While late adolescence through early working life is a wide age range with many unique features of each sub-stage, the main challenge during this age range is balancing friendships or romantic relationships with personal aspirations. The desire to find a significant other or remain in close friend circles is sometimes at odds with an effort to launch oneself and find independence and self-direction. Sometimes a person experiences a lot of anxiety or depression around this time which makes it close to impossible to manage this balance.
Our therapists work hard at the outset to help the individual feel validated, respected and understood. Oftentimes it is a powerful experience for the individual to be in the presence of a new, objective third party (their therapist) and treated as an adult, not beholden to the person’s parental figures. Learning valuable life skills, developing coping mechanisms, and finding one’s path are also important parts of the work with the therapist.
Common symptom clusters: Substance use, Bipolar Depression, Psychosis, Eating Disorders, Panic, Violence and Suicidality
