By: Shawne Poplar, MA LPC-S Licensed Professional Counselor Let me start with something that might reframe this entire conversation before it begins. Anxiety in teenagers does not always look like anxiety. It does not always look like a kid who is visibly nervous, who wrings their hands, who tells you they are worried, who asks to stay home because they are scared. Sometimes it does look like that. But more often, at least in my experience, teenage anxiety shows up wearing a completely...

By: Shawne Poplar, MA LPC-S Licensed Professional Counselor I want to tell you something that might surprise you coming from a therapist. The first therapy session is awkward for almost everyone. And I mean almost everyone. The person who came in voluntarily, the person who was strongly encouraged by their partner, the person who has been wanting to do this for years and finally made the call, and yes, even the occasional person who acts completely comfortable from the moment they sit...

By: Shawne Poplar, MA LPC-S Licensed Professional Counselor So your teenager said no. Maybe it was a hard no, arms crossed, conversation over. Maybe it was a softer version, "I'm fine, I don't need to talk to a stranger about my problems." Maybe they agreed in the moment and then found every possible reason to avoid actually going. Maybe they went a few times and then shut down and refused to continue. However it happened, you are sitting with a teenager who will not engage with the help...