectations, and growing independence. This background also informs her understanding that a teen's concerns do not occur in isolation from school, family, relationships, and developmental context.
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