By Dr. Ashley Silvera, PsyD — licensed psychologist with over 20 years of experience treating trauma, anxiety, and depression.
Teenagers can make it difficult to know what is really going on. One day, they are talking with you about everything. The next, every question gets a one-word answer, an eye roll, or a closed bedroom door. You begin wondering whether this is a normal part of adolescence or a sign that your teenager is struggling more than they are letting you see.
You want to help, yet your efforts do not always reach your teenager as you intended. It can be hard to know whether they are moving through a difficult stage or need support beyond what you can provide at home.
Adolescence brings rapid changes in relationships, identity, responsibilities, and expectations. Difficult periods are part of growing up. When distress continues or begins to interfere with school, relationships, or everyday routines, teen therapy can provide a private space to understand what is happening.
With professional support, your teenager can develop a stronger awareness of their emotions, learn how to manage stress, and feel more connected to themselves and the people around them.
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When a difficult stage begins affecting daily life
Teenagers are learning who they are while facing growing expectations at school and at home. Friendships can become more complicated, and academic demands often increase. At the same time, teens want greater independence and may become less willing to accept their parents’ guidance.
Emotional ups and downs are expected during this stage. However, dramatic changes deserve closer attention, especially when they affect your child’s ability to function or enjoy daily life.
Signs that your teenager could benefit from additional support include:
- Withdrawing from friends or family
- Losing interest in activities they usually enjoy
- Avoiding school or falling behind academically
- Experiencing frequent anxiety or panic
- Becoming unusually irritable or reactive
- Going through significant changes in sleep
- Appearing numb, detached, or emotionally checked out
These signs do not automatically indicate a particular mental health condition. They do suggest that your teenager could be carrying more distress than they know how to manage alone.
Understanding what could be behind your teenager’s behavior
Parents often notice behavior before they understand what is driving it. You see the missed assignments, repeated arguments, or long hours behind a closed bedroom door. Because these behaviors affect the whole household, it is natural to focus on making them stop.
Looking beneath the behavior can provide a clearer path forward.
A teenager who refuses to attend school could feel overwhelmed by anxiety. Anger can build when a teen does not know how to express hurt or fear. Withdrawal can become a way to manage depression, social pain, or an experience that feels too difficult to discuss.
Approaching the situation with curiosity changes the conversation. Instead of concentrating only on what your teenager is doing, you begin asking what they have been carrying.
This does not mean overlooking harmful behavior or removing appropriate limits. It means responding to the distress beneath the behavior while maintaining the structure your teenager still needs.
Why teenagers often have trouble opening up
Your teenager can want support and still find it difficult to talk with you. They could worry that you will be disappointed, misunderstand them, or try to solve the problem before they have fully explained it.
Many teens also struggle to put emotional experiences into words. Stress can first show up as exhaustion or trouble concentrating. Some teenagers describe feeling disconnected without knowing why.
Repeated pressure to talk can make a teen retreat further. A calm and respectful approach helps preserve connection while leaving room for your teenager to speak when they feel more prepared.
Sometimes, talking with another trusted adult feels easier. A therapist offers privacy and emotional distance from everyday family dynamics. This can help a teenager begin discussing experiences they have not been able to explain at home.
What is teen therapy?
Teen therapy is psychotherapy adapted to the developmental and emotional needs of adolescents. It gives a teenager a consistent relationship in which they can explore concerns, better understand their reactions, and learn practical ways to handle difficult situations.
The first priority is building trust. Many teenagers enter therapy feeling hesitant, guarded, or unsure whether they want to participate. A teen is not expected to share everything immediately. It takes time to understand who they are and what matters to them.
As the therapeutic relationship develops, we can explore the experiences contributing to anxiety, depression, emotional overwhelm, or disconnection. Therapy also gives your teenager opportunities to practice expressing their needs and responding to stress with greater awareness.
Why the mind-body connection matters in teen therapy
Emotional distress does not exist only in a teenager’s thoughts. Anxiety can appear as tension, restlessness, or a racing heartbeat. Trauma can leave a teen feeling constantly alert or disconnected from physical sensations. Depression can affect energy, movement, and the ability to feel engaged with daily life.
Body-based therapy helps teenagers notice these signals without judging them. They can begin recognizing when their nervous system is becoming overwhelmed and practice ways to regain a sense of steadiness.
This work can be especially helpful for teenagers who have difficulty explaining their feelings through conversation alone. Paying attention to the body provides another way to understand their experience.
How therapy can help your teenager
The goals of teen therapy depend on what your child is experiencing. For one teenager, progress could involve returning to school more consistently. Another could begin to recover more quickly after conflict or speak more openly about what they need.
Therapy can help teenagers:
- Understand their emotions and reactions
- Recognize triggers for anxiety or overwhelm
- Develop healthier coping skills
- Improve communication
- Process traumatic or painful experiences
- Build confidence in handling difficult situations
Progress is rarely a straight line. Your teenager can have a difficult week and still be moving forward. Over time, small changes can lead to greater emotional stability and stronger relationships.
Your role in your teenager’s therapy
Your teenager’s growing independence does not make your role less important. Your relationship continues to influence how safe, understood, and supported they feel.
Parent involvement varies based on the teenager’s age, needs, and treatment goals. Some families benefit from occasional joint sessions. In other cases, I consult with parents about communication, boundaries, or ways to respond when their child becomes overwhelmed.
