ONLINE THERAPY IN NEW JERSEY, PENNSYLVANIA, & CALIFORNIA
Therapy for Teens
in East Windsor, NJ
Is Your Teen In Need Of Extra Support?
The stress of being a teen is real. Between intense academics, social dynamics, physical changes, and constant questions about the future, it makes sense if you're seeing more tension or emotional dysregulation in your teen. The juggling act is a lot for everyone in the family, and it can be difficult to maintain healthy, fulfilling connections and open, honest dialogue.
If you're parenting a teen right now, you've probably noticed just how much pressure they're under and how that pressure plays out at home. Mood swings, conflict, withdrawal, or shutdowns can leave everyone feeling frustrated or unsure of what to do next.
Maybe Your Teen Needs A Place Where They Can Better Understand And Process Their Emotions
You’re here because your teen is struggling more than usual or just not themselves lately. They’re exhausted, whether they’re constantly battling an anxious inner critic, experiencing changes in their mood and daily habits, or trying to keep up with the constant demands of school.
On the outside, they may seem to be regularly “on edge,” or like they’re wearing a mask to keep up appearances. But when you try to engage with them to get to the heart of the matter, they just withdraw or give you one-word responses. Maybe they sometimes become worked up and frustrated when confronted, leading to heated conversations and outbursts.
I know that this is a helpless place to be as a parent. Your teen is feeling misunderstood, like there’s no actual safe space in their life where they can delve into their true emotions, let alone open up about them. It’s possible that home and school are places where expectations lurk in every corner, making it difficult to meaningfully connect with themselves and others. But they are not alone, and you aren’t either.
As a teen therapist, I am passionate about helping adolescents enhance their self-esteem in the process of building an emotional toolkit that they can use for the rest of their lives. Through challenging unhelpful beliefs and fostering healthy exploration and dialogue, counseling can change how your teen internalizes and responds to stress.
A Note For Teens Reading This Page
If you're a teen reading this, you're probably feeling like things are a lot right now, and that's valid. Teen counseling can be a space where you're finally not judged, not pressured, and not told how to feel. It's your time.
If you're unsure about therapy, you don't need to have everything figured out to start. This is a place to explore, ask questions, and be honest…no matter where you're starting from.
Contact Me
My Experience Working In A School Setting Offers Me Insight Into The Unique Challenges Teens Face
For years, I worked as a high school and middle school counselor, where I witnessed firsthand many of the struggles teens experience. With performance and productivity often prioritized above emotional awareness, stress, burnout, and overwhelm were common in the students I worked with. And I saw that the intense pressure to “keep it all together” is often at the expense of a healthy balance.
On top of it all, it’s clear that technology has complicated just about every aspect of teenage life. Social media generates a culture of comparison, social exclusion, and cyberbullying among peers, and the endless exposure to current events and global crises is triggering, to say the least.
All of us need skills for managing our stress and emotions, but many teens don’t have those skills in place quite yet. Instead, they may cope by avoiding, trying to control the situation, or seeking relief through social media, substances, and/or pleasing others.
My job as a teen therapist is to create a judgment-free atmosphere where clients can learn to be resilient and take charge in a way that doesn’t compromise their mental health or relationships. In the process of engaging their authentic identity, values, goals, and connections, we can make space for meaningful self-reflection and growth.
How Online Counseling For Teens Helps To Build Emotional Resilience
Therapy is a collaborative process that centers on each teen client’s unique goals, offering a safe space where they can pause, reflect, and practice new skills with a focus on progress, not perfection.
My online counseling services are a great match for teen and pre-teen clients (ages 12 to 19) throughout New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and California who may be experiencing:
Working together, we can establish a new emotional baseline that’s not wrapped up in dysregulation and a harsh inner critic.
No need to be “perfect” here. Therapy is your space to just be you, without filters.
What To Expect
The most helpful tool in therapy is usually the therapist-client relationship itself. Through our interactions, my hope is that the teens I work with learn how to establish boundaries and communicate needs in a way that makes all of their relationships more harmonious and fulfilling.
Exploring what’s beneath the stress, anxiety, and discomfort, we’re likely to find damaging beliefs, thought patterns, and unmet needs. Then, using an individualized combination of skills-oriented and body-based approaches, we can begin to incorporate more balanced and realistic thought patterns, as well as increased regulation.
Want to know what this could look like in real life? Let’s say “Sally,” a 15-year-old high schooler, came in feeling totally defeated about school and friendships. She felt anxious all the time and didn’t know how to cope. Through therapy, she learned to challenge those unhelpful thoughts, advocate for her needs, and use practical tools to calm her nervous system. Now, she’s doing better in school and feeling more confident and connected in her relationships. This is the kind of change we work toward, together!
It’s Okay If You—And Your Teen—Need Help
This time in life can be overwhelming, but support can make all the difference. Therapy can be the gateway to a stronger emotional toolkit and increased confidence and control in your teen’s life. As they learn what it takes to stop living in stress mode and start living in alignment with their core values, they can become the healthy, happy, and connected individual they’re striving to be.
This might just be the kind of transformation you’ve been hoping for your teen to experience…and I’m here for it!
Common Questions Teens Have Before Starting Therapy
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Studies have shown that both online and in-person therapy are highly effective for teen clients from all backgrounds. While I understand concerns around virtual counseling sessions, my experience has been that clients feel more comfortable in this environment. They tend to feel less pressure meeting from home than they might in an office setting, and I make sure to incorporate engaging, interactive tools to help build trust and make progress virtually.
If this form of counseling doesn’t feel like the right fit, I am always open to feedback about how to improve or explore other options. My goal is to figure out what’s best for your growth and comfort level—no matter how that might look.
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Not at all. You have a right to privacy, and I take that seriously. In most cases, what you say in therapy stays in therapy. I may include your parents in a few check-ins if it helps support your progress—but only with your permission, unless there’s a safety concern.
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Therapy is no doubt an investment for both you and your parents, and it makes a lot of sense that you want to see results quickly. While lasting change does take time, a lot of the teens I work with start to feel better after the first few sessions of therapy.
I focus on building trust and practical tools early so that we’re not “just talking” but actually learning lifelong skills for coping, reflection, and growth. I will check in with you consistently along the way to get a sense of your progress.
Helping Teens And Pre-Teens Achieve Growth And Resilience Through Counseling
As a former school counselor-turned teen therapist, I am passionate about helping teens and pre-teens (ages 12-19) navigate the transition into early adulthood through strengthening their skills, relationships, and self-esteem in therapy.
Ready to get started? Schedule a free consultation to explore how teen therapy can help. I’m here for you. Virtual sessions are available to clients throughout New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and California.
