therapy for adolescents
Silver Spring

Adolescence has always been challenging, but today’s teenagers navigate pressures that previous generations never experienced. Between social media, academic competition, identity questions, and an increasingly polarized world, it’s no wonder so many families feel overwhelmed.

If your teenager is struggling – whether with anxiety, depression, social challenges, or family conflict – you’re probably feeling caught between wanting to help and watching them pull away. This push-and-pull is normal, even necessary, but it doesn’t make it any easier to live through. The good news is that adolescents can absolutely learn to manage their challenges while families learn to support them more effectively.

Academic Pressure in a Competitive World
Many teenagers in our area attend highly competitive schools where college admission feels like the ultimate measure of success. The pressure to excel in academics, extracurriculars, and standardized tests can become overwhelming. Students often feel like any mistake or failure will derail their future, when in reality there are many paths to success and room for growth through setbacks.

Identity Development in a Complex Cultural Moment
Today’s adolescents explore questions of identity – including gender, sexuality, values, and beliefs – in an environment where these topics carry intense cultural and political weight. They need space to explore who they are without judgment while receiving guidance from adults who understand both the importance of this exploration and the complexity of navigating it within their family and community context.

Social Connection and Social Media
Teenagers today must navigate friendships and relationships both online and offline, managing social media dynamics that can amplify typical adolescent social challenges. The constant comparison, cyberbullying, and pressure to curate a perfect online presence can intensify the natural social pressures of adolescence.

Anxiety That Goes Beyond Normal Worry
While some anxiety is normal during adolescence, many teenagers struggle with anxiety that interferes with their daily functioning. Sometimes families accidentally reinforce anxiety by removing challenges or providing too much reassurance. Learning to face difficulties with courage, rather than avoiding them for safety, often proves more helpful for building long-term resilience.

Family Relationships During Separation
The adolescent push for independence can leave parents feeling rejected, worried, or confused about how to help. This developmental separation is healthy and necessary, but it requires families to renegotiate their relationships while maintaining connection and appropriate boundaries.

We Understand Adolescent Development
Teenagers aren’t just big children or small adults – they’re in a unique developmental stage with specific needs and capabilities. We tailor our approach to work with adolescent psychology, respecting their growing independence while providing the guidance and structure they still need.

We Address Real-World Challenges
Rather than just talking about feelings, we help teenagers develop practical skills for managing academic pressure, navigating social relationships, communicating with family members, and making decisions about their lives. Our therapists are trained in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), psychodynamic approaches, and family systems work, which we integrate based on what each teenager needs most. We also work with families to create environments that support healthy adolescent development.

We Navigate Identity Questions with Expertise and Neutrality
Our therapists have extensive experience working with LGBTQ+ youth and families navigating questions about gender and sexuality. We provide a safe space for exploration while helping parents affirm their teens’ identities and experiences in ways that are authentic to their family system.

We Help Families Communicate Better
Adolescence often brings increased conflict as teenagers develop their own opinions and push for more freedom. We help families learn to have difficult conversations, set appropriate boundaries, and maintain connection even during disagreements. Parents often need support in knowing when to step in and when to step back.

We Build Resilience, Not Fragility
Instead of protecting teenagers from all difficulty, we help them develop the confidence and skills to handle challenges. This sometimes means encouraging families to allow appropriate struggles and failures rather than removing all obstacles from their teenager’s path.

Your Investment Supports Our Mission
When you choose Kingsbury for your teenager, you’re contributing to our commitment to making quality mental health care accessible to all families. Our nonprofit model ensures that families who can afford our services help us provide the same care to adolescents whose families cannot.

Director of Psychotherapy and Clinical Training

• Location: Silver Spring, MD
• Virtual therapy available in participating PsyPact states
• Insurance: Out-of-network provider (we provide documentation for reimbursement)
• Session length: 45 minutes
• Frequency: Typically weekly
• Parent involvement: Balanced approach supporting adolescent development

(202) 545-2410