In the teen years, the pressure to conform to a variety of often unhealthy cultural norms about masculinity and what it means to be a man increases significantly. It is often during these years that many boys begin to push away or disown many of their painful but very natural tender feelings such as guilt, shame, fear and sadness in favor of conforming to more “masculine” ways of expressing them such as through anger and lashing out, or via completely numbing themselves in favor of appearing “stoic” or “calm”. Disowned feelings become unconscious and cause problems for the developing teen including but not limited to anxiety, depression, adhd, ptsd, substance use disorders, difficulties in relationships with family, friends, romantic partners and “acting out” in various ways. 

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Through a nonjudgmental, confidential and collaborative approach, I assist teens in finding the courage to experience and make meaning of these difficult but important feelings, developing effective ways of coping with unpleasant feelings and harnessing them for positive outcomes in their lives.  My approach includes acknowledgement of a teen’s autonomy and ability to make their own decisions balanced with respectfully challenging beliefs which may not serve them.