Teen & Tween Therapy: Supporting Growth, Identity, and Connection
Because the challenges of growing up shouldn’t have to define the future.
Teen & Tween Therapy: Supporting Growth, Identity, and Connection
Because the challenges of growing up shouldn’t have to define their future.
Adolescence is a time of enormous change. Teens and tweens today face pressures previous generations never imagined — from academic competition and social media to questions of identity and belonging. Parents often feel locked out, unsure how to help, while their child struggles silently or acts out in ways that cause tension at home.
Therapy gives your teen or tween a confidential, supportive space to make sense of their inner world — and gives your family tools to stay connected through it all.
My Approach: The STABLE Method for Teens and Families
I adapt the STABLE framework to support teens and tweens in navigating identity, stress, and relationships, while also helping families improve communication and trust.
Safety — Creating a nonjudgmental environment where your child feels free to open up.
Transparency — Encouraging honest dialogue, helping teens find their voice and parents learn to listen differently.
Accountability — Teaching responsibility without shame, so growth comes through ownership instead of rebellion.
Boundaries — Helping both parents and teens understand where limits support respect and independence.
Legacy — Exploring family and cultural patterns that shape expectations, and helping your child discover what’s truly theirs.
Existential Fulfillment — Supporting teens in connecting with meaning and purpose beyond grades, sports, or social status.
This approach balances confidential support for your child with structured family involvement, so healing doesn’t happen in isolation but within the system they live in every day.
The Transformation — A Story
When Emma* was 14, her parents described her as “angry, shut down, and glued to her phone.” Conversations turned into shouting matches, and she seemed unreachable. Her parents worried she was slipping away.
In therapy, Emma found a safe place to talk about the pressure she felt — the weight of academic expectations, friendship drama, and her own fears about not being “enough.” Using the STABLE framework, we:
Built safety so Emma could open up without fear of judgment.
Practiced transparency, helping her communicate with her parents in ways that built trust.
Introduced boundaries, giving her both freedom and structure.
Helped her parents reflect on their legacy, seeing how family stress patterns had been passed down.
Over time, Emma’s anger softened into openness. Her parents learned to approach her with curiosity instead of control. The home didn’t become perfect, but it became calmer, more connected, and filled with moments of laughter again.
(*Name and details changed for privacy.)— Squarespace
Why Work With Kristin Martinez, LMFT?
With over 20 years in the mental health field and 15+ years as a licensed therapist, I’ve guided teens and families through the toughest seasons of adolescence. As the founder of a large therapy practice and a parent of four myself, I understand the real-world pressures teens face — and the struggles parents feel when they can’t reach them.
Families trust me because I combine clinical expertise, leadership experience, and lived parenting insight to create change that lasts. My approach is compassionate, structured, and always respectful of your child’s confidentiality.
Let’s work together.
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