Naperville Clinical Psychologists Working with Adolescents

Adolescence is a time of explosive social, emotional, cognitive, and physical growth.  Developing an independent sense of self and navigating complex social dynamics, academic pressures, and family expectations can be difficult combinations of stressors to manage. Today’s teens strive to be well-rounded, high-achieving, and accepted by their peers.

Sometimes, the adolescent years don’t go as planned, and your teen experiences emotional challenges. Other times, these stressors may cause pre-existing emotional, social, or learning disabilities to become even more problematic. Adolescence is a high-risk time for anxiety, depression, and substance abuse. When these issues arise, your teen needs a safe, supportive place to learn skills to manage their emotions and to explore who they are to become.

When working with your adolescent, our providers are experts at navigating the delicate balance between providing confidentiality for teens, maintaining open communication with parents, and providing support and coaching to parents.

Your First Appointment

On your first appointment, you can expect that the session time will be divided between parent and teen to allow both of you the opportunity to speak openly with the treating psychologist. After the initial assessment, your teen’s psychologist will review the primary treatment issues and the treatment plan. You will receive ongoing updates on treatment progress. Teens often value having a private space to talk and explore their thoughts and feelings as they come up in daily life.  We will provide both supportive listening and opportunities to learn and practice skills and strategies to assist with social concerns, emotional regulation, and organization/study skills.

Along the way, you and the provider may determine that additional check-in times for parents or parent coaching sessions are needed.  Additionally, if there are additional concerns that need to be evaluated, we will make recommendations for further neuropsychological assessment.  Due to the complex developmental needs of adolescents, we believe in working closely with your teen’s pediatrician and school teachers or counselors when appropriate.

We believe in a flexible treatment approach for teens that respects both confidentiality and autonomy while facilitating better family relationships. For this reason, it may be necessary to adjust parental involvement in the sessions according to your family’s unique needs. Our psychologists use evidence-based treatment models, including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) models, to help your teen develop the skills to successfully navigate the journey to young adulthood.