Empowering Young Minds. Strengthening Bright Futures.
Youth and Adolescent Counseling Based in Williamsburg, Virginia
Adolescent Counseling
Times have changed, and with that change, many families have lost a sense of direction. What has not changed is this: our children, teens, and families need more support than ever to navigate an increasingly complex world.
Youth Counseling
They say growing up is hard.We often believe we should be able to handle everything on our own. We assume no one else has experienced what we are going through, which can leave us feeling isolated in our thoughts and emotions. We expect virtual interactions to replace meaningful, in-person connection. We may feel we need to earn respect before we can offer it to others. And at times, we forget how far kindness, empathy, and presence can go.
Life has never been easy or fair—but it does not have to be lived in extremes.
What we are learning, however, is that these beliefs are not serving us, or our children well. Rates of mental health concerns among youth continue to rise, with many challenges rooted in disconnection and difficulty navigating real-world relationships and conflict. The U.S. Surgeon General has identified loneliness as a public health crisis, noting that the health impact of chronic loneliness is comparable to smoking 15 cigarettes per day.
We Are Here to Help
Having worked with children and adolescents for nearly 20 years, I hear the same themes repeatedly: loneliness—the feeling of being alone even when surrounded by others—and horizonlessness, or the sense of having no clear direction or purpose. These experiences often show up multiple times a day in session and are closely associated with rising levels of anxiety, depression, and ADHD.When we see our children and teens struggling, our first instinct is to jump in and do anything that we can to help or fix the situation. You try everything that you can think of including: talking to family, talking to friends, consulting with the school, pediatricians, etc.
Get Help When You Need It
As parents, we want our children to feel seen, safe, soothed, and ultimately secure.Over time, I have come to think of these conditions as the “Big Three” in child and adolescent mental health. Due to cultural pressures and constant stimulation, it can be difficult to determine which challenge is driving a child’s struggles at any given moment. These diagnoses also share many overlapping symptoms, including:
Difficulty with attention and concentration
Weak executive functioning (planning, organization, follow-through)
Emotional dysregulation and reactivity
Irritability and low frustration tolerance
Low motivation and task avoidance
Sleep difficulties
Low self-esteem and sense of identity
Social challenges and disconnection
This does not mean other factors or diagnoses—such as OCD, ODD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, or external stressors—are not present. Rather, it highlights that most children, teens, and families benefit from learning foundational skills to manage these shared challenges.
Big Ideas,
Real Impact.
We have consistently found that when children and teens are given a safe, non-judgmental space to talk openly about their thoughts and feelings, there is a noticeable sense of relief. Parents often come in wanting their children to be happy, which is a natural and loving goal. We believe, however, that happiness is not a destination—it is a direction. Happiness grows through enjoyment (pleasure, connection, and shared memories), satisfaction from working through challenges, and a sense of meaning and purpose.
Change is difficult for everyone. It is human to hope that if others would change, we wouldn’t have to. One of our primary goals is to help children and teens understand that growth often requires letting go of parts of themselves that no longer serve them, so they can grow into who they want to become. Life happens in the transitions—and we are here to help them navigate those transitions with confidence, skills, and support.
