How to Find the Right Therapist for Your Teen
Finding a therapist for your teenager can feel like finding a needle in a haystack. Many therapists specialize in either children or adults, but adolescents have particular developmental needs that don’t necessarily fit into either of those categories. If your teen has told you they want to talk to someone, or you’re noticing significant shifts in their attitude or behavior, it might be time to look for a therapist who specializes in working with the teenage condition.
Start With Your Teen’s Needs
Before searching for a therapist, take some time to think about what you hope therapy will address. You don’t necessarily need to know your teen’s diagnosis or the type of therapy they need, as a qualified mental health professional can evaluate and help you understand these aspects. However, you might want to consider the following questions:
What changes have you noticed in your teen and how long have they been going on?
Are your teen’s challenges affecting certain areas of their life, like school, relationships, sleep, or daily activities?
Has your teen experienced a recent significant life change such as loss, conflict, or transition?
How does your teen discuss their struggles and who do they discuss their struggles with?
What do you hope would be different after your teen starts therapy?
Some parents look for therapy because of a specific concern, such as anxiety, depression, or PTSD. Others might be looking for someone to support their teen with more generalized concerns such as perfectionism, self-esteem, emotional regulation, family changes, relationship difficulties, or the transition toward adulthood.
Many therapists offer a free phone call, usually called a consultation call, to help you determine whether the therapist’s experience and approach will be a good fit for your teen’s needs.
Look for a Therapist Who Works with Teenagers
Teens are in a peculiar position in life because they don’t necessarily fit into the same category as children or adults. They are often juggling the need to obey and respect adults while simultaneously practicing adult responsibilities, such as managing their own schoolwork, jobs, and household tasks. Adolescence comes with its own developmental, social, academic, and family considerations. A therapist who regularly works with teens will generally be familiar with the way these factors can influence a teen’s emotional wellbeing and recommended course of treatment.
AACAP (The American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry) recommends parents seek mental health professionals specifically trained to work with children and adolescents.
You can usually start by looking at a therapist’s website or Psychology Today profile. When viewing a website or profile, look for information about the following:
Age groups regularly served
Experience working with adolescents
Concerns or diagnoses they commonly treat
Professional credentials and training
Therapeutic approaches used
Whether they work with parents/families as part of treatment
You might find therapists who technically accept teenagers but primarily work with adults. That doesn’t automatically mean they are the wrong choice, but it is reasonable to ask about their specific experience working with adolescents.
Consider Your Teen’s Specific Concerns
Therapists have different areas of expertise. While most therapists are well-trained to work with common concerns such as anxiety and depression, some have additional training or specialize in particular concerns. You may want to look for a therapist who regularly works with the concerns your teen is experiencing. Some examples of therapist specializations include the following:
Perfectionism and academic pressure
Self-esteem, body image, and disordered eating concerns
Self-harm and suicidal thoughts
Family changes, including parental separation or divorce
Grief and loss
Preparing for high school, college, or adulthood
Substance use disorders
Student athletes and athletic performance
Trauma
You don’t necessarily need to find someone who specializes exclusively in your teen’s particular concerns, but relevant experience can make it easier for a therapist to quickly understand your teen’s challenges and recommend a course of treatment.
Ask About Their Approach to Therapy
You may see therapists mention approaches such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and other evidence-based approaches. There are so many acronyms in the therapy world, and it can sometimes be overwhelming to sift through all of the different approaches and treatment modalities. You definitely don’t need to become an expert in these before choosing a therapist. Instead, ask the therapist to explain how their approach might apply to your child.
For example: “My teenager is struggling with anxiety and putting a lot of pressure on himself at school. How would you typically approach that in therapy?”
A therapist should be able to explain their approach in language that makes sense to you and your teen. Once your teen begins therapy, an in-depth explanation of the type(s) of therapy approaches used should also be part of the informed consent process.
Don’t Underestimate the Importance of the Therapeutic Relationship
A therapist certainly needs the right credentials to practice therapy, but you should also consider the therapist’s personality and whether they will be a good fit with your teen. The therapeutic relationship is one of the largest factors in predicting successful therapy. Therapy requires a certain level of trust and vulnerability, and your teen needs to feel comfortable with their therapist to open up and have difficult conversations. If your teen feels judged, misunderstood, or uncomfortable with the therapist, it may be difficult for them to engage meaningfully in treatment.
The first few sessions can feel awkward for teens, and that’s okay - a good adolescent therapist will take a few sessions to really get to know your teen and develop a positive rapport with them. Over time, your teen should ideally feel that their therapist listens to them, takes their concerns seriously, and respects them as an individual. Finding the right fit can sometimes take a few tries, and it’s okay to look for someone else if your teen really isn’t gelling with their therapist after a few meetings.
