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1614 X St., Suite A
Sacramento, CA 95818
US

916-287-3430

Thrive Therapy & Counseling provides high quality therapy to Highly Sensitive People and to kids, teens or adults struggling with anxiety, depression or self-esteem.

Blog

This blog is written by a therapist in midtown Sacramento and focuses on the concerns and struggles of highly sensitive people (HSPs) and of kids, teens and adults struggling with depression, anxiety or just trying to figure out what they want for themselves.  There's help and hope through counseling and therapy!

Filtering by Tag: teen therapist

How to Help Tweens or Teens Navigate Toxic Friendships (Collaboration with Care.com)

Ivy Griffin

Parenting tweens and teens can feel like walking a tightrope at times — juggling being protective without being overbearing. You need to give them space to make their own choices (and sometimes mistakes) as they grow more independent, but this can be a particularly difficult situation to navigate when your child is tangled in what appears to be a toxic friendship.

Click here to check out this Care.com article our Director, Ivy Griffin, was interviewed for filled with tips and support for how to navigate this tough situation! 🌿

categories friendship, toxic friendship, teen friendship, healthy friendships
tags teen therapist, child therapist

Talking About Depression

Ivy Griffin

For any teen, struggling with depression can be overwhelming, and figuring out how to talk to people about it can be daunting. It’s common for anyone struggling with depression to avoid talking to their support system because they are worried about loved ones either overreacting, or being dismissive. 

Facing depression alone can intensify feelings of loneliness and isolation making the depression worsen, so identifying trusted supports are key. A trusted support might be a specific parent, teacher, friend or mentor that you feel comfortable opening up to and feel has an ability to be calm, positive and supportive. Don’t be scared to directly state what you need from that person in the start of the conversation i.e., “I just need you to listen,” or “I just need to get this off my chest,” et cetera.

As a therapist I recognize that not everyone is fortunate enough to have trusted supports in their life, or be at a place where they are ready or comfortable to open up. If that is the case, I encourage you to find a space and a method to let out and express things that you’re struggling with in a way that feels authentic for you. Some things to try might be

  • Journaling

  • Running or talking a walk

  • Music (listening or playing)

  • Painting

  • Drawing

Find an outlet that fits you and your interests in life. If you feel ready to talk to someone, but don’t feel comfortable confiding in someone currently in your life you might consider giving therapy a try - Therapists are trained to be non-judgmental objective third parties. In case your depression happens to be more severe and you are struggling with self harm or suicidal thoughts you can text or call 988 to be connected with real time professional support.

Warmly,

Megan Bell LMFT #114303

she/her

categories teen depression, teen mental health
tags teen therapist, depression, mental health

Connect With Your Teen With The Universal Language Of Art And Music

Ivy Griffin

Are you a parent who struggles to talk or with your teen? If the answer is yes I’m sure you won’t be shocked that you are not alone!  Sometimes it can feel like teenagers speak an entirely different language.  The teenage years can be so complicated, so many ups and downs, so much misunderstanding!  And in times of distress as a parent it is normal to want to have control, to experience anxiety for your child’s future and to focus on all the “ you shoulds” and “you need to”.  But when we focus so hard on who we want our teenager to be and what we believe they should do we miss out on their own authentic evolution and this often exacerbates self doubt and can even push them further away. 

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categories parenting teens, therapy for teens
tags teen therapist, child therapist, communication with teens, parenting teens

Back in the Swing of Things: Considerations for Conversations Around the Return to School

Ivy Griffin

It feels like just yesterday summer kicked off to a raucous start and now for families with teens summer is coming closer to winding down. And with the close of summer on the horizon, I would encourage you to start planting seeds with your teens about the return to school, especially if they had a difficult time last year or tend to struggle in school historically. Reflection is a key part of developing mindful awareness, and doing so will not only support your teen in navigating potential pitfalls more effectively but help designate you as someone they can come to if and when they need support. There are a few key factors to keep in mind when attempting this.

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categories child therapy sacramento, communicating with teens, parenting sacramento, parenting teens
tags teen therapist, child therapist, parenting teens, teen therapy

Spending Quality Time With Your Teen

Ivy Griffin

As a therapist who works with teens, a constant experience I hear from parents is the struggle to truly connect with them. The adolescent years can be a complex time for both teens and parents as teens are navigating a newfound desire for independence. This experience can leave the parent-child relationship feeling strained and distant. However, fostering a strong bond and quality time can provide benefits for a teen’s overall well-being.

