Therapy gives tweens a place to understand what they’re feeling, figure out who they’re becoming, and learn how to handle the challenges of middle school and growing up.

Your previously talkative kid suddenly answers everything with “I don’t know.” Friendships become intense. School gets harder. They’re more irritable, worried, self-conscious, or withdrawn—and they want more freedom while still very much needing you.

It can be hard to know what’s normal tween behavior and when your child needs more support.

What I Help Tweens With

• Anxiety, worry, and overthinking

• ADHD and executive functioning challenges

• School stress and school avoidance

• Low self-esteem and confidence

• Friendship and peer challenges

• Big emotions and anger

• Family conflict

• Identity and self-discovery

• Body image and pressures around food and appearance

• Life transitions and family changes

Why Tweens Need Something a Little Different

There is so much happening in the few short years between being a little kid and becoming a teenager. Kids are changing quickly, while parents are trying to figure out when to step in and when to give them room to figure things out for themselves.

Therapy with a tween can’t just be asking, “How does that make you feel?” for an hour (unless you want to hear “I don’t know” approximately 47 times). I use conversation, games, humor, and activities to help kids feel comfortable being themselves while learning about their emotions, building confidence, and developing tools for the tricky parts of growing up.

What About the Parents?

I get 50 minutes with your kid. You get the other 167 hours of the week. Working with you is an important part of creating meaningful change outside of the therapy room.

How involved you are depends on your tween, what brings them to therapy, and what will be most helpful. This is their therapy, so protecting their privacy and trust matters—but they’re also still kids who need support from the adults in their lives.

That balance might include brief check-ins, dedicated parent sessions, or parent coaching. The goal isn’t to tell you everything your child says in therapy; it’s to help you understand and support your tween while giving them a space that feels like their own.

What Can Therapy Help Change?

Therapy can help tweens understand themselves, manage big emotions, handle friendships and school stress, and feel more confident in who they’re becoming.

For parents, it can mean feeling less like you’re constantly guessing—when to step in, when to give space, and what your kid actually needs.

Not sure if it’s “normal tween stuff” or something that needs more support? We can figure that out together.