For over seven years I worked almost exclusively with at-risk teens and their families in the Carlsbad Unified School District. I provided both group and individual counseling to kids who were really struggling to figure things out. I have very good rapport building skills with teens and 'tweens.
I actually like teens. They amaze me! I think each teen's quest to figure out what they want, and who they are, to individuate and become independent, is great and courageous and hard. It's also often lonely and confusing, due to a lack of supportive adult feedback.
That's because teens' natural inclination is to push away from parents as they strive for independence. This sometimes leaves teens with feedback only from their peers, (who are often seriously unsupported and misguided themselves.) It becomes a case of the blind leading the blind, and everyone getting increasingly and alarmingly lost.
I enjoy keeping company with teenagers as they figure things out on this journey. I feel privileged when I'm allowed in, and trusted to see the world through a teen's weird and wonderful, unique perspective. I know how to earn and keep a kid's trust, and how to help them make their own choices to serve their long-term best interests. I know teenagers have a capacity for great wisdom and positive self-direction, but they need a little outside guidance and support sometimes to realize this potential. It's an incredibly rewarding experience to be a part of that!
I know how to help parents and teens build bridges, and reduce power-struggles. I can see and appreciate both sides, and help rebuild trust and communication.