Compassionate Counseling for Teens, Children & Families
For struggling youth and parents, our experienced therapists provide support, hope & relief.
Comprehensive Therapy Solutions
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Trauma
- Grief
- Divorce
- Intervention
- Social Skills
- Reunification
- LGBTQ-Affirming
- Body Distortion
- Bullying
- Behavior
- Anger Management
- ADHD
- Autism Therapy
- Self-Harm
- School Performance
- Substance Abuse
- Addiction
- Technology Addition
In-person, online and phone sessions available
How We Help Teens,
Youth & Families
Hi. Welcome to Teen Therapy Center. If you're here, it likely means that you're concerned,maybe overwhelmed, just really unsure how to support your child if you're a teenager, and we get it.
Parenting can be incredibly challenging and even scary sometimes, but you're not alone. At Teen Therapy Center, we take the time to really listen to you. Before we ever meet your kid, we want to talk with you and fully understand your perspective, really see what you're seeing at home. You are an incredibly important part of this process. Yes, we do protect your child's confidentiality, but we don't push you out of the process. On the contrary, we really want to invite you into it in a way that feels collaborative and respectful for all sides.
One of the skills that all of us therapists have here at Teen Therapy Center is we speak two languages; we speak teenager and we speak parent. And with those translation skills, whether your child is struggling with anxiety, mood swings, motivation, relationship issues, the list can go on and on, our goal is to help your family communicate better, understand each other more clearly, and find a healthy path forward together. Thank you so much for being here. We're really glad you're here.
Please give us a call. We're happy to have that complementary in-depth phone conversation to find the right referral for your family. Thanks again, and we look forward to meeting you.
What to Expect from Teen
Therapy Center?
01.
Let’s Discuss Your Therapy Needs
02.
Experience Therapy Tailored to You
Teen Therapy Center is an out-of-network provider/superbills provided.
Our Teen, Child & Family Therapists
We believe therapy is most effective when you feel safe, understood and supported. From the moment we connect in the initial consultation, our process is designed to help you find a therapist who feels like the right fit. Our team of therapists is made up of licensed, highly trained professionals, who were selected for both their clinical skill and ability to build impactful, meaningful and trusting relationships with families, teenagers and children.
Each Teen Therapy Center counselor brings depth, warmth and a thoughtful approach to therapy. They always show up as real people: grounded, compassionate and deeply present. While their backgrounds and specialties vary, they share a commitment to evidence-based practice, ongoing professional development, and treating every client with respect and care.
Mental Health Tips for Teens, Kids & Families
You had to make the decision. You're getting divorced. It was a tough decision, but maybe the
best decision you can make. How do you tell your kids about it? Well, we're gonna talk about some
steps to think about and tell your kids about your impending divorce. Hi, my name is Kent Toussaint.
I'm a licensed marriage and family therapist, and I specialize in helping kids, teens, and
families live happier lives. Now, let's talk about those steps to think about and tell your
kids about your divorce.
A really important thing to consider is that when telling your kids, and hopefully you can tell them together, is that you and your ex need to be on the same page with this. I know that's a challenge because you're getting divorced. It's hard to be on the same page. I totally get it. But this is not about your emotional needs. It's not about your ex's emotional needs. It's about your kids' emotional needs. And for this, you guys have to have an agreement of what you want to say and how you want to say it, and deliver that message clearly.
If you need to tell your kids alone without your ex, bring your best self to the table. Remember,
this is about your kids' emotional needs, not your emotional needs. If you come with fire and
brimstone and weaponize what's going on and try to convince your kids to be angry at the other
parent, it's just It's going to make it more confusing, more hurtful, and it's going to be more
chaotic for your kids. So tell them what they need to know, but what they don't need to know, you
don't need to tell them. For example, if there was infidelity and your kids don't know about
it, maybe they don't need to know about that. They may not have the maturity to understand that,
right? If they already know about the infidelity, don't hide it, but also don't try to get it
to be something where it wedges your kids against the other parent. It's not going to help your
kids. They may have anger, and that's fine. They can have their anger, but they don't need to
take on your anger as well.
You can have your feelings. You can even have your vulnerable feelings when you're talking to them. That's fine, but it's also important to communicate that they are not responsible for taking care of your feelings, that you are getting your own support, and that you are there for them.
No matter what happens with this divorce, your kids still need a healthy relationship with
you and your ex. No matter how much you may hate the ex, no matter how much you think your kids are
angry at the ex, they still long for that healthy relationship. The more you can demonstrate
that you have a healthy relationship with your ex, the more you can share that, hey, we may be
divorcing, we may be struggling to get along, but we still love each other because we're all
still a family, but the family is just, the dynamic of the family is changing. I think the more
you can focus on that, the more the kids can steer clear of needing to pick a side and needing to
jump into the fight.
