Teen Therapy in St. Louis
Helping Teens Manage Stress, Anxiety, and Perfectionism
Even high-achieving teens can feel overwhelmed. Whether it's school pressure, social challenges, or self-doubt, we're here to help you build resilience and find balance.
Our therapists care about good outcomes, and get them consistently!
Over 90% of our teen clients report feeling better, with many achieving their therapy goals in
just 12 sessions.
You know your teen is having a hard time.
They get overwhelmed with school, even when they’re doing well. You know they’re going to go to a great college, and yet they melt down whenever it’s time to make a decision. They seem angry and stressed out, but you know they’re just on the defense because something is feeling really overwhelming. You want to help, but you don’t know how - and it almost feels like they’re not ready to let you.
Many times, our avoidant, even academically successful teens are experiencing high levels of anxiety.
Their high-achieving nature may mean that they're perfectionists as well - and then, their fear of failure gets in the way of making time for connecting with you. They'd rather close in on themselves than reach out.
That’s why it’s so important to find a teen therapist who loves to work with teenagers, and really knows how to connect.
Your teen is probably used to keeping things to themselves, and keeping other people OUT. We’re ready to put in the work to help your teen finally open up.
A message for teens:
We work with a lot of high school students who have perfectionism, students who succeed at sports, students who have a lot of pressure on themselves… and we really love helping teenagers who may look angry or moody on the outside, but inside they’re feeling overwhelmed, stressed, and just plain anxious.
We love it so much that Kelsey wrote a self-help book about it, called When Anxiety Makes You Angry, and trains other therapists and professionals on how best to help students with anxiety-driven anger.
And it’s hard to reach out and get help when people act like you have a “bad attitude” all the time. It’s hard to get help when you feel like you have to look perfect on the outside, too.
All that to say, we understand that there is a lot of pressure to look and act a certain way, and a lot of fear around sharing your actual, vulnerable anxiety. Some of the teenaged clients that see us specifically asked if they could come to therapy, and others feel a little more hesitant about whether it’s actually going to help or not. We’re here to welcome any feelings you have about seeing us.
Therapy sessions can look more like talking about what’s going on and problem solving, learning about your brain chemistry, making art, or spending 30 minutes meditating on how to let your loud thoughts go. We tailor it to you, get your feedback on session each week, and work together to make sure we’re actually helping you take charge of your anxiety, instead of you feeling like your stress and anxiety is taking over you.
Our CBT-based approach helps teens manage anxiety, anger, and stress, empowering them with practical tools for everyday life.
By focusing on helping your teen build skills to manage their anxiety, anger, stress, and overwhelm, we teach them what to do instead of exploding.
We also know how important it is for teens to feel like they really connect with their therapist. That’s why we’ve put together a team of professionals who focus on how best to connect with you and your teen. We tailor our approach to you!
The Process:
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We build relaxation skills to help your teen manage their stress.
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We dig in to what’s going on underneath the surface.
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We take a step back to explore what might be getting in their way.
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And then, together, we figure out the plan to help them move forward.
FAQs About Teenager Therapy
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Therapy provides a safe, confidential space for teens to explore their thoughts, feelings, and challenges. While we often start with a CBT approach, we make sure therapy feels like a good fit to you. So, if we spend time doing an art therapy activity, or try meditation activities, or just talk, we’re 1. building the relationship (always important!) and 2. making sure that we’re doing the work that feels most helpful and useful to you! Regardless of the approach, you are learning practical strategies to challenge and change unhelpful thoughts, reflecting on your behaviors, and feeling empowered to be in charge of your feelings instead of your feelings taking over you.
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As a teen therapist, we know that a lot of the teenagers we work with are dealing with a ton of stress. You may benefit from seeing a therapist when you’re feeling overwhelmed, anxious, sad, or just not like yourself. Therapy can also help with challenges like school stress, life transitions (like college!), friendships, family changes, or low self-esteem.
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At Compassionate Counseling St. Louis, we encourage thoughtful parent involvement. Each session begins with an optional brief 10-minute parent check-in and parents also have the option to schedule a parent-only session with their child's therapist. Staying informed and helping reinforce skills at home can support progress, but we also respect teens’ need for privacy and independence. Our therapists work to create a healthy balance.
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Virtual therapy offers teenagers a comfortable and flexible way to access support from home or school. This makes it easy to stay consistent with therapy sessions, avoid transportation challenges, and fit therapy into their busy academic and extracurricular schedules. Many schools can find you private space to meet with us, without having to leave campus!
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Compassionate Counseling St. Louis offers flexible scheduling options, including daytime appointments that can fit into a teen’s school day. With virtual sessions, teens can meet with a therapist during a study hall, lunch break, or other available time - making it easier to prioritize mental health without missing important class time, increasing the stress of after-school conflicts or transportation issues.
Ready to Support Your Teen? Schedule a Consultation Today.
Let’s set up a free 15-minute phone consultation to talk about best next steps. We can even work directly with your school to provide school-based counseling during the day - without you having to come to our office or miss your extracurriculars.