Therapy for Teens
Therapy for Teens
Online Across North Dakota and In-person near Horace, ND
Online Across North Dakota and In-person near Horace, ND
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Sometimes home feels more like a battleground than a place of connection, comfort, and peace.
Sometimes home feels more like a battleground than a place of connection, comfort, and peace.
Parents and teens are often stuck in the same painful cycle—both feeling misunderstood, frustrated, and exhausted.
Maybe your teen spends most of their time alone in their room. Maybe every conversation seems to turn into an argument, every limit becomes a fight, or every request is met with resistance. You may be noticing anxiety, mood swings, anger, declining grades, social struggles, or a growing sense that they're carrying more than they know how to handle.
You find yourself constantly worrying—about who they're spending time with, what they're hiding, or what might happen next. Or perhaps you're worried because they've become increasingly quiet, withdrawn, or disconnected from the people who care about them most. Or, you may be worried this is where you are headed and need to be proactive.
You may feel like you're walking on eggshells in your own home, trying to help while also feeling overwhelmed, angry, scared, or completely burnt out. Conversations turn into conflicts, tempers flare, and everyone ends up feeling hurt, frustrated, or misunderstood.
You love your teen deeply and it feels like you're speaking different languages—and the distance between you keeps growing.
Anxiety
Anxiety
Anxiety isn't always something that appears out of nowhere. Sometimes it develops after difficult experiences. Other times, it grows quietly in environments where everyone is trying their best to keep each other safe but ends up feeling overwhelmed, worried, or stuck.
Your teen may shut down completely, isolate from family and friends, second-guess themselves, or struggle with constant self-criticism and low self-esteem. They may feel pressure to be perfect, worry excessively about making mistakes, or become overwhelmed by school, friendships, social media, or body image. For some teens, anxiety may also show up through obsessive thoughts or compulsive behaviors that make daily life feel exhausting.
Rather than simply managing anxiety, we'll work to understand what's fueling it. As those underlying patterns begin to heal, many teens experience greater confidence, develop a stronger sense of who they are, and feel more comfortable showing up as their authentic selves.
Trauma
Trauma
Trauma doesn't always look the way people expect. Sometimes it looks like shutting down completely. Other times, it shows up as withdrawing from the people who care most, becoming emotionally reactive, or trying to control everything because life no longer feels safe or predictable.
Trauma can also create deep feelings of shame. Because of that, some teens never talk about what they've experienced—or they may minimize, hide, or avoid painful experiences altogether. What looks like defiance, withdrawal, or emotional intensity on the outside may actually be a teen doing their best to cope with something they don't yet know how to put into words.
As your teen begins to feel safer and more understood, behaviors that once felt confusing often start to make sense. It's about helping your teen feel safer in the present, understand how their experiences have shaped them, and begin building a future that's no longer defined by what happened to them.
Defiance
Defiance
Everyone feels on edge when every conversation becomes an argument and every limit is met with resistance.
When lying, sneaking out, school suspensions, risky choices, or daily explosions over things that seem small have become part of daily life, it feels like you are walking on eggshells in your own home and leaves everyone emotionally exhausted. You don't know who they're spending time with anymore, and it feels like they're trusting everyone except you.
When you're living with these behaviors every day, it's easy to feel frustrated, scared, and unsure of what to do next. You have tried everything and nothing is working.
Behavior makes sense once we understand what's driving it.
By understanding what's fueling the behavior—whether that's anxiety, trauma, emotional overwhelm, or something else that's gone unrecognized—we can create a plan that helps your teen rebuild trust, make healthier choices, and move toward greater independence and responsibility.
Life doesn't have to stay this intense.
It feels overwhelming right now—for everyone involved. Therapy can help things start to feel more manageable, more connected, and less stuck.
For teens, that might look like feeling more confident, understood, and in control of their emotions. It may mean having more freedom to be yourself, healthier ways to cope with stress, and stronger relationships with the people who matter most.
For parents, it often means feeling less overwhelmed and more hopeful. As trust, communication, and understanding begin to rebuild, parenting can start to feel less like constant crisis management and more predictable, relaxed, and connected over time.
I'm not here to "fix" your teen or tell them how to live their life. Instead, my role is to help make sense of what's happening underneath the conflict, anxiety, shutdowns, anger, or behaviors that may seem confusing or frustrating on the surface. Therapy works best when everyone feels understood, respected, and safe enough to be honest. Together, we'll work toward healthier ways of communicating, coping, and moving forward.
I also know how frustrating it feels to be seen as "the problem" when there's more to the story.
I was that teen.
Many of the teens I work with are navigating anxiety, trauma, emotional overwhelm, or behaviors that seem confusing on the surface.
Often, there's more contributing to the struggle than anyone realizes.
