Dear Teens and Young Adults (13-26yro),
Maybe you’re not seeking counseling for yourself. Maybe someone else is requiring you to get help. Perhaps this makes you weary of starting counseling because you feel is if it can’t be about what you want or need. Maybe you’re afraid that counseling will never be about you because it was never your idea. Is it possible, you simply feel as if you don’t need help? I understand all of this which is why I take time to get to know my clients and understand their personal goals and apply that to the work done in counseling.
I’ve been successful with the teen who didn’t want to talk to anyone and the young man who didn’t see his behavior as a problem. I’d much rather you decide on your own that things aren’t working and your ready to make a change than for me or anyone else try to force you into something. I understand that there are different stages of readiness and not everyone who is brave enough to read this web page is at the point in their life where they are willing to walk away from habits that have served them well for so long.
I want you to know that I’m not here to decided anything for you. Instead, I’d like to help you examine the pros and cons of your drug or alcohol use from an honest lense before you make any decisions about what you are ready to do or not do. I’m here to listen to you and if that means we work on other things while we get to know each other I’m okay with that too. As my client, your goals are the most important thing to me. I learned along time ago that this process is not about what I, or your mom and dad, or your girlfriend wants for you. Why do I say that? Because no matter how much somebody else wants sobriety for you they are not going to be the ones putting in the work. They get to live the life resulting from their own decisions and you get to live the life resulting from your own decisions.
If you want to take the time to get to know me and see if we could be a good fit click here.
Dear Parents and Loved Ones,
More than any other client, I’ve learned that the key to successful substance abuse treatment with teens and young adults is gaining their trust little by little. Most teens that enter into counseling for drug and alcohol related issues aren’t there on their own accord and can be quite resistant to change or simply entering into a therapeutic relationship. Like many other clients, your teen needs to feel like they are being heard and not like they are being pushed into anything. What I do is help each client weigh the pros and cons of their drug and alcohol use and examine it from a broader lense. Once I can get the teens to open up and be honest about their used and be real about the ways it is effecting their lives the real work can begin.