In addition to working with adults and couples, I work with children, adolescents, and their families.
Children
It has been my experience that children rarely change unless their environments do. And for most children, that environment is their family and sometimes their school. Obviously, most young children are not likely to think or say, "Hmm, I think I could function better if I worked on my low self esteem." That means that the most progress is likely to be made when parents are a part of the therapy process. I do work with children individually as well to help them with their own ABC's, although in their case this often stands for Attitude, Behavior, Confidence. Children can be taught to adjust how they talk to themselves, just as adults can. Furthermore, any opportunity to be accepted by an adult and to receive praise for being who they are can be a self-esteem building experience.
Adolescents
While children rarely change without those around them changing first, teenagers will rarely change unless they want to. Helping a teen find the value in changing is usually the initial part of treatment. Most teens are faced with an almost unbelievable amount of pressure to fit in with their peer group. They are being faced with adult temptations at younger and younger ages. Many are afraid to talk to their friends about their discomfort with some of the things they feel required to do in order to have a social life, which is the most important aspect of a teen's life.
These adolescents are also struggling with the very real effect of technology on their ability to problem solve. Because adolescents are inundated with fantasy material (tv, video games, graphic novels, etc.), they are never forced to develop their imaginations in the way that their parents were. As a result, they are less able to use their imaginations to predict consequences, solve problems, or put themselves in someone else's shoes. Furthermore, because everything in their lives is practically instantaneous, they have developed minimal patience or ability to wait for or earn what they want. Therefore, we have a generation in need of being taught some basic skills that no one ever thought about having to teach before. Parents, schools, and other professionals working together with adolescents can jump start these important mental processes.
