Counseling For Teenagers

No two teenagers handle the stresses or circumstances of life in the same way.  What might appear to be an easy situation for some teens to deal with, could be something that causes your teen to struggle a lot.  Whether you have come to seek counseling for your adolescent  because your teen is having significant emotional struggles right now, or you are simply wanting to prevent a small issue from becoming a big issue, we are here to help.

Reasons Why Parents Choose Next Steps Counseling Center For Their Teens

Experience With Teens

Our counselor has spent over 25+ years working with teenagers as a middle school and high school teacher, school counselor, teen-mentor in a non-profit setting, and as a licensed professional counselor.  Because of this varied background, Doug is easily able to relate to teenagers and undertand their unique world.  Whether it is anxiety, depression, dealing with grief, a change in family structure, self-esteem struggles, self-harm, suicidal ideation, traumatic experiences, or school concerns, we believe we that we have experience in helping teens navigate the challeges of the adolescent years.

After-School and Evening Appointments

We offer appointments Monday-Thursday from 11:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m. and may also be able to do Saturday morning appointments if our evening or afternoon appointments are filled up.   We understand that missing school, especially for high school students, is not something that can easily be done.  Our appointments start on the half-hour and are generally 55 minutes in length.

Insurance and Cost

We accept most major insurances (depending on your healthcare plan's benefits) including Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, United, and Aetna through our billing partnership with Headway.  Additionally we offer private pay options and have some spots that are offered on a sliding scale (reduced) cost.  Unfortunately at this time we cannot accept medicaid or medicare, and we do not accept Employee Assistance Programs (EAPS).

What does counseling look like for your teen at our counseling center?

Intake/Initial Session and Beyond

Prior to our first appointment, you and your teen will complete all of the paperwork online.  Our counselor will than be able to review your information and concerns  before your first session.  This allows the first appointment to be spent more on talking about what is going on, rather than filling out or reviewing paperwork.  

With teens, Doug will spend the first part of the first session talking with the parents about what is going on with their teen, their goals for their teen, and what their expectations for confidentiality look like their teen.  Next, he will bring the teen into the session where he will discuss and answer questions about what confidentiality looks like based on parental expectations. This is to ensure that the teen, the parent(s), and the counselors are all on the same page.  By establishing what information will be and won't be shared with parents, prior to the teen talking to the counselor, it helps the teen gain trust in the counseling process and the counselor.  After confidentiality has been discussed, our counselor will then spend the rest of the session talking and working to connect with your teen and understanding what is going on in their lives from their point of view.

After the first session, our counselor will periodically check-in with the parents and give updates about how counseling is giong.  Doug will always encourage teens to improve their communication with their parents when it is appropriate to do so.  Occasionally Doug may ask parents and teenagers to engage in a family session if that is appopriate to what is going on.

Types of Counseling Used

Our counselor is always going to put your teen's needs first during their sessions, and is constantly working to develop  repoire and trust with them.  He wants to not only be someone who listens to their needs,and figure out their next steps, but he also wants to help them understand how their brain works and the healthy coping skills that they can use to deal with their struggles in life.  To that end, he primarily uses therapuetic skills based in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT). 

CBT is based the premise that our thoughts, actions, and feelings are all tied to each other.  While there is no wrong way to feel, how we think about things and the actions or behaviors we engage in, can and do impact how we feel.  If we are feeling anxious, sad, angry, or any other emotions that are unhealthy for us , often times if we will work on changing how we think about the circumstances (which impacts what we are telling ourselves about the struggles) can help reduce the frequency of those negative feelings.  OR, if we will change what we are doing, it often leads to more positive thoughts and feelings.

DBT is based on CBT, but is specifically designed for those who feel their emotions intensely.  The aim of DBT is to help people to both accept their difficult feelings, while at the same time working to learn new skills to manage these feelings and make positive changes in their lives.  While DBT encourages people to make positive changes (like CBT), it also helps people to accept themselves for who they are, especially when circumstances in their life may not always be able to change.

How to Get Your Teen Started in Counseling

To get started in counseling, please click the "Begin Counseling Journey" button at the top or bottom of this page.  When you click that button, you will be able to fill out a form to provide information about who your teen is, what are the main areas/concerns that your teen is struggling with, your contact information, and other information needed to set up an appointment.  Our counselor will then reach out to you as soon as he can to gather further information, go over appointment availability, and give you the next steps that need to be taken to set up counseling.