Austin Grief Counseling
Therapy for Teens in Austin, Texas
For teens ages 12-17
Being a teenager is a lot
Being a teenager has always been complicated. Between school, friendships, family, identity, expectations, and figuring out what comes next, teens are navigating an enormous amount of change while they're still learning who they are.
Sometimes that looks like anxiety, shutting down, irritability, procrastination, slipping grades, conflict at home, or feeling completely overwhelmed. Sometimes a teen seems to be doing okay from the outside but is working incredibly hard just to keep up.
Therapy can give teens a place where they don't have to perform, have all the answers, or worry about disappointing anyone.
I’m not another adult telling you or your teen what to do
I genuinely like working with teenagers and enjoy being an adult in their life who isn't grading them, parenting them, or trying to turn them into somebody else. I've worked with children and teens throughout my career, and one thing I've learned is that therapy doesn't work very well when a young person feels like they've been sent to another adult whose job is to fix them.
My first priority is building a relationship where your teen can feel comfortable being themselves. From there, we can get curious together about what's making life harder and find strategies that actually fit who they are.
Areas where I can help
ADHD and executive functioning
School overwhelm, motivation, and time management
Anxiety and stress
Friendships and social challenges
Relationships with parents and siblings
Self-esteem and identity
Gender and sexuality
Transitions to a new grade, school, college, or stage of life
Grief, loss, and other major changes
A place to explore who you are
Adolescence is a time when a lot of young people are beginning to explore and understand different parts of their identity. That might include gender, sexuality, relationships, values, how they want to express themselves, or simply figuring out who they are outside of other people's expectations.
I have extensive experience working with LGBTQIA+ youth and provide an affirming space for queer, trans, nonbinary, and questioning teens. You don't have to come to therapy already knowing exactly who you are or having the right words for it.
Therapy can be a place to try things on. You can experiment with a name, pronouns, labels, gender expression, or different ways of understanding yourself without having to decide that any of them are permanent. You can ask questions, change your mind, decide a label doesn't fit anymore, or decide you don't want a label at all.
There isn't a particular destination we're trying to reach. The goal is giving you room to figure out what feels like you.
And for some queer youth, identity isn't the reason they're coming to therapy at all. You might want help with school, ADHD, anxiety, friendships, family, grief, or something completely unrelated.
Being LGBTQIA+ doesn't automatically need to become the focus of therapy. It just means you deserve a therapist who understands and respects that part of who you are.
Experience with teens — and with schools
I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and am certified in school social work. Working with young people was one of the areas I wanted to specialize in from the beginning of my career, and I've continued working with children, teens, and families across a variety of settings.
That background helps me understand that what looks like “not trying,” “not caring,” or “being difficult” can have a lot going on underneath it. ADHD, anxiety, executive functioning challenges, social stress, grief, family dynamics, and plain old exhaustion can all affect how a teen functions at school and at home.
The goal isn't to turn your teenager into a more convenient version of themselves. It's to help them better understand themselves, build skills, strengthen relationships, and feel more capable of navigating their own life.
It doesn't have to be about grief
My practice is called Austin Grief Counseling because grief and loss are a major part of my work — but grief is not a requirement for therapy with me. I work with teens around the full range of challenges that come with adolescence. At the same time, I tend to think broadly about grief.
Teenagers experience an incredible amount of change: friendships shift, bodies change, families change, identities develop, childhood ends, and the future starts becoming very real.
Sometimes there is grief in those transitions. Sometimes there isn't. Either way, there's room for it here.
Wondering if I might be a good fit for your teen?
Finding a therapist your teenager actually connects with matters. I offer a free consultation so we can talk about what's going on, what you're looking for, and whether working together feels like a good next step.