Adolescence and young adulthood is a unique time of transition in life. You aren't really a child anymore, but figuring out how you want fit into the adult world is sometimes a challenge. It can be hard to feel like you fit in anywhere, let alone feeling comfortable developing and exploring  your own uniqueness.

Growing up in the Bay Area, the pressure to meet others' expectations, and even your own expectations, can be difficult to navigate. You might be in high school feeling really uncertain about college plans that you thought you had firmly decided. You might be finishing college and realizing that the path to finish the education you’ve been working on your whole life is completed. It can be intimidating to “arrive” at the destination, leaving you wondering what comes next. Maybe you're at the beginning of your final years in school, entering a new school and social world, seeing friends going off in different directions, feeling the pull to try new things and make new friends, or even struggling to keep old friends.

There may be many reasons why you’re deciding to try therapy now. Have you done it before, and found it helpful in the past? Are family members or others expressing concern about you? Whatever your reasons, I have found that the connection between you and me is the most important factor in our work together. I think it takes time to build the relationship between us, so in the beginning we will probably spend a lot of time getting to know each other, building trust between us, and working together to figure out what you need and what works best for you.

In addition to my first-hand experience with my own children and their peers, I've worked with juniors and seniors in an alternative high school program. I work comfortably with teenagers and young adults, including working with severe depression and anxiety and talking about the things that matter to them most.