Specialties
I see teenagers and adolescents as young adults trying to figure things out and getting frustrated with the learning curve. There's a lot of trial and error, a lot of failures, a lot of successes too. It is my opinion, and studies back this up, that the more connections young people have with adults, the better. A lot of times young people want to communicate with adults, they just don't communicate in the same way adults have learned to communicate and they have not fine-tuned their communication skills. I find it's imperative to be creative and think outside the box when communicating with young people. I believe you have to get even more creative the younger the child. At the foundation of that communication is trust. A young person will never communicate, much less make progress in counseling, with someone they do not trust. It is always my goal to get to know the young person and build trust through authentic, open, consistent, and compassionate conversation. It's been my experience that young people gravitate toward this because it is safe for them. They feel heard and understood. The real work begins when trust is built and I begin to be seen as an advocate by and for the young person. This is when real conversations happen and is easily the best part of my job. Seeing families come together, the young person become their own advocate, and seeing each side understanding the other and practicing new communication skills makes me feel honored to do what I do.