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Teens
It can be incredibly rewarding and challenging raising a teenager. As a parent of 3 teens i understand this! Therapy with this age group can be very helpful given that one of the developmental tasks for teens is to begin the emotional separation process with their parents that enables them to achieve their own sense of individual identity and personal competence.
When working with teens, my goal is to strike a balance between honoring the confidentiality of my (teen) client while being committed to communicating with parents and other professionals working with the teen. I always communicate with parents when the issue of safety is involved.
Some teens who are very private and independent, want to meet with me without their parents, while others sometimes benefit from having a parent come in for some portion of the session (This is especially helpful when the parent believes their child is not utilizing the session well).
If I believe that family issues are central to the issues at hand, I may refer to an outside family therapist while continuing my work with the teen. In other circumstances, parent guidance may be recommended.