Together, we'll get curious about what's happening beneath the surface and work toward meaningful, lasting change.
From the outside, it looked like I was difficult or oppositional. Underneath it, I was carrying experiences I didn't fully understand yet—and didn't have the words for. That experience is part of why I care so deeply about helping teens feel seen for what's beneath the behavior, not just judged for what's visible on the surface.
Therapy doesn't have to feel stiff, awkward, or one-size-fits-all, either. Depending on your teen's needs, we may incorporate conversation, art, games, music, movement, humor, or even equine-assisted therapy.
There isn't one "right" way to do therapy. The goal is to create a space where teens feel safe enough to be honest, parents feel supported, and everyone can begin making sense of what's happening so real change becomes possible.
Methods
Methods
Every teen is different, which means therapy shouldn’t be one-size-fits-all.
We’ll work together to figure out what approach best fits your teen’s personality, needs, and goals. My focus isn’t on using one “right” method—it’s on finding the approach that helps your teen feel safe, understood, and supported so they can actually engage in the process.
→ For teens hesitant about traditional therapy, healing comes through trust, connection, and experiential work with horses.
One of the things I love most about working with horses is something called liberty work. Instead of relying on force or control, liberty work is built on trust, communication, and connection.
That philosophy shapes the way I approach therapy with teens and families, too.
Healing doesn't happen through power struggles, lectures, or trying to make someone into who they're "supposed" to be. It happens when people feel safe enough to be understood, trusted enough to be honest, and supported enough to grow.
For many teens, overwhelming, painful, or out-of-control experiences go unrecognized, making it easy to mistake survival strategies for "bad behavior."
Working alongside horses offers a different kind of experience. Horses respond honestly to body language, emotions, and connection—not words or appearances. They create opportunities for teens to build confidence, practice healthy boundaries, develop emotional awareness, and experience trust in a way that often feels more natural than sitting in an office.
Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)
Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)
→ For teens who process best by talking through and making sense of their experiences.
Every teen processes difficult experiences differently. While some teens connect best through movement, creativity, or equine-assisted therapy, others prefer talking things through and understanding how their thoughts, feelings, and experiences are connected.
For teens who are ready to explore their experiences through conversation, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) provides a structured, evidence-based approach to healing after trauma. Together, we'll work to better understand how past experiences may be affecting the present, develop practical skills for managing overwhelming emotions, and gradually process those experiences in a safe, supportive way.
My goal isn't simply to help your teen "move on." It's to help them make sense of what they've been through so those experiences no longer have the same hold on their daily life, relationships, or sense of self.
→ For teens who want quick relief without having to tell every detail of their story.
Not every teen wants to talk through every detail of what they've experienced—and they don't have to.
For teens who don't have many words for what they're carrying but genuinely want life to feel different, Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) can be a powerful option. ART helps the brain process distressing memories and experiences without requiring your teen to repeatedly tell their story or relive painful events.
This approach works best for teens who may not want to talk through every detail but do want life to feel different. They don't have to have all the answers or know exactly where to start—they just need to be willing to engage in the process.
ART helps reduce the emotional intensity connected to difficult experiences, allowing them to move forward with greater confidence, peace, and freedom.
Support that goes beyond “fixing behavior.”
Together, we can work towards:
fewer fights and more honest conversations
understanding behaviors instead of just reacting to them
feeling calmer, safer, and less constantly on edge
making sense of what’s happening
creating more connection at home
feeling more like yourself again or figuring out who you are or want to be
It’s possible to feel more in control, make sense of,your experiences, and start moving forward in a way that actually feels like you.
FAQ
Q: What if my teen doesn’t want therapy?
Q: What if my teen doesn’t want therapy?
This is a common concern I hear from parents—and you're not alone.
I've worked with many teens who were hesitant or even resistant to therapy at first. I don't expect them to walk into the first session ready to open up. Instead, we focus on building connection and creating a space where they feel comfortable being themselves.
For some teens, Equine Assisted Psychotherapy can be an especially helpful place to start. Being alongside horses often feels less intimidating than sitting face-to-face in a traditional office, allowing trust to develop more naturally. As your teen becomes more comfortable, meaningful conversations and growth often follow.
Therapy doesn't have to begin with talking about the hardest things. It begins with connection.
Q: What if my teen shuts down in therapy?
Q: What if my teen shuts down in therapy?
That can happen—and it's completely okay. Many teens need time before they feel comfortable opening up, especially if they're already feeling overwhelmed.
Whenever possible, it can be helpful to begin therapy during a season with a little less pressure. For some teens, that's over the summer. For others, it might be during a break from sports or other demanding activities. And sometimes it simply means adjusting expectations and recognizing that trust takes time.