Divorce is tough. It's tough on everyone, even the kids, so it's really important to remind
your kids that this is not their fault. This divorce had nothing to do with them, there's nothing
they could have done to change it. They didn't do anything to make this happen. And this is because
you and your ex were struggling to get along, were struggling to collaborate, were struggling
to work together. And that's something the two of you have to work on repair and take ownership
of that. They'll respect it. It's okay. Now, they may have heard arguments between you and your
ex about parenting, and you may need to acknowledge that even though we were arguing about parenting,
it's not because of what you did. It's because we couldn't figure it out. And we think that divorcing
and separating and having two homes is going to help us be better parents.
Again, I've worked
with a lot of families going through divorce. And what I see is when parents are very clear and
have a very strong understanding of what the custody plan is going to be, what the visitation plan is going to be, where they're living, who's living where, are they nesting, are there two different houses, whatever that plan is, kids anxiety, anger, acting out, all reduce. Maybe still have some because divorce is it's a big deal and affects everyone, but it creates safety. They don't have to worry about this. If you don't have a clear plan yet and you have to tell the kids, that's okay too. Tell them what you have and let them know that you and your ex are working on more details and give them a of when they can expect to hear what those details are. That helps your kids understand that
they don't have to worry, they don't have to step in and feel like they have control because they
don't, and helps everyone kind of work through this process in a more clear, patient manner.
Here's the difficult thing you're going to have to do. You're not going to like this advice,
but once you have that plan in place, follow it with the utmost integrity that you have, even
when your ex doesn't. This is hard, because you feel like you're getting punched in the gut all
the time, and the other parent is breaking the rules. Your kids will see through it at some point.
In the beginning, they may not, but over the long term, they will recognize, wow, you, the parent,
have integrity, and I can trust you, and it's safe. The other parent, they start recognizing
it's not safe. And they will see it, and it will backfire at some point, but it takes a while because
you may be painted as a bad guy. This is going to a whole other video about parental alienation,
which we're going to do soon, but just a tidbit of it. Follow your integrity. Be your best self.
It's hard to do, but I encourage you, encourage you so much to do this for your kids.
Divorce is ever -changing, ever -moving, and
plans will change. Either because lawyers say so or you guys agree to it, right? When plans change, again, if the both of you can tell the kids together, that's ideal. Not always possibility. I get it. So if it's not possible, make sure you communicate those plans as clearly as possible
and hold space for when your kids are struggling with plan changes and just, you know, be supportive. Understand. Don't try to get them to agree. just be there to help them understand that you get their emotions. That's what will help them be more cooperative.
Our last point today, and maybe one of the hardest to follow, is to be your best self. Retain your
sense of integrity in demonstrating how you interact with your kids and your ex. Now there's
going to be times when you're going to feel like you're getting pulled into the gutter. Your
ex is throwing low blows. You feel like you're being left out in the cold. Everyone's against
you. Sometimes because your kids will lash out at you because you are the safe one. Because they
see that you're not going to abandon them. You're not going to manipulate them. And sometimes
kids will lash out at you because you're safe. This is hard to get through. Get support you need
so you can be that rock.
So you can demonstrate healthy relationships. You can still self -advocate, but still have unconditional love for your kids. Don't throw the X under the bus. Don't jump into the battle. Your kids will see it in time. They will recognize it. It's hard to do. That's why it's so important that you are getting your support, so your emotions are grounded and stable, so you can be in those situations where the stakes are high, the emotions are high, and you are strong.
Well, there it is. Divorce stinks, doesn't it? It stinks for everybody, parents, kids. We work
with families of divorce all the time. We would be happy to talk to you. We'd be happy to provide
a free phone consultation if you want to talk to us. Our content info at Teen Therapy Center is
down in the caption below. We also, at our same office, we run a nonprofit organization called
Child and Teen Counseling, And across both organizations, we have therapists for pretty much
every budget. So please give us a call or send us an email. We're happy to talk with you. It's just
really important that you get the support you need, your kids get the support they need. Thank
you so much for watching today's video, and we look forward to speaking with you soon. Thanks.
Oh no, your teenage son's girlfriend is toxic and you told him that. What are you going to do?
Well, let's talk about that today on Tips on Teens. My name is Kent Toussaint. I'm a licensed
marriage and family therapist and I specialize in helping kids, teens, and families to live
happier lives. If you or someone you love could really benefit from talking to a family therapist,
please reach out to us at Teen Therapy Center. Our phone number and email are in the caption below.
