Therapy for Teens in Decatur, Atlanta, and Georgia
No matter what your family is navigating, everyone deserves dignity and care.
The space between childhood and adulthood is full of new experiences. The nature of relationships, environments, and the impact of decisions all shift as both brains and bodies change. For teens, some changes feel frustratingly slow and others overwhelmingly fast. In either case, our culture often dismisses teens’ perspectives and experiences.
Here at Fleurish we see the developing minds of teens as unique and incredibly valuable.
The data that adolescents are gathering about themselves and their worlds will shape their relationships, their values, and their decisions for years to come.
We also see that parents and guardians of teens hold wisdom based on their own lived experiences, and the growing independence of teens can generate fear and uncertainty.
Adolescents and teens experience powerful physical and emotional change. However, when adults dismiss teens’ instincts as hormonal, impulsive or temporary, we communicate to them that they are not trustworthy. If they start to believe us, we risk doing harm to our relationships with them and to their relationships to their inner selves.
In therapy…
…teens have time and space to sit with this complexity and to explore their decisions with a nonjudgmental listener. Parents tend to experience relief that a compassionate and knowledgeable professional is supporting their teen - a professional who will let them know if, and only if, something seriously dangerous is occurring.*
*Like in any other type of therapy, conversations between teen clients and therapists are private. While our therapists work to maintain teen clients’ privacy, we will involve parents/guardians when necessary and if/when a teen is in danger. At the start of counseling, therapists, parents/guardians, and teen clients will discuss what circumstances constitute danger.
As teens experiment in their relationships and decision-making, they develop the most important tool any of us have for moving through the world thoughtfully: intuition. By setting boundaries with teens, parents create the garden plot where teens’ growing sense of self can bloom. It may be hard to see how a teens’ desire for freedom and a parent’s desire for safety actually reinforce each other right now. Therapy can help make this clearer.
Teen therapy is an opportunity for families to build trust and mutual respect on either side of the therapy door. No matter what your family is navigating, everyone deserves dignity and care. The benefits will last forever.
Let's Take the First Step of Your Journey Together
Taking the first step to feeling better and living a more meaningful life isn’t easy, but you don’t have to take that step alone. Reach out to the Fleurish Psychotherapy team today, and one of our skilled therapists will take that step with you. When you’re ready, let’s get started.