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Teen Counseling in New Jersey

 

Are You Concerned About The Changes In Your Daughter’s Behavior?
Does she act out or appear unhappy?
Do you worry you’re losing your connection with her?

Your daughter is journeying into the most difficult period of her life thus far. 

As her parent, this is not a time to just ‘get through’. 

This is a time to thrive – to equip yourself with the knowledge, understanding and awareness it takes to be your daughter’s main source of stability. 

What Your Daughter Is Experiencing

The truth of the matter is that right now in your daughter’s life, she is at a crossroads. 

From a physiological perspective, she has yet to fully develop the ability to master rational thought. 
Still operating from her lower brain, your daughter reacts with emotion and impulsivity. 
However, her desire for independence and autonomy is starting to emerge. 
As parents, what you may be witnessing is these two realities coming to a head, as your daughter tries to navigate mature situations without all of the necessary tools.

Teen Counseling Services

Adolescence is a complex journey; one that can trigger intense feelings of sadness frustration, self doubt, loneliness and fear. Without the proper tools to navigate these roads, a young female can find herself entangled in darkness.

Although this period in her life will pass, the residual effect of her decisions and experiences as a teenager, can impact the path she continues on throughout her lifetime.
Now more than ever, your daughter needs the appropriate support as she works to gain a deeper, more comprehensive understanding of herself and the world around her.

Support Services For Parents

It’s not uncommon for parents to feel locked out and isolated from all that is occurring in their teenage daughter’s life. 

During such a sensitive time period, parents will find it beneficial to have their own support network; gaining insight into the intricacies of their daughter’s mind while learning more successful ways to create connection and understanding within the household. 

Treatment Goals For Teen Therapy

​Celebrating one’s own unique strengths and capabilities 

​Creating healthy boundaries with others to ensure that you are safeguarded both physically and emotionally

 Establishing a more rational and positive perspective on physical self

 Finding an inner voice that promotes self advocacy and confidence

 Fostering a romantic relationship that is rooted in respect, honesty and trust

 Gaining insight and understanding into the hormonal changes that impact mood, energy and cognitive functioning

Identifying and nurturing supportive relationships with peers while mastering the ability to release more toxic & unfulfilling connections

 Improving relationship with parents and establishing a more cohesive dynamic within the household

  Instilling balance and organization with the innumerable responsibilities and expectations 

 Mastering how to manage internal and external pressures

 Understanding the inner workings of the body and establishing more successful and productive techniques to self regulate 

 Solidifying a deeper, more authentic sense of self acceptance, esteem and worth. 

How Do I Help My Teenager During Times of Uncertainty?

Right now, our children are enduring one of the most difficult and uncertain moments of their lives, as they attempt to navigate this new sense of normalcy. As parents, it can be overwhelming to understand what your child needs and how you can help. Although your natural instinct may be to fix the problem, it can be counterproductive and negatively impact the dynamic between the two of you. This video provides an opportunity to learn more on how to communicate with your teen in a way that provides validation and strengthens your connection.

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Ever Wonder Why Your Teen Shuts You Out?

If you are a parent of a teenage girl, there are inevitably going to be times when she refuses to let you in to the intricate details of her life. In this video, I shed some light into the reasons this may be occurring, from the mouths of teenage girls themselves. 

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Meet The Team

Nikki P. Woods, MSW, LCSW

Founder of NWC & Psychotherapist

Nikki Woods is a highly-sought after licensed clinical psychotherapist and founder of the Navesink Wellness Center. After earning her Masters Degree at New York University, Nikki dedicated her career to studying the intricacies of the developing female mind. In her practice (both locally and globally), she empowers mothers to better support their daughters’ development, and assists young women in channeling their own voice – one built on self awareness, acceptance and love.

Her intuitive and insightful approach helps clients gain a greater sense of self worth, pursue life goals, improve relationship dysfunction, establish a more defined identity, and celebrate their own unique assets and capabilities. Her work has been featured in top publications such as Forbes and Inc. She works with patients both locally in Rumson, New Jersey as well as globally via her remote psychotherapy offerings.

Andrea Cernero, MA, LPC

Andrea is a Licensed Professional Counselor who specializes in working with children, adolescents, and young adults. She received her Bachelor’s degree from Towson University and Master’s Degree from Seton Hall University. In addition, Andrea completed a Post Master’s Program in Advanced Counseling at Montclair State University. Andrea has experience working as a counselor in the school setting at the elementary, middle, and high school levels, as well as in the clinical setting providing intensive outpatient, partial hospitalization, and outpatient counseling services.

Andrea is passionate about providing therapy to clients who would like to explore personal difficulties that impact their sense of well-being. Andrea has extensive experience working specifically with children and adolescents. Among her areas of expertise are assisting clients with anxiety, depression, self harm, family changes, and suicide prevention.

Andrea has utilized the Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) model to facilitate counseling groups for teens focusing of teaching interpersonal effectiveness, emotion regulation, & distress tolerance skills to reduce their symptoms of anxiety and depression. Additional Training: Intensive Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Lifelines Suicide Prevention Trainer, & Mindfulness Fundamentals Program.

Brigid Laudermilch, MSW, LCSW

Brigid is a licensed clinical psychotherapist who is a licensed clinical social work that specializes in working with adolescents, teenagers and adults. She earned her Master’s Degree from New York University and has dedicated the past twenty five years of her career assisting individuals to gain a greater understanding of their emotional and behavioral reactions as well as practical strategies that help along the way. 

Brigid’s seventeen years of experience working in a school setting has honed her skills with executive functioning deficits, symptoms associated with autism, school refusal and much more. She also specializes in behavior management and treatment of symptoms associated with anxiety and depression. Brigid’s approach is practical, solution-focused, collaborative and creative using out of the box methods. She is passionate about helping people improve their most important relationships, which includes their relationship with themselves.