A young woman sitting on a wooden bench at the beach, smiling and looking to her left, with ocean waves, sandy shore, green grass, palm trees, and houses in the background on a partly cloudy day.

Therapy for Teens in San Diego & Online in California.

For all the growing pains that come with growing up.

Connect with me
A woman with curly hair sitting at a wooden table near a window, writing in a notebook with pens nearby, in a room with bookshelves and a potted plant.

Being a teenager is a lot sometimes.

School. Friends. Family. Relationships. Figuring out who you are while everyone seems to have an opinion about who you should be.

Maybe you’re anxious about everything and can’t turn your brain off. Maybe you’re overwhelmed by school or constantly comparing yourself to everyone around you. Maybe things at home feel complicated, friendships have gotten messy, or you’re dealing with something you don’t really know how to talk about.

Or maybe you’re not even sure what’s wrong. You just know you haven’t felt quite like yourself lately.

Therapy gives you somewhere to bring all of that, even if you have no idea where to start.

Work with me
Three young people sitting on a blanket on a grassy area, smiling and talking to each other, with houses and trees in the background.

Teen therapy can help with:

  • Anxiety, overthinking, and perfectionism

  • School stress and academic pressure

  • Self-esteem, confidence, and body image

  • Friendships, dating, and social stress

  • Family conflict and communication

  • Grief, loss, and difficult life experiences

  • Big emotions or difficulty talking about feelings

  • Identity and figuring out who you are

Let's chat
A young woman with dark hair, wearing a white t-shirt and light-colored pants, sits on a wooden park bench by the beach with palm trees in the background. She is smiling and looking at her smartphone while wearing headphones around her neck.

Therapy doesn't have to feel awkward.

Sitting down with a therapist and immediately talking about your deepest feelings isn't exactly everyone's idea of a good time.

That's okay.

I don't expect teens to show up knowing exactly what they want to talk about or how they feel. We can start with what's happening at school, something your friend said, an argument with your parents, a TikTok that's been stuck in your head, or whatever else feels relevant that day.

Over time, we'll start making connections between what's happening now and the bigger patterns underneath it. I'll help you understand yourself better, put words to things that are hard to explain, and find ways of handling them that actually work for you.

More about my approach
A family of three planting a young plant in a garden with row gardens and a wooden fence in the background. The woman, man, and girl are smiling and working together, with gardening tools, a watering can, and a clipboard nearby.

For parents

It can be hard to know when your teenager needs some extra support, especially when they aren't telling you much.

My goal is to create a relationship where your teen feels safe enough to be honest while also helping you feel informed and supported as their parent. We'll talk together at the beginning about confidentiality, communication, and how we'll navigate your involvement in therapy.

You don't have to know exactly what's going on before reaching out.

Let's chat
A young woman with wavy hair is sitting on a wooden bench at the beach, smiling and enjoying the outdoors on a partly cloudy day.

Teen Therapy FAQs

  • Parent involvement depends on your teen’s age, needs, and what will be most helpful. I typically involve parents in the beginning of therapy and check in as needed along the way, while also giving teens space to build their own relationship with me. We’ll talk together about what that looks like from the start.

  • Trust and privacy are an important part of therapy, especially for teens. I generally don’t share the details of what your teen talks about in session without their permission. There are important exceptions when I’m concerned about safety, which I’ll explain clearly at the beginning of therapy. When parent involvement would be helpful, I try to include your teen in deciding what and how we communicate.

  • That’s okay. The choice to participate in therapy is a personal one, and I believe teens should have a voice in that decision. If they’re unsure, I encourage them to try one session before deciding. They can meet me, get a feel for what therapy with me is actually like, and decide whether it feels like something they’d be open to continuing. My goal isn’t to convince them to be in therapy, but to give them the opportunity to see for themselves whether it might be helpful.

  • Yes. I offer both in-person therapy in San Diego and online therapy throughout California. Some teens actually feel more comfortable talking from their own space, while others prefer meeting in person. We can talk about which option might be the best fit.

  • There doesn’t have to be a crisis for therapy to be helpful. You might notice your teen seems more anxious, withdrawn, overwhelmed, irritable, hard on themselves, or just not quite like themselves. They may be struggling with school, friendships, family relationships, self-esteem, grief, or a major change. Sometimes you may simply have a sense that they could use another safe adult in their corner. A consultation can help us figure out whether therapy makes sense right now.

You don't have to know exactly what they need yet.

If you're wondering whether therapy might be helpful for your teen, we can start with a free 15-minute consultation. Tell me a little about what's going on, ask any questions you have, and we'll see if I might be a good fit.

Let's Talk