Counseling for Boys and Girls Age 9-17

Are you looking for help for your teenager?


Do you lose sleep at night worrying about your child’s behavior? Does she refuse to listen, cooperate, or help out in the home? Does he hate going to school, use drugs, or seem lonely and distant? Perhaps you have begun losing your temper, escalating the conflict with yelling and threats of punishment.


Whatever you are facing, the stress and feelings of guilt involved in raising a struggling teen can be overwhelming. If you feel this way, you are not alone.
Many parents of teens say that they feel like they are loosing the child they once knew, and they don’t know what to do.
We have extensive experience working with teens facing a variety of challenges in outpatient, school-based, and residential treatment settings. Individual and family counseling can provide opportunities for teens to openly talk about their thoughts and feelings in an emotionally safe environment.

To contact us, Click Here or call: (707) 772-5085 |
I’ve stopped smoking marijuana, and I feel a lot better socially, and I want to thank you because I think you gave me the wake-up call I needed to help me go down the path I truly want to go down.
2012 (Teen Male, Petaluma)

Together, we can discuss your concerns about:



  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • School-related issues
  • Substance use and abuse
  • Anger Management
  • Social Skills
  • Loss and grief counseling
  • Body image
  • Conflict
  • Sexuality

Benefits of therapy for teens and their families can include:



  • Reduced conflict in the home
  • Improved self-confidence
  • Improved social skills
  • Improved ability to take responsibility for one’s actions
  • Improved ability to think clearly about one’s choices rather than living recklessly and impulsively
  • Having a confidential, weekly conversation with an experienced adult about important life issues
  • Clearer goals and vision for the future
Growing up has never been easy, but today’s teens have more freedom than any previous generation and face complex challenges. From an ever increasing access to technology to unpredictable recreational drug cocktails, youth encounter important choices at a young age. No longer children, teens are making these decisions, and support from parents and professionals has never been more important.


Most teens in Petaluma live in a relatively safe and opportunity-rich environment. Petaluma has a reputation for fostering family-oriented activities and valuing community. However, these efforts and safeguards certainly do not prevent teens and young adults from struggling with the challenges of adolescence.


Teens everywhere navigate changes in social expectations, developing sexuality, choices around drug and alcohol use, and the beginnings of major life decisions such as education, employment, romantic relationships, and peer groups.


As teens grow, their point of reference shifts from their immediate family to peers. Great importance is given to the opinions of others as teens reach out beyond the familiar to explore new ideas and experiences. Shifts in brain structure also make adolescents more willing to take risks, seek pleasure, and minimize the costs associated with their choices.


This is a natural process that can lead to exciting discoveries, identity formation, and new connections, but it also involves significant hazards. Many young people face depression, anxiety, anger management problems, obsessions, addictions, social isolation, and difficulty in family and peer relationships. Teenagers often need support and guidance from mature adults to make informed, wise decisions.


Teens, much more than younger children, are reactive against efforts to control and direct their choices, and parents must also undergo a major transition in the way they interact with their teen children. Parenting, to a greater degree, becomes a matter of letting teenagers find their own solutions to problems and deal with the natural consequences of their choices.


The whole family often struggles with this transition, and guidance from an experienced therapist can be helpful in addressing patterns of communication and transforming expectations.

To schedule an appointment or consultation, please fill out our initial client contact form or call (707) 772-5085 | .