Let Your Teen Have a Voice in the Process
Children and teens don’t always notice the changes occurring that can concern parents. However, they often have some understanding of their behavior and emotions, and they are more likely to engage positively when they have some ownership in the process. It can be helpful to sit with your teen to look at therapist profiles and ask them what they think they’d like in a therapist. Some teens prefer someone conversational and casual, and others prefer someone who will teach concrete skills. Some teens might have a preference on the therapist’s age, gender, personality, or communication style.
Ask About Parent Involvement and Confidentiality
Parents often want to know what happens during therapy. At the same time, adolescents need an appropriate degree of privacy to develop a trusting relationship with their therapist. It is appropriate to ask your teen’s therapist how they handle the following:
Parent participation in sessions
Communication with parents outside of sessions
Confidentiality and who has access to the teen’s therapy/medical records
Situations in which confidentiality must be broken due to safety concerns and who will be notified in these situations
How treatment goals and progress are communicated to parents
How parents can support the teen outside of therapy sessions
There isn’t necessarily one correct way of handling these things, but your child’s therapist should be able to explain their policies clearly and discuss the process with you so you know what to expect and understand the reasoning for certain policies and procedures.
Think About Logistics
Consider practical factors to attending therapy, such as:'
Location and travel time (take traffic into account)
In-person versus telehealth appointments (discuss potential pros and cons with your therapist)
After-school or evening availability is often necessary for teens
Whether the therapist takes your insurance or their rates if you are considering paying out of pocket
Cancellation policies
Accepting new clients vs. waitlisting
Policies regarding parent presence at appointments (for example, can your 17 year old drive herself to therapy or does a parent have to be present in the waiting room?)
If you’re located in the West Valley, searching specifically for “teen therapists in Goodyear AZ” may be more practical than searching across the entire Phoenix area, especially if you are looking for in-person services. It can also be worth expanding your search to nearby areas such as Avondale, Litchfield Park, Buckeye, and Surprise if you are having trouble finding a therapist who fits your family’s needs.
Questions to Ask During a Consultation
How much experience do you have working with teenagers?
What therapeutic approaches do you use with teens?
How can I be involved in my child’s treatment?
What do the first few sessions look like, how long do sessions last, how often do teens usually have appointments?
How do you determine whether therapy is helping?
Do you coordinate care with other providers such as pediatricians, psychiatrists, or school staff when appropriate?
What should we do if my teen doesn’t feel like we’re a good fit?
Finding Teen Therapy in Goodyear, Arizona
If you’re searching for teen therapy in Goodyear, you have several options. You can ask your pediatrician or school counselor for referrals, search your insurance portal for in-network providers, and search professional directories like Psychology Today or TherapySearch, to find local therapists who specialize in treating adolescents as part of their practice. You want to look for someone with an active behavioral health or psychology license, such as a licensed psychologist, licensed counselor, or licensed social worker. These professions are highly regulated compared to others who may only offer coaching services. If you need low-cost therapy, you can also search on directories like Open Path Collective or ask local counseling practices if they have any masters-level clinical interns who offer low-cost sessions. Interns are often completing their clinical hours under specialized supervision in the final semesters of their graduate degree program and offer services at a highly reduced rate.
At Meadowlight Counseling, I provide outpatient therapy for teens in Goodyear, helping them navigate concerns like anxiety, perfectionism, emotional challenges, self-harm, suicidal ideation, school/athletic performance, and major life transitions. I believe therapy should give teens a space to be taken seriously, develop practical skills, understand themselves, and build resilience toward a successful and meaningful life. I also believe parents are an important part of the process, even when the therapy room itself is a private space for the teen.
If you’re considering therapy for your teenager, you don’t need to have it all figured out or do all the research before reaching out. A conversation with a qualified therapist can be a really useful first step toward understanding what your teen needs and whether that therapist is the right person to help. Reach out to me any time for help finding the right services for your child. Even if I’m not the right fit, I’m always happy to support families in finding trusted professionals in the area to meet their needs.
A Note to Readers
This article is intended for general educational purposes and is not a substitute for an individualized mental health evaluation or professional mental health advice.
About the Author
Marlee Gordon, LPC is a licensed professional counselor and the founder of Meadowlight Counseling LLC, a private practice in Goodyear, Arizona. Marlee has over 13 years of experience working with adolescents in educational and therapeutic settings, including school-based therapy and intensive outpatient programming for teens. She treats a wide variety of mental health concerns but focuses primarily on treating anxiety, perfectionism, life transitions, relationship challenges, and academic/athletic performance concerns.