FAQs

Substance use doesn’t happen in a vacuum. For many teens and young adults—especially those navigating trauma, family pressure, cultural stigma, or mental health challenges—it can become a way to cope with pain, numb out, or feel in control.

If you come from a family or culture where addiction is seen as a moral failing, not a mental health issue, asking for help can feel almost impossible. Shame, secrecy, and fear of judgment can keep the cycle going—and make everyone feel even more alone.

In therapy, we don’t just focus on the substance. We look at what’s underneath it—the pain, the patterns, the survival strategies—and work together to build healthier ways of coping. Whether you're struggling yourself or supporting someone who is, we'll explore tools that help you reduce harm, stay grounded, and take steps toward healing that actually sticks.

Trauma can shape the way you think, feel, and relate to others—even when you don’t realize it. For teens and young adults, it might show up as emotional overwhelm, disconnection, people-pleasing, shutting down, or self-sabotage. Sometimes, it doesn’t look like trauma at all—it just feels like something’s always “off.”

For folks from marginalized communities, trauma is often layered—with systemic injustice, cultural silence, and intergenerational pain woven in. That kind of trauma doesn’t just live in the past—it lives in your body, your relationships, your sense of safety.

In therapy, we work gently and intentionally to untangle that. Through body-based and emotionally focused approaches, we create space to process what’s happened, restore a sense of safety, and build resilience in a way that honors your culture, your story, and your pace.

When it feels like everything depends on you “making it,” messing up doesn’t feel like an option. But the pressure to always perform—on the field, in school, at home—can push you into survival mode fast.

For many high-performing, high-achieving teens and young adults, especially if you're carrying your family’s hopes and trying to prove you're more than your mistakes, it can feel like you’re one slip-up away from losing everything. When your future, your identity, and your sense of worth are all tied to success, the pressure can become overwhelming.

In therapy, we slow things down so you don’t have to carry that weight alone. You'll learn how to regulate your nervous system, recover from setbacks, and stay present in high-stakes moments—not by pushing harder, but by understanding what's underneath the pressure and building real tools to support your growth.

You might feel stuck, numb, or disconnected—or like your brain won’t slow down and you’re constantly overwhelmed. Maybe you shut down. Maybe you overthink everything. Maybe both. Either way, it’s exhausting.

If you’ve ever been told you’re lazy, too sensitive, or too much, you might have learned to hide how bad things really feel. Depression and anxiety in young people of color often don’t look like what people expect. They might show up as anger, fighting, lashing out, doing drugs, partying too much, overworking, or shutting down completely. Sometimes it gets labeled as “disrespectful,” “lazy,” or “out of control”—but underneath, it’s pain, fear, or pressure no one taught you how to name. They can also show up as burnout, isolation, people-pleasing, perfectionism, or never feeling like you’re “enough.”

In therapy, we slow things down and make space for the feelings you’ve had to hold in. We’ll work on understanding your patterns, building emotional tools, and reconnecting with the parts of you that have been shut out or pushed aside. This isn’t about 'fixing' you—it’s about helping you feel safe in your own skin again.

ADHD isn’t just about focus—it’s about having a brain that works differently in a world that wasn’t built for it. For young people of color, especially those in families that value discipline, order, or emotional control, ADHD can be misunderstood as laziness, defiance, or “not trying hard enough.”

You might find yourself zoning out, forgetting things, saying stuff you didn’t mean to, or crashing after bursts of energy. Maybe you overwork to hide it. Maybe you’ve been told you’re “too much” your whole life—or started using substances to quiet the noise.

In therapy, we explore how your brain works—without labeling you or trying to make you fit into a mold. We build tools for focus, time, and emotion regulation—but we also work on releasing the shame. ADHD support is about more than just executive functioning—it’s about seeing yourself clearly and finally feeling understood.

Growing up between cultures can feel like constantly switching versions of yourself—what’s expected at home doesn’t always match what’s expected in the world. For teens and young adults of color, especially those from immigrant families, this can lead to deep confusion, isolation, and pressure to be everything for everyone.

You might struggle with feeling “not enough” in any space—or carry guilt for wanting something different than what your family imagined for you. On top of that, the impact of racism, xenophobia, homophobia, or gender-based discrimination can make it even harder to feel safe, seen, or worthy.

In therapy, we create space to unpack all of it—cultural identity, family expectations, intergenerational conflict, and systemic stress. You’ll have room to process what’s been passed down to you, explore who you are, and build a more grounded, confident relationship with your story.

How we learn to connect—or protect ourselves—in relationships often starts early. If you grew up with emotional distance, chaos, or pressure to perform instead of express, it makes sense if you struggle to trust people, open up, or feel safe being close to others.

Attachment wounds don’t always look like fear—they can show up as pushing people away, getting “too close too fast,” emotional shutdowns, or constantly fearing you’re ‘too much’ or ‘not enough.’ Sometimes, relationships feel overwhelming. Sometimes, they feel impossible.

In therapy, we explore those patterns with care and curiosity—not blame. You’ll learn how your early experiences shaped the way you relate to others, and how to build safer, more connected relationships—starting with the one you have with yourself.

You know what you’re capable of. But sometimes your mind and body just don’t sync. Maybe it’s the yips. Maybe you freeze, overthink, blow up, or shut down right when it matters most. Maybe you keep replaying that one mistake—or you’re scared your shot at the future is slipping through your hands.

Mental performance training helps you rebuild that connection—so your body can do what it knows how to do, even under pressure.

I use Brainspotting, a powerful mind–body approach trusted by elite athletes and performers, to help you move through mental blocks, emotional overload, and the stress responses that derail performance. This isn’t just mindset work—it’s deep nervous system training that helps your skills lock in and stay with you when the stakes are high.

Whether you’re fighting to stay on the team, hold onto a scholarship, or just keep your future intact, we’ll get you back in the zone—not just physically, but mentally and emotionally too.

Supporting a teen through substance use is hard—especially when no one talks about it and parents who have not gone through it just don’t understand. People might make you feel like you’re a bad parent, like you’re doing something wrong, when in reality, you’re doing everything you can—often in silence, often alone.

Parents often carry guilt, shame, or fear of being judged, especially in families or cultures where mental health and addiction are taboo. It can feel like you’re failing, even when you’re trying your hardest to hold it all together.

Parent coaching creates a space where you don’t have to have all the answers. Together, we’ll look at what’s underneath your teen’s struggles—like trauma, anxiety, peer pressure, or emotional overwhelm—and explore how you can support their healing without losing yourself in the process.

You’ll learn tools to reduce conflict, rebuild trust, and communicate in ways that actually land. We’ll also talk about how to care for you—because your stress, grief, trauma, and fear deserve attention too. You don’t have to do this alone, and you don’t have to do it perfectly to make a difference. You just have to stay in the room—and we’ll figure it out together.