IN-PERSON TEEN THERAPY IN WEST LOS ANGELES & VIRTUALLY ACROSS CALIFORNIA
Helping teens feel more confident in who they are and more secure in their relationships.
Therapy for teens who feel anxious, misunderstood, disconnected, or unsure where they fit.
DOES THIS SOUND FAMILIAR?
You know something has changed. You just don’t know how to reach them.
You can tell they’re struggling, but whenever you ask, the answer is: “I’m fine.”
They spend more time in their room and less time with friends than they used to.
They worry a lot about what friends, teachers, or other people think of them.
They assume people are upset with them or judging them—even when it doesn’t seem that way to you.
They avoid schoolwork, plans, or new situations because they’re afraid of messing up.
They seem less confident, more guarded, or less like themselves than they used to.
Past experiences have made it hard for them to trust people or know where they stand in relationships.
If this feels familiar, you don’t have to figure it out alone.
HOW I HELP
We’ll work on more than just getting through the hard moment.
Am I good enough? Do people actually like me? Where do I fit? Who am I?
Anxiety, withdrawal, perfectionism, friendship stress, and irritability can all be tied to deeper questions about self-worth, identity, trust, and belonging.
Most therapy teaches coping skills, and those help. But deeper change often comes from understanding what’s underneath. That work can help your teen build stronger self-esteem, feel more secure in who they are, and create healthier relationships.
Every teen comes in with a different story, but my work often centers around three connected areas.
01
Anxiety & Self-Doubt
We might look at what happens when your teen assumes they’ll mess up, worries about what other people think, or avoids something because it feels safer not to try.
Your teen may learn to:
Notice when anxiety or self-criticism is shaping decisions
Question assumptions about what other people are thinking
Tolerate mistakes without spiraling
Build more confidence in their own judgment
02
Identity & Belonging
We might explore the expectations your teen is carrying, what feels true to them, and what makes it easier—or harder—to feel like themselves around other people.
Your teen may learn to:
Better understand their own feelings, values, and identity
Recognize when they’re changing themselves to fit in
Put words to experiences that are hard to explain
Navigate family, social, or religious expectation
03
Relationships & Trust
We might pay attention to what happens when your teen feels rejected, misunderstood, unsure where they stand, or afraid to tell someone what they need.
Your teen may learn to:
Notice patterns that repeat in friendships and relationships
Communicate feelings and needs more clearly
Recognize when fear of rejection is affecting their response
Feel more secure in relationships with other people
If you’re ready to get started, I’d love to connect.
WHAT THERAPY WITH ME LOOKS LIKE
Therapy shouldn’t feel like an interrogation or a classroom.
Your teen doesn’t need to walk in knowing exactly what to say. Therapy with me is conversational and relationship-focused.
Some sessions might start with something that happened that week. We might talk about a friendship, an argument at home, a thought they can’t stop replaying, or something they’re worried about at school.
Other times, we might slow down and figure out what they were feeling, notice a pattern that keeps showing up, practice a different way of handling a conversation, or connect what’s happening now to something from earlier in their life.
The approach depends on what your teen needs.
Sometimes they need a concrete strategy. Sometimes they need help understanding why the same thing keeps happening. Often, they need both.
I’m primarily psychodynamic and process-oriented. I also use CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) and practical tools when they’re helpful.
EXPERIENCE WORKING WITH TEENS
Experience with teens through some of their hardest moments.
Hi, I’m Angie. I’m a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW #128710) based in West Los Angeles, where I provide in-person therapy in Sawtelle and virtual therapy throughout California. Working with teens has been a major part of my career.
I’ve supported adolescents in residential treatment, intensive outpatient programs, and other high levels of care through anxiety, trauma, self-harm, substance use, relationship difficulties, and complicated family dynamics.
Those settings often meant working with teens whose needs were layered and changing quickly, while also collaborating closely with families and treatment teams around safety, trust, communication, and next steps in care. It taught me how to stay grounded, look beyond the most obvious behavior, and understand how individual struggles are often connected to relationships, past experiences, and the teen’s environment.
I also have experience with foster youth and teens navigating attachment disruptions, adoption and foster care experiences, and difficult early relationships.
That experience has taught me that teens do not always show up ready to trust an adult. I don’t force the conversation. I focus on building the relationship first.
Meet Angie →
FREE 30-MINUTE CONSULTATION
You don’t need to have everything figured out before reaching out.
If you know your teen is struggling but aren’t sure exactly what they need, that’s enough of a place to start. We can talk about what you’ve been noticing and whether I might be the right fit.
To schedule, please fill out the form and include 3-4 different times you’re free for a call. Please note: While reasonable safeguards are used, this form and email are not fully secure forms of communication. I encourage you to avoid sharing sensitive or highly personal information here.