View of Adolescence

 Adolescence is a time of personal redefinition in terms of relationships with self, family, peers, authority figures, and others, as well as of exploration of the meaning of life and the future. In order to develop into a healthy adult, adolescents must

• Grieve the loss of childhood self
• Cope with the physical and psychological aspects of sexual maturation
• Learn to take responsibility through autonomy and choice 
• Manage expanding social relationships.

These tasks require increasing self-awareness and self-esteem for adolescents to be able to take the responsible risks to develop self-efficacy and independence. A Focus on change, growth, and meaningAdolescence is a time of focusing on change, growth, and meaning to build skills to develop a strong, healthy, resilient adult. My training and experience enables me to support the development of the following skills which will aid in the successful transition to adulthood:

• Creativity  
• Ability to tolerate pain
• Insight into present experiences   
• Independence of spirit
• Self-respect
• Ability to restore self-esteem when it is diminished or temporarily lost
• Capacity for learning
• Ability to make and keep friends
• Freedom to depend on others, with the skill to set proper limits on the depth and dependency of our friendships