Integrative Teen Coaching

An Integrative Teen Coach is someone who has done their own inner work. Their skills are an integration of many disciplines they have studied. put into practice, and embodied.

The disciplines I have studied and embodied are mindfulness, nonviolent communication, Mindful Self-Compassion, and Compassionate Inquiry. These are four different modalities I move in and out of depending on what this present moment brings.

Mindfulness: I support teens in getting to know their inner world in ways that are relevant and accessible rather than clinical or forced. This might look like helping a teen notice what anxiety actually feels like in their body before a social situation, or what the urge to scroll their phone endlessly is actually covering. It might look like brief breathing practices framed around performance, sleep, or stress rather than spirituality.

Nonviolent communication: I teach teens a “new” language to express their inner life at a time when that inner life is most overwhelming and least understood. Many adolescents have a vocabulary of fine, whatever, and I don’t know. Beneath those words is often a rich and aching interior experience they have no tools to access or express. Learning to identify what they actually feel — beneath the anger, beneath the shutdown, beneath the performance — and connecting those feelings to genuine needs is genuinely liberating for teens. It also gives them tools for navigating friendships, family conflict, and romantic relationships with more ease and less drama.

Self-compassion: The inner critic tends to peak during adolescence. It is when many teens develop the deeply internalized belief they are not enough: not smart enough, not attractive enough, not cool enough, not worthy enough. I help teens recognize the value of this inner critic, and gradually develop a more compassionate voice. This is not about building hollow affirmations. It is about helping a young person learn to be on their own side and their own cheerleader. It is one of the most protective factors a human being can develop.

Compassionate Inquiry: This modality will only be used if the teen is emotionally mature and I receive genuine permission from the teen to inquire. When used, I follow the thread of a teen’s behavior or belief back to where it actually comes from. A teen who says “I don’t care about anything” is often a teen who has learned that caring leads to disappointment. A teen whose perfectionism is driving toward burnout is often a teen who learned very early that their value was conditional on their performance. A teen who is isolating may be a teen who doesn’t yet believe they are safe to be truly known. I do not diagnose or interpret for the teen. I simply ask gentle, curious questions, when appropriate, and trust the teen’s own intelligence to find their way to their own understanding. When a young person can see for the first time why they do something they’ve always been confused or ashamed about, it is one of the most powerful experiences coaching can offer.

I choose the modality that is needed in the moment; weaving seamlessly in and out of each.

For instance, mindfulness enters not as formal practice but as present-moment noticing. Compassionate inquiry may help uncover behaviors or attitudes are actually coping or defense mechanisms. Nonviolent communication reframes “problem behaviors” as unmet needs. And self-compassion gently challenges the inner critic not by dismissing it but by understanding it — and offering a kinder alternative.

Together, the teen experiences being feel seen enough that change becomes possible from the inside out.

1. Develop emotional literacy,
2. Distinguish their authentic self from their conditioned self,
3. Communicate needs in a way others can hear,
4. Cultivate awareness of self-beliefs,
5. Connection with a trusted who gets what their experience is.

No. My work is therapeutic. I give each teen the tools they specifically need. Please know this takes time, effort, and patience. My sincere offering is to hold a non-judgmental space for you to do the work on yourself. And when this work is done with openness, honesty, and compassion, it doesn’t just change how you parent. It changes who you are. You will then discover everyone around will respond to you in a healthier way. This has been my personal experience.

Yes. I am open to discussing this with you and any questions you may have. Please schedule a Time to Connect below.