Forced therapy is rarely effective. Offering a therapist choice, framing it as a tool for them, and suggesting it as a few sessions to see whether it's a good fit for them generally is more effective than requiring them to attend therapy. It's helpful to normalize therapy.

If you see a sustained change from their own baseline that lasts two weeks or more -- such aswithdrawal from friends, family, or activities they previously enjoyed, sleep changes (too much or too little), loss of interest, irritability, expressions of hopelessness ("nothing matters"), self-harming, suicidal statements (requires immediate professional evaluation), or declining school performance. Comparison with their behavior from six months ago is much more informative than comparison with other teenagers.

Yes. We provide in-person therapy in Laguna Hills and telehealth services for clients across California.

Don't demand access to therapy content. This undermines the trust that helps therapy work. The therapist will notify you if safety is involved. Using language like "I'm here if you want to talk" is a more powerful tool with your teen. Normalizing therapy as something people use makes teens less likely to resist it.

We accept Cigna, Evernorth, and United insurance. We, also, can provide a superbill for out-of-network insurance claims.