At the beginning of therapy, I explain confidentiality clearly. Your teenager needs enough privacy to build trust and speak honestly. Parents also need to understand how safety concerns and important treatment issues will be handled.
You do not need to respond perfectly in every situation. Staying curious and available can make a meaningful difference. Therapy can help you recognize when your teenager needs room to work through an experience and when they need you to remain close.
Supporting your family through a difficult period
When your teenager has struggled for a long time, the entire family can become discouraged. You could have changed routines, spoken with teachers, or tried repeatedly to start a conversation. When these efforts do not lead to lasting improvement, it is easy to feel that you have run out of options.
Therapy introduces another kind of support. Your teenager has space to explore what is happening without needing to protect or reassure the rest of the family. You also gain a professional perspective on how to support your child without carrying the situation alone.
Progress often begins quietly. Your teenager starts naming what they need instead of shutting down. A disagreement becomes easier to repair. They begin reconnecting with an activity or relationship that had fallen away.
These shifts can help your teenager regain confidence while allowing your family to relate to one another with greater understanding.
Teen therapy in Beverly Hills and online
I provide therapy for teenagers ages 14 and older, drawing on more than two decades of experience working with teens, adults, and families. My approach is compassionate, collaborative, and trauma-informed. I consider the whole person, including the ways your teenager’s emotions are shaped by their body, relationships, culture, and life experiences.
Some teens benefit from examining the thoughts and beliefs that contribute to anxiety or self-criticism. Others first need help recognizing what happens in their body when they feel overwhelmed or shut down. I integrate cognitive and body-based approaches so therapy can address both the thoughts that keep your teenager stuck and the physical stress responses that can be difficult to control.
Depending on your teenager’s needs, I may draw from:
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
- Sensorimotor Psychotherapy
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
- Internal Family Systems and parts work
- Mindfulness-based practices
- Trauma-sensitive yoga principles
I select these approaches based on your teenager’s concerns, comfort level, and goals. Therapy is tailored to who they are and the pace at which they are able to engage.
I offer in-person teen therapy in Beverly Hills, as well as online therapy throughout California. My work supports teenagers experiencing anxiety, depression, trauma, emotional overwhelm, and difficult life transitions.
When you are concerned about changes in your teenager and unsure what kind of help would be appropriate, a complimentary consultation gives us a place to begin. We can discuss what you have noticed, what your family has already tried, and whether my approach fits your teenager’s needs.
Frequently asked questions about teen therapy
How do I know whether my teenager needs therapy?
Consider consulting a therapist when emotional or behavioral changes continue for several weeks or interfere with school, relationships, sleep, or daily routines. Therapy can also be appropriate after trauma, loss, family disruption, or another experience that your teenager is having trouble processing.
You do not need to wait for the situation to become a crisis. A consultation can help you evaluate what is happening and decide what level of support makes sense.
What age teenagers do you work with?
I provide therapy for teenagers ages 14 and older. I offer in-person appointments in Beverly Hills and online sessions for clients located in California.
What happens during the first teen therapy session?
The first session is an opportunity for your teenager to become familiar with me and the therapy process. I begin learning about their current concerns, strengths, relationships, and goals.
Your teen controls how quickly they share personal information. I focus first on creating a respectful environment where they can begin feeling comfortable.
Will parents be involved in teen therapy?
Parents often play an important role in therapy, although the level of involvement varies. It depends on the teenager’s age, clinical needs, safety, and treatment goals.
At the start of therapy, we discuss confidentiality and establish clear expectations about communication. Parent consultations or family sessions can be included when they support the teenager’s progress.
What if my teenager refuses to attend therapy?
Many teenagers feel resistant when therapy seems like a decision that was made for them. Giving your child some choice can reduce that resistance. You can involve them in selecting a therapist and describe the initial consultation as a chance to decide whether the therapist feels like a good fit.
It also helps to explain your concerns without labeling your teenager as the problem. Focus on the changes you have noticed and your desire to make sure they have enough support.
Can therapy help teenagers with anxiety?
Yes. Teen therapy can help adolescents understand what triggers their anxiety and recognize how it affects their thoughts, body, and behavior. Treatment can also provide practical tools for managing panic, worry, avoidance, and physical stress responses.
Can therapy help teenagers who have experienced trauma?
Trauma-informed therapy can help teenagers process painful experiences at a pace that feels manageable. Treatment can support emotional regulation, increase body awareness, and reduce the sense that past experiences are continuing to control the present.
I incorporate EMDR, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, and other trauma-focused approaches when they are appropriate for a teenager’s needs.
Do you provide online teen therapy?
Yes. I provide online teen therapy for adolescents ages 14 and older who are located in California. Online therapy can offer greater scheduling flexibility and allows teenagers to attend sessions from a familiar environment.
By Dr. Ashley Silvera, PsyD.
Her training includes EMDR, internal family systems, sensorimotor psychotherapy, trauma-sensitive yoga, the Safe and Sound Protocol, and cognitive and behavioral therapies.
References
American Academy of Pediatrics. (2023). Mental health initiatives. American Academy of Pediatrics.
National Institute of Mental Health. (2024). Child and adolescent mental health. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Shapiro, F. (2018). Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy: Basic principles, protocols, and procedures (3rd ed.). Guilford Press.
Siegel, D. J. (2015). Brainstorm: The power and purpose of the teenage brain. TarcherPerigee.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2014). SAMHSA’s concept of trauma and guidance for a trauma-informed approach (HHS Publication No. SMA 14-4884). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.