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categories child therapy sacramento, communicating with teens, healthy relationships, parenting teens
tags child therapist, teen therapist, parenting teens, teens mental health, communication with teens

Starting Therapy as a Teen: What to Expect in Those First Few Sessions

Ivy Griffin

If your teen is in therapy for the first time, you might wonder what’s going on during those first few sessions, and your teen might be wondering what to expect when talking to a therapist for the first time. It makes sense to be curious or even nervous for this new experience. Building rapport is an important part of therapy, and especially important when working with teens. Making a true connection with someone is a vital first step towards effective therapy. Everyone is different, but it usually takes a few sessions to start to build a sense of trust and comfort with a new therapist. This is especially true for teens, who might be apprehensive about attending therapy to begin with. Here are some things to keep in mind if you’re a teen or a parent of a teen who has questions about what those first few sessions might look like: 

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categories child therapy Sacramento, communicating with teens, parenting sacramento, teen anxiety, teen depression
tags teen therapist, child therapist, therapy for teens, therapy in Sacramento

Tools for School: When School Feels ‘Extra’

Ivy Griffin

Have you been finding it hard to motivate yourself to go to and stay in school? More than just your typical I don't want to, because let's keep it real, school isn't always the most fun place to be. If this speaks to you, you are not alone! This experience is called school refusal. School refusal is when a teenager or any school-aged person, consistently refuses to go to school or has difficulty staying in school for the full day. It goes beyond occasional truancy or wanting to skip class occasionally. It often involves intense emotional distress or anxiety related to attending school. This distress can manifest in physical symptoms like headaches, stomachaches, or other complaints.

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categories child therapy sacramento, communicating with teens, parenting sacramento, parenting teens, teen mental health, teen anxiety
tags teen therapist, child therapist, teen mental health, parenting help

Supporting teens in troubled times

Ivy Griffin

It's no secret that being a teenager is hard. In fact, acknowledging this has been a practical cliché for generations. Mental and emotional stressors originating in biology—growth and change across late childhood and adolescence—are understandably important factors. But so are environmental factors, the pressures put on teens by social forces like education, the economy, technology, and increased connectivity to an uncertain world. 

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categories child therapy sacramento, communicating with teens, parenting sacramento, parenting teens
tags teen therapist, child therapist, teen mental health, teen depression, anxiety in teens

How to motivate your teen

Ivy Griffin

Do you see your teen lounging around--eyes glued to their phone constantly--and worry about what kind of adult they’re going to become? You might be frustrated with your kid’s low energy , with their ability to sleep 17 hours a day, or with how you have to tell them 8 times to unload the dishwasher, and you wonder when they’ll finally get it together.

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categories child therapy sacramento, communicating with teens, parenting sacramento, parenting teens
tags teen therapist, child therapist, parenting teens, teens mental health

Therapy FAQs

Ivy Griffin

As therapists, we are aware that it can be overwhelming and anxiety provoking trying to navigate the mental health system for your child – especially if you have never had contact with any kind of mental health support in the past. In hopes of supporting you as you start this journey, here are the answers to some frequently asked therapy questions.

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categories child therapy sacramento, parenting teens, parenting sacramento, teen depression
tags child therapist, teen therapist, therapy for teens, teen depression

Venting Apps

Ivy Griffin

There’s an app for just about everything at this point so it should come as no surprise that there are apps for venting. When it comes to our teens, the idea of letting them venture into yet another unknown social media realm can feel daunting. So here are a few things to keep in mind if your teen asks to download a venting app, or shares that they have.

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categories child therapy sacramento, communicating with teens, parenting sacramento, parenting teens, teen mental health
tags teen therapist, child therapist, parenting teens, teen boundaries

Navigating Teen Identity Exploration

Ivy Griffin

As a parent, watching your teen begin the complex journey of self-discovery and identity development can feel like an emotional roller coaster. At times you may feel at odds with their means of self-expression or find it challenging to broach the conversation about identity with your teen who feels more resistant to opening up than ever before. Finding the balance between respecting your teens' unique journey and desire for greater independence with guidance and support can feel like an impossible juggling act!

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categories child therapy sacramento, communicating with teens, parenting sacramento, parenting teens
tags teen therapist, child therapist, teen identity development, parenting teens

When your teen is stressing about their future

Ivy Griffin

Teens have a lot of pressure on them these days. They’re a generation that’s more “on” and connected than ever before. They can feel pressure from friends and peers to constantly be available online and responding to messages (or risk missing out on important social happenings), they may feel the stress of navigating AP classes or taking college classes in conjunction with their regular high school coursework, and many teens can fixate on worrying about their SAT/ACT scores, GPAs, extra-curriculars, athletics, and what all of those mean for what colleges they will get into. Many teens believe that making the “right” decisions around college will dictate the course of their entire lives, their income, and their future happiness.

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categories child therapy sacramento, communicating with teens, parenting teens, teen anxiety
tags child therapist, teen therapist, parenting teens, teens mental health

How do I talk to my teen??

Ivy Griffin

Sometimes it can seem like teens completely tune out (or want nothing to do with) adults, especially authority figures, even more so--their parents. This can leave parents feeling frustrated and overwhelmed. “He’s not getting his homework done, but how am I supposed to get him on the right track when he won’t listen to me?!” “She seems irritable and agitated a lot these days, but when I ask what’s wrong, she rolls her eyes or grumbles, ‘nothing.’ How do I get through to her?”

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categories child therapy sacramento, communicating with teens, improve communication, parenting sacramento
tags teen therapist, child therapist, parenting teens