Teen Healthy Connections Groups in New Jersey
Understand Teenage Anxiety, Learn to Manage Stress and Emotions, and Build Healthy Relationships
Raising a teenager is hard. You worry about the big things and the small things. One of the hardest things to watch is a child who is quietly struggling.
Maybe your teen has pulled away from friends. Maybe school feels like a source of dread now, not just a routine. Maybe they spend long stretches alone in their room, scrolling instead of living. If this sounds familiar, you are not alone. Your teen is not alone either.
At Insight Psychological Group, we created Teen Healthy Connections Groups for exactly this reason. This is a therapist-led teen group therapy program for adolescents across New Jersey. It gives teens a space to build real skills for real life, while connecting with peers who struggle like they do. They learn to manage anxiety. They learn to build healthier friendships. They learn to speak up without fear of being judged.
Workshop Schedule
- Time:
Weekday evenings, 6:30 pm, 7 pm or 7:30pm, depending on location.
60 minutes per session
- Where:
Groups forming at our Little Falls and Livingston locations, as well as Telehealth
- Who:
High school, ages 14-17 approximately
Each group is led by a licensed child therapy professional.
- Pricing & Insurance
We accept a range of insurance plans. Our team can help verify your benefits before your teen’s first session. If you are not sure whether your plan covers group therapy, reach out. We will walk you through it so there are no surprises.
Self-pay rate is $45 per session.
Who Is This Teen Group For?
This teen social skills group is built for adolescents who could use some extra support. Teenage life is not simple. Your teen may benefit from this group if they:
- Avoid social situations or seem to be pulling away from friends
- Feel isolated, even when they are around other people
- Struggle with anxiety, whether it shows up as worry, irritability, or avoidance
- Have a hard time saying what they feel
- Struggle to keep or navigate friendships
- Need healthier ways to cope with stress
Every teen is different. Your child does not need a formal diagnosis to benefit. Many parents simply notice their teen needs more support this year than last year. That is reason enough to reach out.
Meet Your Licensed Group Leaders
Grace Santangelo, LAC
Grace, a Licensed Associate Counselor, earned her master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Montclair State University. She specializes in working with preteens, teens, and young adults, providing a safe and supportive space where clients can show up as they are without judgment or pressure.
Emily Ramos, LPC
Emily Ramos is a Licensed Professional Counselor who earned her Master’s degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University and works with children, adolescents, and adults navigating substance use, trauma, anxiety, depression, mood disorders, relationship challenges, and stress.
Celine Tardy, LSW
Celine is a Licensed Social Worker who received her Master’s from Columbia University School of Social Work and works with children, teens, and adults experiencing anxiety, depression, PTSD, and other psychological challenges. She emphasizes creating a safe space for her clients and compassionately focuses on their individual needs.
Julia Gordon, LCSW
Julia Gordon is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who earned her Master’s degree from Montclair State University. She has experience working with adolescents and young adults across outpatient and higher levels of care, supporting individuals navigating anxiety, depression, trauma, life transitions, and substance use.
Anya Barrett, BA
Anya is an Advanced Clinical Intern at IPG and is a Master’s candidate at Northwestern University. Her clinical approach is integrative, drawing in a variety of counseling theories to address the unique needs of children, adolescents, and adults. She believes that healing happens within a safe, collaborative relationship, grounded in trust, cultural humility, and genuine human connection.
Signs Your Teen May Need Extra Support
It is not always obvious when a teen is struggling. Some signs are loud. Slammed doors. Blown-up arguments. Other signs are quiet. A teen who used to text friends constantly and now does not bother.
Common signs worth watching for include:
- Difficulty making or keeping friends
- Social anxiety that keeps them from joining activities they used to enjoy
- Angry outbursts that seem bigger than the moment calls for
- Pulling away from family and friends
- Shutting down when asked how they are doing
- Ongoing conflict with peers
- Low confidence or a lot of negative self-talk
- Visible stress tied to social media and comparison
No single sign means something is seriously wrong. But when a few of these show up together and stick around for weeks, it usually means your teen could use more support than they are currently getting.
