Teens
Lying Isn’t All Bad: Why and How to Be Curious When Your Kids Don’t Tell the Truth
Therapy with children: Kids lie for many reasons and parents should be curious about what lies communicate. We all lie—to ourselves and, in turn, to others. Adults lie for many different reasons, whether denying or avoiding a truth, convincing ourselves of something we want to believe, or protecting ourselves from a painful reality. So too with kids. In my therapy with children, the reasons why…
May 22, 2024
Your Teenager Is Cooler Than You
Teens’ interests that parents see as odd are not just one of the greatest sources of life force: They’re also profoundly cool. In my work as a therapist to both teenagers and their parents, parents frequently express concern—or roll their eyes—about their teens’ “weird” niche interests, styles, or views about the world and worry about what other kids at school will think. However, I have…
Dec 11, 2023
Troubled Teen Programs Should Be a Last Resort: Less Authority Is More for Teens
Troubled teen programs are the logical, furthest extension of authority. A recent New York Times editorial, “The Troubled-Teen Industry Offers Trauma, Not Therapy,” argues for more regulatory oversight and best practices for troubled teen programs, some of which have been exposed in recent years for abuse. The troubled teen industry, the teen wilderness treatment industry, and teen residential…
Nov 01, 2023
Parents Have a Big Job to Do With Kids' Back-To-School Anxiety: Founder and Clinical Director Matt Lundquist on All Of It with Alison Stewart
Returning To School In-Person Means Kids Will Need A Lot of Support . As New York City schools return to in-person classes, many parents and kids are dealing with anxiety about yet another uncertain transition—one of many in the past year and a half. Our Founder and Clinical Director Matt Lundquist returned to WNYC’s All Of It with Alison Stewart to share his observations on the many concerns of…
Oct 07, 2021
How Can Adult Siblings Deal With Jealousy in Their Relationship?: Founder and Clinical Director Matt Lundquist in VICE
Jealousy frequently comes up in our family therapy with adult siblings, even though jealousy is often more discussed in regards to kids and adolescents. Offering insights into jealousy between adult siblings, our Founder and Clinical Director Matt Lundquist spoke to VICE about how siblings can discuss and potentially diffuse this tension in their relationship.In “What to Do if a Sibling’s…
Jul 08, 2021
We Need To Ask Better Questions Of Each Other: 12 Questions To Ask Teens
Asking Teens Better Questions Can Help Them Establish (And Reestablish) Who They Are Becoming . For the final incarnation of my series on how to ask better questions in our relationships, I’m focusing on teens. A teen needs to be asked deeper and better questions so that parents and other important adults in their life can get to know the ever-moving, ever-shifting person a teen is and is…
Mar 19, 2020
We Both Love Your Kid: A Letter To Parents From Your Child's Therapist
Dear Parents,Thank you for sharing your kid and bringing a therapist into their lives. As a parent, you have been caring for this person for so long. You got through the long nights with them as a baby. You helped them through their first feelings. You taught them what the world was. I’m so grateful for that foundation and love you laid out. You helped them through their first disappointments,…
Jun 06, 2019
8 Emotional Survival Tips For A College Freshman From An NYC Therapist
Freshman Year: It’s One Of The Biggest Emotional Transitions You Can Make. When working with college students in my NYC therapy practice, freshman year is one of the biggest transitions one can make. While a ton of time is spent gearing up for college in late high school, we often forget just how hard the move to freshman year hits emotionally. There is frequently pressure to be happy and enjoy…
Sep 13, 2018
There Is A Danger In Not Taking Teens Seriously–Especially When It Comes To Gun Control
We Need To Take Teens Seriously About Guns. On a recent Wednesday morning, I happened to have a break when I heard chanting outside the window of my NYC therapy practice. The noises were not that unusual given that my Tribeca office is just a block away from City Hall, a frequent site of protests. It didn’t take me long to remember when I saw teenagers marching with signs that read “Never Again!”…
Apr 12, 2018
Beyond “The Right” Decision: Helping Teens Become Decision Makers
Parents, Therapists And Other Adults Need To Help Teens Be Decision Makers. As a therapist who works with teens, I know teens have to face tons and tons of decisions all the time. The reality of being a teenager is there are certain adult decisions that have to be made for you. You can’t, for example, sell drugs, drive drunk, move out or spend money you don’t have. Most of these limits are…
Jan 18, 2018
New Year's Resolution For Parents: Get Closer To Your Teen (How Family Therapy Can Help)
Parents, Your Teenager Needs You To Get Closer: Family Therapy Can Help. As an NYC family therapist, I’ve seen firsthand how hard it can be for teens to help their parents learn how to get closer and be there for them. For parents of teens, the New Year can be a good opportunity to check in with your relationship with your adolescent child. Does your relationship with your teen need more…
Dec 21, 2017
Want To Make A Difference With Teens, In Or Out Of Therapy? Focus On Influence
Having Influence With Teens Is Essential Both In Therapy And Out. Being close with teens is important, but it’s not the magic sauce. Or perhaps it’s best to say, there’s magic sauce in being close in that it can allow for influence. Influence is where it’s at for any relationship. For therapists, parents and anyone who cares about a teen, the primary question is: how can we influence teens to…
Sep 14, 2017Browse all Tribeca Therapy topics
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