I had the opportunity to work alongside Dr. Hemedes at my last place of employment. Dr. Hemedes is a thoughtful, warm, and insightful clinician. She is experienced in the effects of trauma and loss with children, adolescents, and adults. She is aware of the psychological impact of social injustice. Dr. Hemedes is passionate and invested in helping her clients heal emotionally so that they can develop the “mental tools” needed to navigate their life. I trust Dr. Hemedes’s clinical judgment and highly recommend her as a therapist.
- Angelica M.
While adolescence can be a challenge filled with unpredictable moments of uncertainty and chaos for both teens and their caregivers, I have first-hand experience with using therapy as a tool to effectively deal with obstacles from both sides. My therapy approach is focused on addressing the unique, personal needs of teens and their families. By personalizing therapeutic techniques for each family, and offering parental support and tools, we are then able to view and tackle the issues holistically as a committed and empowered team, using a collaborative spirit to drive us forward.
How to help teenagers find their identity?
Adolescence is often a challenging time for teens and their caregivers. This period of time can breed many moments of conflict between adolescents, and their parents, teachers, caregivers, or other authority figures.
For teens, the journey of self-exploration, “finding your tribe,” and creating your own path can feel like a never ending puzzle. Managing the stress that comes with the pressure of having to simultaneously deal with body changes, expectations, and the unknown is exhausting. The fact that there is never a ‘right’ answer only makes things more complicated.
Naturally, the constant state of unknown can be unnerving for most. And, because this phase of life is not based on past experience, many teens struggle with being able to put words to their actions. The constant shift in emotions and not knowing what to do with them or why they are present are real moments of anxiety-laced distress that deserve a release, so additional struggles like loneliness, sadness, anxiety, hopelessness, isolation, and depression aren’t given the opportunity to mature.
For caregivers who only ever want the best for their teens, even while they create their unique identity and path forward, this period of time is as daunting because of the aspect of the unknown as the actual evolution of the teen going through it. There may be feelings of confusion or uncertainty about how to understand what may be unclear to you. You may wrestle with how to make sense of your teen no longer being around or dealing with problematic peer relationships, substance use, participation in high-risk behaviors, breaking the law, ignoring social norms, frequent conflict in relationships, isolation, the need to be left alone, emotional outbursts, suicidal thoughts, self-harm, a dramatic change in eating habits or weight, sleeping difficulties, academic difficulties, and frequent interpersonal difficulties. There may be questions about how to connect with your child, provide discipline, encourage socialization, set limits, and/or help them reach their fullest potential.
Teen therapy and counseling can help you find answers to concerns like:
- Self-esteem
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Substance use
- Dramatic change in eating habits
- Sleep difficulties
- Self-harm
- Having a hard time at school (e.g., concentration, motivation, task completion, organization)
- Identifying academic and vocational goals
- Clashing with parents, authority figures, peers, siblings, stepparents, and foster parents
- Difficulty adjusting to major life changes (e.g., divorce, school transitions, illness, romantic break-ups)
- Interpersonal relationship conflicts (e.g., bullying, difficulties building/maintaining relationships, heavy conflict in relationships)
- Anger management
- Difficulties handling frustration
- Grief and loss (e.g., loss of a significant person, contending with a diagnosis of a chronic/terminal illness)
- The challenges of being a part of a targeted group (e.g., person of color, multicultural, a member of the LGBTQI community
- Identity formation
Helpful links for learning more about teen therapy and counseling