I take a gradual, relationship-focused approach, meeting your teen where they are rather than expecting them to dive into difficult conversations right away.
Q: How do I tell the difference between pure defiance, trauma, and anxiety?
Q: How do I tell the difference between pure defiance, trauma, and anxiety?
Oof, this can be a tough one. Many of the behaviors parents notice—shutting down, arguing, avoiding, emotional outbursts, or refusing to participate—can look similar on the surface but have very different underlying causes.
That's where a professional assessment can be so valuable. Rather than focusing only on the behavior itself, I look at the whole picture: your teen's experiences, emotions, relationships, and the situations that seem to trigger their reactions.
Sometimes the first step is simply making sense of what's going on.
Q: How involved do parent’s/guardians need to be?
Q: How involved do parent’s/guardians need to be?
Parent and caregiver involvement is an important part of the therapy process, and research consistently shows that children and teens often make greater progress when the adults in their lives are engaged in treatment.
For children under the age of 14, the first appointment is typically with the parent, guardian, or other legal representative only. This gives us the opportunity to discuss your concerns, learn more about your child's history, and develop a plan for how involved you'll be throughout the therapy process.
As therapy continues, the level of parent or caregiver involvement will depend on your child's age, needs, and treatment goals. My goal is to support your child while also partnering with you so you feel equipped to help them outside of our sessions.
Q: My teen doesn't have behavior problems. How do I know if they need therapy?
Q: My teen doesn't have behavior problems. How do I know if they need therapy?
Not every teen who is struggling acts out. In fact, many teens become very good at hiding what they're feeling.
You might notice your teen seems more withdrawn, anxious, self-critical, overwhelmed, or less like themselves. They may be putting a lot of pressure on themselves, struggling with friendships, or quietly carrying emotions they don't know how to express. Even if they're doing well in school and staying out of trouble, that doesn't necessarily mean they're okay.
If your gut is telling you something feels different, it's worth paying attention to. Therapy can provide a safe space for your teen to better understand themselves, build healthy coping skills, and address challenges before they become more overwhelming.
Q: Do you use the same approach with every teen?
Q: Do you use the same approach with every teen?
No. Every teen is different, which means therapy shouldn’t be one-size-fits-all.
We’ll work together to figure out what approach best fits your teen’s personality, needs, and goals. My focus isn’t on using one “right” method—it’s on finding the approach that helps your teen feel safe, understood, and supported so they can actually engage in the process.
Here’s a quick comparison of a few approaches I draw from:
Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy
→ For teens hesitant about traditional therapy, healing comes through trust, connection, and experiential work with horses.
TF-CBT (Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy)
→ For teens who process best by talking through and making sense of their experiences.
ART (Accelerated Resolution Therapy)
→ For teens who want quick relief without having to tell every detail of their story.
Q: What does trauma-informed therapy actually look like? Will my teen have to relive everything?
Q: What does trauma-informed therapy actually look like? Will my teen have to relive everything?
No. Trauma-informed therapy isn't about forcing your teen to talk about painful experiences before they're ready.
Instead, we focus on helping your teen feel safe, supported, and better able to manage what's happening in the present. Sometimes that means using indirect approaches—like Equine Assisted Psychotherapy, creative activities, or other experiential methods—rather than sitting down and talking about difficult memories. We also work on calming the nervous system, understanding emotional and behavioral responses with compassion, and building practical coping skills for everyday life.
As trust develops, we may gently explore past experiences at a pace that feels manageable for your teen. They are never expected to share more than they're ready for. The goal isn't to relive the past—it's to help it have less control over the present.
A note to the teen reading this...
A note to the teen reading this...
I don't expect you to automatically trust me just because I'm a therapist. The truth is, not every adult has earned a young person's trust. Maybe an adult has let you down or hurt you. If you're skeptical, that makes sense.
One of the first things we'll talk about is confidentiality. I'll explain exactly what stays between us, what I may need to share, and the rare situations where I legally can't keep something private. I don't want there to be any surprises. Your parents don't automatically get access to everything you tell me. You get to decide what you're comfortable sharing, and I quite literally cannot force you to tell me anything you don't want to talk about.
I'm not here to fix you.
I'm not here to lecture you.
I'm not here to automatically take your parents' side.
I'm here because I remember how hard my own teen years were, and I want to understand what life has been like for you. Maybe you're tired of being watched, questioned, or treated like you're the problem. You want more freedom and more control over your own life. You're tired of trying to explain yourself because it feels like nobody really gets it anyway.
If talking to a therapist sounds pointless, I understand why you'd feel that way and behavior doesn't happen for no reason. Underneath the anger, shutting down, pushing people away, or acting like you don't care is usually a story that hasn't been fully understood yet.
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