Teen Anxiety Therapy

You can remember when you were a little kid without a fear in the world. You could have fun doing just about anything. Nothing scared you. Now, you seem to worry about everything. You just wish things could be as easy as they used to be. Maybe you’ve always been a worrier, but it just feels out of control lately.

Your parents or friends keep asking if you’re okay. You know you’re not, but you don’t know how to tell them that. You just can’t put it into words. Or maybe you can… but they just wouldn’t get it.

The reasons vary. Sometimes it’s taking a test, and sometimes it’s hanging out with friends. There are just so many things that make you feel anxious or worried. And they don’t all make sense. Sometimes you can’t even figure out why you feel this way.

You try to hide your anxiety because you don’t want to be a burden to others. You know it doesn’t always make sense, but you can’t help it. You’re tired of all the “what ifs” that run through your mind. You want to stop mentally replaying conversations or past actions. You constantly put yourself down.

Maybe you’ve tried alcohol or marijuana as a way to mellow you out. And you were able to forget your worries for a little while when you drank or got high, which was kind of great. But you know this won’t actually get rid of your anxiety; it just comes back, sometimes worse than before because now you’re worried about what will happen if your parents find out. You want a real solution.

You’re trying your best to cope with the anxiety, but it’s just not working out. You want a regular teenage life, to just feel normal like your friends seem to. You want to do things without being afraid or wishing you could disappear.

Sometimes it’s hard to put anxiety into words. When you don’t even really get what’s going on, it’s that much harder to try to explain it to someone else. But don’t worry, I’ve been doing this a while. I’m used to people having a hard time explaining things, and fortunately, I know how to ask questions to help us both understand your anxiety.

And that’s where we’ll start – understanding anxiety in general and your anxiety specifically. It’s not the same for everyone. While we work to help you better understand it, I’ll give you strategies to help you manage the anxiety, so it stops getting in your way.

I will help you look at situations in a more helpful, realistic way that is less likely to lead to anxiety and worry. I won’t promise you that we’ll get rid of your anxiety. In fact, I promise you we won’t get rid of it. And I don’t want to help you try to do that. Anxiety can actually be helpful (read more about that here).

As a result of therapy, your anxiety will be less overwhelming and it won’t happen as often. You’ll feel in charge again. You’ll enjoy your time with friends. You won’t freak out about that test. You’ll stop calling yourself names. You’ll feel confident that you can handle whatever comes your way. When you do feel anxious or worried, you’ll understand it and know that it makes sense. And most importantly, you’ll know exactly what to do about it.