Our Therapeutic Approach

Our teenagers come from all backgrounds and orientations on both a political and religious spectrum. What these kids have in common is that all are struggling with issues regarding identity and how their experiences, family, religion, and community contribute to help them form their sense of self. We help teens build a personal philosophy of life and how to live it that is based on reconciling what they have been through, resolving it, and creating a foundation that will help them understand the world, allow them to function, and have a chance at a successful and healthy life.

Four-step process:

1. The first step is to reach every teen where they are in their life. We embrace them as they are without judgment. We meet them in their world.

2. The second step is to try to understand each teen’s whole experience and world. We discuss with them who is in their lives, and talk to the relevant figures and adults that are influencing their experience or actively involved, in order to get a better picture about what is going on for the teen.

3. Next, we work to stabilize the teen if there is an immediate crisis. We address concrete issues rather than immediately delving into deeper emotional areas. This phase is usually short term management of specific issues regarding basics such as housing, safety, health issues, etc. When a teen is in crisis it is difficult if not impossible to focus on underlying issues until the immediate stressor is removed.

4. The final phase is to concentrate on emotional issues. Once the teen is able to focus on emotional issues, we offer individual therapy. Our staff specializes in therapy with teens who often cannot articulate their feelings, who are grappling with issues of identity development, and who are undergoing emotional upheaval as they go through the process of developing their identity.