What Teens Will Learn
Each of the eight workshops focuses on a different piece of the puzzle. Teens leave with tools they can actually use, not abstract theory. Sessions cover things like:
- How to recognize and name what they are feeling
- Grounding techniques for anxiety and big emotions
- How to set boundaries with friends without guilt
- Conflict resolution skills for everyday friendship problems
- Mindfulness exercises that fit into a teen’s actual life
- Healthy ways to handle peer pressure and social media stress
Benefits of Teen Healthy Connections Groups
Teens who take part often notice changes that go beyond the group room. Benefits include:
- Increased social confidence and willingness to participate
- A clearer ability to communicate feelings
- Better ability to navigate friendships and set boundaries
- Reduced anxiety tied to peer interactions
- Better emotional insight and coping strategies
- Deeper peer connection and less isolation
- More resilience when facing everyday teen stress
These are not quick fixes. Skills build over time. That happens through practice, repetition, and a supportive space where teens feel safe enough to try.
How CBT and DBT Help Teens
Our workshops draw on two well-researched approaches: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). Both are widely used in adolescent mental health treatment.
CBT helps teens notice the link between thoughts, feelings, and behavior. Instead of getting stuck in anxious or negative thinking, teens learn to spot unhelpful patterns. Then they learn to replace them with something more balanced.
DBT builds on that foundation. It focuses on emotional regulation and distress tolerance. It helps teens who feel overwhelmed by big emotions. It also helps teens who struggle to stay calm during conflict.
Teens do not sit through a lecture. They learn through role-playing, skills rehearsal, art therapy, and mindfulness exercises. We use worksheets, grounding tools, therapeutic fidgets, and flip charts to keep sessions engaging. We also send home handouts for parents so the learning continues outside of group.
A common question we hear is what actually separates CBT from DBT. In simple terms, CBT looks at the thoughts behind a feeling. It helps teens catch and challenge patterns like all-or-nothing thinking. DBT looks at the feeling itself. It gives teens tools to tolerate distress and regulate emotions in the moment, before things turn into a bigger blowup. Most teens benefit from both. That is why our groups blend the two instead of sticking to just one model.
How Social Media Fits Into the Picture
Most teens today manage a version of social life that did not exist a generation ago. Friendships, self-esteem, and free time all get filtered through a screen. Comparison, fear of missing out, and pressure to look a certain way online all take a toll on adolescent mental health.
Part of what we cover in group is helping teens notice how social media affects their mood and self-image. We help them build healthier habits around it. We do this without shaming them for using it in the first place.
Why Parents Choose Insight Psychological Group
Choosing the right teen therapy group in NJ matters. Here is what families can expect when they work with us:
- Licensed therapists with specialized training in adolescent mental health
- Years of combined clinical experience across CBT, DBT, and family-centered care
- A local New Jersey practice that understands the pressures facing today’s teens
- Evidence-based approaches paired with real warmth and patience
We proudly offer this teen group therapy program to families throughout New Jersey, including Little Falls, Wayne, Clifton, Saddle Brook, Totowa, Cedar Grove, The Caldwells, Montclair, Fair Lawn, West Orange, Livingston, East Hanover, Short Hills, Chatham, and surrounding Northern New Jersey communities.
FAQs
1. What is the Teen Healthy Connections Group?
It is a therapist-led group workshop series for teens ages 13 to 16. It focuses on building social and emotional skills, managing anxiety, and improving relationships using CBT and DBT techniques.
2. Who can attend the group?
Teens roughly ages 13 to 16 who could use support with anxiety, friendships, emotional regulation, or social confidence.
3. Is this group therapy?
Yes. Our groups include a balance of informational/educational and skills-based approach, together with a collaborative, connection-based experience with other like-minded individuals learning alongside you.
4. What happens during each session?
Sessions combine education, skills practice, role-playing, art therapy, and mindfulness. Two licensed professionals lead each session in a structured but relaxed setting.
5. How is this different from individual therapy?
Group therapy adds a peer element that individual sessions do not offer. Teens practice skills in real time with others their age. That often makes the lessons stick in a way one-on-one conversation cannot always match.
6. Is this appropriate for teens with anxiety?
Yes. Anxiety is one of the most common reasons families reach out. Much of the curriculum is built around anxiety management and emotional regulation.
7. Where are the workshops held?
- TBD
8. Can insurance cover the workshops?
In many cases, yes. Contact our office, and we will help verify your specific coverage
9. How do I register?
Reach out to our office directly. You can also fill out our interest form, and a member of our team will contact you.
Whether your teen deals with social anxiety, friendship struggles, or just needs a confidence boost before the school year starts, this group meets them where they are.