Should I tell my teen I am looking into counseling?

Usually, yes. Teens tend to engage more when they are part of the decision. You do not need every answer before you bring it up. You can read this page together, or let your teen join the free consultation and ask their own questions.

Will I be in the sessions?

Your teen's sessions are their own hour. How parents are involved is something we talk through on the free consultation, so you know what to expect before anything starts.

What if my teen refuses?

Start with curiosity rather than pressure. Ask what worries them about it and take the answer seriously. A short consultation call can feel less daunting than a promise of weekly sessions. If they still say no, getting support for yourself in the meantime is a reasonable step.

For Parents

For Parents Considering Therapy for a Teen

If you are reading this, you have probably been worried for a while. Here is a plain guide to when counseling might help, how to raise it with your teen, and what to expect from me.

Weathered porch steps in late light with a potted geranium and a pair of worn boots

Signs It May Be Time to Get Support

Every teenager has hard weeks. What deserves a closer look is a change that sticks around for weeks rather than days and shows up in more than one part of life. You know your teen better than anyone, so trust what you are noticing, even if you cannot name it yet.

Pulling away from friends, family or activities they used to love.
Big changes in sleep, appetite or energy.
Slipping grades, school avoidance, or stomachaches on school mornings.
Irritability or anger that seems out of proportion to what set it off.
Worry, perfectionism or panic that is shrinking their world.
An “I'm fine” that does not match what you see.

If You Are Worried About Safety

If your teen talks about wanting to die or hurting themselves, treat it as urgent and do not wait for a counseling appointment.

This website is not for emergencies. If you are in immediate danger, call 911. For mental health or suicide crisis support, call or text 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, available 24/7.

How to Bring It Up at Home

Pick a calm moment, not the middle of an argument. Side-by-side conversations, like a drive or a walk, are often easier for teenagers than sitting face to face. Name what you have noticed without diagnosing it: “You have seemed worn out lately, and I want you to have someone to talk to who is not me.”

Expect some pushback, and do not treat the first no as the final answer. It helps to frame counseling as support rather than punishment, to let your teen ask their own questions on the free consultation, and to remind them that what they say in sessions belongs to them.

What Privacy Looks Like

Teen sessions are confidential. In practice, that means your teenager can speak freely in their hour and you will not get a transcript afterward. That privacy matters a great deal to teens; without it, many will not say much at all. You are not shut out, though. I talk with parents plainly about what I am seeing and what is likely to help at home, without breaking your teen's trust.

There are legal limits every Texas counselor follows: risk of serious harm to themselves or someone else, suspected abuse or neglect, and a court order. I explain those in the first session so everyone knows where the lines are.

Why a School Background Helps

My path to private practice ran through eight years of ABA work in a school. I do not offer ABA, and it is not therapy. What it left me with is practice reading the gap between what a teenager says and what is really going on, a working knowledge of how schools, teachers and IEPs operate, and a habit of looking for patterns and triggers instead of someone to blame. You will not get a lecture from me, and neither will your teen.

What to Ask on the Free Consultation

The consultation is about fifteen minutes by phone or video, with no charge and no obligation. It is a good time for practical questions: how parents are involved and what you will hear from me, what the session fee is and whether a reduced-fee place is open, how video sessions work at home, and how scheduling runs through the SimplePractice portal.

Online booking is not open yet; it opens shortly. In the meantime, the message form on Work With Me reaches me directly, and I usually reply with times within one to two business days. Common practical questions are also answered on the FAQ page.

Common Questions

Should I tell my teen I am looking into counseling?: Usually, yes. Teens tend to engage more when they are part of the decision. You do not need every answer before you bring it up. You can read this page together, or let your teen join the free consultation and ask their own questions.
Will I be in the sessions?: Your teen's sessions are their own hour. How parents are involved is something we talk through on the free consultation, so you know what to expect before anything starts.
What if my teen refuses?: Start with curiosity rather than pressure. Ask what worries them about it and take the answer seriously. A short consultation call can feel less daunting than a promise of weekly sessions. If they still say no, getting support for yourself in the meantime is a reasonable step.

Keep Reading

Talk It Through First

Book a free consultation and tell me what you have been noticing at home. You can ask every practical question before deciding anything.

Work With Me