The kid who used to tell you everything now answers in one word and closes the door. The grades slipped, or the friend group changed, or the mood swings stopped looking like normal teenage stuff. You’re worried, you’re a little scared, and you don’t want to make it worse by pushing.
Teen therapy at Catalyst is for adolescents across Northern Virginia, Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax, DC, and Maryland who are dealing with anxiety, depression, big emotions, school stress, friendship and identity struggles, family changes, or trauma, and for the parents who love them and want help reaching them.
You’re not overreacting. Withdrawal, anger, anxiety, the sudden flatness: in teenagers, those are usually signals, not defiance. Something is going on underneath, and a teenager often doesn’t have the words for it yet.
Teenagers feel everything at full volume, and they’re doing it with a brain that’s still under construction. Add pressure at school, social media, friendship drama, family stress, or something harder they haven’t told you about, and you can get a kid who looks like they’re acting out when they’re really just overwhelmed. We help teens with:
Sometimes what looks like a behavior problem is a teen whose nervous system is maxed out. Naming that difference is half the work.
Teens can spot a fake adult instantly, so we don’t try to be one. Our therapists are warm, real, and not easily shocked. We build the relationship first, because a teenager will only do the actual work with someone they decide to trust.
We’re trauma-informed and EMDR-trained, which matters because a lot of what surfaces in adolescence traces back to experiences a kid hasn’t processed. We help them work through it in a way that fits where they are developmentally, not a watered-down version of adult therapy. And you’re not on the outside of this. We keep you involved in a way that respects your teen’s growing need for privacy and still keeps you in the loop on what matters, with guidance on how to support them at home.
We start with a conversation, usually with you and your teen, to understand what’s happening and what everyone’s hoping for. Then we match your teen with a therapist who fits them. From there the relationship does the heavy lifting, and you stay informed along the way. Some families notice things easing within a few weeks; deeper work takes longer, and we’ll be honest with you about where things stand.
We offer secure telehealth across Virginia, DC, and Maryland, including after-school and evening times.
Meet your therapists. These clinicians work especially well with teens:
