Therapy and Nutrition Counseling in Austin, Texas

Hey, I'm Katie, a professional counseling intern who cares deeply about helping lonely teens with their body image and self esteem so they can feel loved and understood. I’ve worked with teens since I started teaching high school English in 2018 and I’ve always tried my best to create a safe space for everyone to share their feelings. 

 

As a teenager in the early 2000’s, I struggled with feeling lonely and misunderstood. I tried changing my hair, wearing different clothes, eating different food, exercising more, and no matter how hard I tried to fit in, I just couldn’t figure it out. Over the years, I’ve learned that I don’t need to fit in to be loved. There are so many people in the world who love me exactly the way I am (including myself!); I “just” had to be more intentional about who I was choosing to spend time with and how I was talking to myself.

 

Growing up with the internet leaves teens vulnerable to an unimaginable amount of stress on top of all the other stresses they already deal with. The idea that a video could be posted, shared with your entire community, stay there forever, and change how people perceive you adds a lot of pressure on every decision you make. Being young could be an amazing time to make mistakes and learn new things, but the reality is that making a mistake could have major consequences that go undetected by many adults. 

 

This is why it’s so important for teens to have someone they can trust enough to talk to about what is going on in their world. While you have no control over what other people do, you do have control over how you respond. My work is helping teens identify and express their feelings, process their thoughts, and decide how they want to move forward.

 

Being young can also make it hard to stand up for yourself. I think a helpful way to find your voice as a teen is to identify your values. This can help you make decisions that are rooted in who you are, not on the opinions of others. I like to use elements of Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help empower you to make choices that will bring fulfillment to your life.

 

If you’re a teen looking to find your place in this world and you feel like I might be a good fit for you, please reach out to schedule a consultation. I would love to work with you!