Growing Up is a Pain

We start to become a lot more complex, and so does our world, around 11 or 12 years old. We start to think a lot more about our identity, where we fit socially, whether we’re liked or judged, and what we want to do as we get older. Even though this time of life is full of so much energy and possibility, there’s also a great deal of emotional turmoil, anxiety, insecurity and doubts. If our life and experiences have been extremely difficult and there’s a lot of conflict at home, then we have even more to deal with during this time. We definitely understand this.

Many of Wakeful’s psychotherapists have worked with younger people and in settings such as inpatient psychiatric units, intensive outpatient programs, private schools and therapeutic schools. They know how to approach more moderate problems (e.g., social difficulties, depression, anxiety) and those that are more severe (e.g., suicide attempts, drug addiction, self-injury, psychosis).

Fight the Right Way

Our instinct is to fight and argue or to avoid, hide and run away. We’re going to help you to learn how to fight smart so that you can make things better for yourself. Every problem we encounter is always workable if we have an open mind. Sure, we’ll have to learn some things, like how to get out of our own way, and push ourselves to do things that are uncomfortable, but it all pays off. Maybe you want things to be better but are really stuck, we can help you figure out why.

What You Can Expect

Wakeful psychotherapists are collaborative by nature, no matter the client’s age. We emphasize supporting a young person’s growing independence while reinforcing personal accountability, communication, respect, honesty and the healthy exploration of life, identity and relationships. Even though your psychotherapist is older than you, you two will decide what you want to focus on in your sessions, what you’re ready to change, and you’ll figure out how best to work together. We’re going to share our knowledge, experience and perspective but we also support your freedom and choice. You won’t be judged regardless of what you do, but we do reserve the right to tease you a little bit! And yes, we like to have a little fun in therapy too but usually in a very nerdy way that’s pretty embarrassing.

What Parents Can Expect

In most cases, you’re going to be involved in therapy. You not likely to get the “insider” info from your kids’ session but we’ll work with you on the parenting side of things. No matter our intentions as parents, teachers and other adults supporting younger people, we can always use some refinement when it comes to how we work with or respond to them. Also, your perspective matters to us. We want to know how you see things at home because that helps us understand your kid from multiple angles. Also, you’ve watched them grow up and you know much more about the family they come from.

Common Issues & Topics

• Mood Difficulties (Anxiety, Depression, Mania)
• OCD & Perfectionism
• Social and Generalized Anxiety
• Relationships and Social Skills
• Trauma
• Identity Difficulties
• Self-Injury & Suicidal Ideation
• Resilience and Tolerance Building
• Fears of the Future
• Family Dynamics
• Parenting
• Academic Difficulties & 504/IEPs
• Neuro/Psychological Testing