Now, let's jump into today's, excuse me, let's jump into today's parent -submitted question
on Tips on Teens: "My 17 -year -old son's girlfriend had sucked him into her dysfunction. Twice
she has threatened suicide if he didn't come over right now. She is very manipulating and demanding,
but he doesn't see it. He even told me that he was good for her because he was good at helping her
with her mental illness. Unfortunately, I told him she is manipulating him and that I didn't
want him to see her anymore and now he hates me. Is there a path out of this?:
Thank you for your question and sharing this. I think a lot of parents can really relate to this very agonizing, frustrating experience. I think the way out, and this is gonna be tough, the way out is to reach out to him, sit him down, if he's open to warm physical affection, hold his hand, whatever it is, and then offer him a genuine and compassionate apology. So I already know you're going, but hear me out on this. If you were able to sincerely talk to him about how you've hurt his feelings. You may start to repair the bridge between you. What is that apology? Here's one possible way to do it. Not the only way, but one possible way. Something like, son, "I want to offer you an apology. I realize that I said some things that hurt your feelings and your relation with your girlfriend is really important to you. I was scared, but that doesn't excuse what I said. As I do love you. So please know that I will support you in whatever you need to do. And I'm here for you. And again, I'm really, really sorry" Again, take what you want from that. What works for you. Leave what doesn't.
But now I know that some of you were saying, "but wait a minute, Kent. I'm just enabling him to continue this codependent toxic relationship," and I don't think you are because he's gonna continue anyway. He already knows you're not thrilled with this relationship. You've already, you already know that. You're not gonna stop him, right? You're not gonna chain him to the dining room table. He's 17. He's already has this relationship. What you're trying to do is repair the bridge so when he does realize that this relationship is not going well, when he realizes that he may want out of this relationship, he now may have the beginnings of a safety net or bridge between the two of you that he can come to you for support. That's what's really important.
Again, I've done many videos about teen dating and I really want to encourage you to remember that the vast majority of teen relationships end. Very few of us are married to our high school or middle school sweetheart. Some are, but it's very much the exception to the rule. Trust that this relationship will end without you pushing it, that he will eventually see it. Now, if he's in really deep and it's affecting his mental health because he's so focused on her mental health and is codependent, and he's throwing away his emotional needs, maybe having him talk to a therapist may help him navigate through this. It's a possibility. So keep that in mind.
But from here on out, don't badmouth the girlfriend, don't raise your eyebrow, you know, don't do that. If anything, just ask questions like, hey, how are you doing? Are you feeling okay? Are you getting your needs met? Don't even mention the girlfriend. Just, you know, and he'll probably say, yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm fine.
But somehow deep down inside, he probably knows he's not. But this relationship is the most
powerful thing he's ever felt. For those of us who've been in codependent relationships, when you come in and you get to be the savior in the white night, it feels amazing. Of course, it never lasts and it's fleeting. But in his 17 year old mind, he doesn't have the life experience and the context to realize that it's not going away. This is just going around in a circle and it's not going to end until she gets healthier or he gets out. But again, him talking to a therapist may help or he may just figure this out on his own with your loving support. That's our question for today. Thank you so much. Please keep your questions coming. If you want me to answer your question here on Tips on Teens, email us at tipsonteens at teentherapycenter .com. We're here every Wednesday at noon on Facebook Live. Love your questions. Again, my name is Kent Toussaint with Teen Therapy Center and the
nonprofit 501c3 organization, Child and Teen Counseling, both here in Woodland Hills, California.
We love helping you guys out. Keep your questions coming and I'll see you guys next week. Bye -bye.
So a parenting group is focused on being a good parent. That's great, but this is more focused
on being a great individual. It's not for a type of mom, except for age-wise of the children.
I would say it's more geared towards people who have teenagers or even, like, empty nesters
when they go to college. There's this time when you have your children, when you start your life
out. You're one person, and you have these certain things that you're aspiring to be or that
you're interested in. And then, at the end, when you're starting your next phase after your
kids, 18 years or so later, you realize that you're not that same person.
So this is about, like, taking inventory, figuring out the person you are now, and then maybe being a better parent is a byproduct. But it is not the sole expectation. I mean, there's so many things that we do along the way that are loaded with reasons, and kind of stripping that all away and seeing what really, truly speaks to you now, I think that everyone will find that they're completely, completely a 180 from what they used to be. I mean, that's the evolution of this, and not to get stuck in the person who you used to be and the things you used to like. Each six weeks, there's a different topic, and sometimes they overlap a bit, but it's about finding your identity again. It is about f- forgiving yourself for things that you have one maybe as a parent or as a human being. It's about reevaluating some of the choices you might have made before. It's about looking at yourself in the mirror and accepting what you're seeing at this moment. This is, like, your time now again. You did all the hard work, and it's kind of like this is where the payoff comes.
Parenting Quiz
Our Parent Check-In Quiz is a quick way to pause, reflect, and better understand your experience as a parent. In just a few minutes, you’ll gain insight into what’s working well, what feels challenging, and where additional support might help. At the end you’ll get a video and some suggested resources based on your quiz result. You’ll also find out about our 3 Session Parent Refresh.
