Welcome to My Teen and Family Therapy Blog!

In a world full of challenges and uncertainties, families face unique challenges that require understanding and support. This blog is dedicated to exploring educational topics related to family issues, therapy, and effective parenting strategies. From managing teenage anxiety and improving communication to navigating behavioral challenges and fostering emotional resilience, this blog will provide valuable insights and resources to empower families. Join this exploration of the latest research, hot topics, practical advice, therapy approaches, and expert tips to help you create stronger relationships and healthier family dynamics.

How Therapy Can Help Children and Families Navigate Change
Julie Weigel Julie Weigel

How Therapy Can Help Children and Families Navigate Change

Change is an inevitable part of life, yet it remains one of the most challenging experiences for children and families to navigate successfully. Whether facing divorce, relocation, job transitions, new family members, or unexpected life events, families often find themselves struggling to maintain stability while adapting to new circumstances. Through my 25 years of experience working with children's mental health and teaching parenting skills, I've experienced how therapeutic support can transform overwhelming transitions into opportunities for growth and resilience.

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Why Personalized Therapy Matters More Than Ever
Julie Weigel Julie Weigel

Why Personalized Therapy Matters More Than Ever

Working with a private provider offers distinct advantages that support this personalized approach. Unlike providers who must navigate insurance requirements that often dictate session frequency, treatment duration, and approved modalities, I have the freedom to focus entirely on what serves your individual needs best. This means we can take the time necessary for your healing process without being constrained by external timelines or limitations on which therapeutic approaches we can use together.

Additionally, as a solo practitioner, my clinical decisions are guided solely by your therapeutic needs and goals, rather than corporate metrics or venture capital demands that might prioritize quick turnover or standardized protocols. This independence allows me to maintain the flexibility and responsiveness that true personalized care requires, ensuring that our work together remains authentically focused on your growth and well-being.

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What to Expect from Your First Online Therapy Session
Julie Weigel Julie Weigel

What to Expect from Your First Online Therapy Session

Taking the first step toward online therapy can feel both exciting and nerve-wracking. Whether you're considering your first therapy session online or transitioning from in-person sessions, understanding the online therapy intake process can help ease those initial jitters and set you up for success. As a solo therapist online, I've guided countless individuals through this journey using secure video therapy. Your personalized mental health care begins with an initial free consultation call, which serves as an important first step in the therapy onboarding process. This conversation is intentionally brief, typically lasting less than 30 minutes, and maintains an informal tone that helps put you at ease...

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How Embodied Therapy Supports Long-Term Emotional Growth
Julie Weigel Julie Weigel

How Embodied Therapy Supports Long-Term Emotional Growth

Embodied therapy, often referred to as somatic therapy, focuses on the integration of the body and mind in the healing process. It recognizes that emotional experiences are not only stored cognitively (in your thoughts and beliefs, as might be assumed by tone who practices strictly traditional talk therapy), but also physically—within our nervous systems, muscles, and even posture.

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What You DON’T Want in a Therapist
Julie Weigel Julie Weigel

What You DON’T Want in a Therapist

Trust Your Instincts: If something doesn’t feel right, it’s okay to seek another therapist. Your comfort and trust are paramount in the therapeutic process. Remember, it’s your journey, and you have the right to advocate for yourself.

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What Teens Need When Parents Divorce
Julie Weigel Julie Weigel

What Teens Need When Parents Divorce

The decisions you make today, about reaching out for help, will affect the future. Teen therapy when parents divorce is a place where they can learn to recognize, anticipate and manage emotions, thereby develop resilience and skill with managing painful experiences. This sets the stage for successful future management of challenging situations throughout their lifetime.

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Do It Yourself (DIY) Play Therapy
Julie Weigel Julie Weigel

Do It Yourself (DIY) Play Therapy

Follow Your Child’s Lead

The first principle of Floortime is to let your child take charge of the play. Observe their interests and join in without directing or correcting them. For example:

  • If your child is lining up cars, join them by adding a car to the line without suggesting a race.

  • If they’re spinning in circles, join in and spin with them.

  • If they’re stacking blocks, mimic their actions and add to the tower.

Following their lead shows that you value their interests, which fosters trust and emotional attunement.

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Use Drama Therapy to Reduce Drama
Julie Weigel Julie Weigel

Use Drama Therapy to Reduce Drama

The Grey Rock Method is not about changing or fixing the narcissist—it’s about protecting your own emotional health and reclaiming your power. While it may feel challenging at first, with practice and support, you can master this technique and free yourself from the cycle of conflict and manipulation.

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Counseling Services Near You: Nationwide Referral List
Julie Weigel Julie Weigel

Counseling Services Near You: Nationwide Referral List

Our goal is to connect you with the best counseling services near you, ensuring that you receive the mental health support you deserve. Each therapist on our list has been carefully vetted for their expertise, approach, and success in helping clients achieve their goals. Explore our referral list and take the first step toward a brighter, more resilient future with the right counseling services by your side.

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Drama Therapy: A Powerful Approach for Teens in Online Therapy
Julie Weigel Julie Weigel

Drama Therapy: A Powerful Approach for Teens in Online Therapy

My training toward becoming a marriage and family therapist (someone who specializes in helping individuals, families, and couples resolve emotional, psychological, and relational conflicts) was entirely based in the use of drama therapy methods. Therefore, I hold a unique background that allows me to effectively integrate creative techniques into my practice. Because of this unique blend of training, the therapy I provide is not only more engaging, but also deeply impactful. With my practice now strictly online, I have brought with me all the play and theory that lies at the heart of drama therapy to help adolescents, children, parents, and families resolve conflict and heal from trauma in their relationships.

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What to Expect From Online Drama Therapy
Julie Weigel Julie Weigel

What to Expect From Online Drama Therapy

When you enact another person’s role in an interaction, you understand them in a way that would not be possible through talking about their perspective or imagining it. Clients may be invited to speak as if they were another person or join the therapist in acting out scenarios that reflect their personal struggles or relationships. This can provide insights into their feelings and behaviors. Participation in role playing can also increase one’s comfort with assertive communication or capacity to embody unfamiliar or intimidating roles in relationships or at work. You might even find yourself being directed to interact with an object that you select to represent something or someone from your life, in order to better understand your relationship with it/them. Through this technique, you can learn more about yourself and can develop increased confidence.

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Overlaps Between Child Therapy, Parenting Therapy, and Couples Counseling 
Julie Weigel Julie Weigel

Overlaps Between Child Therapy, Parenting Therapy, and Couples Counseling 

Regardless of the reason parents seek therapy for a child, engaging in the process of working with a professional can help to restore harmony in the family by uncovering the hurts and disappointments, while learning the most effective strategies to restore harmony in the family. The journey may hold some surprises, but the outcome will be well worth it.

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Why It Is Important That Parents Not Support Compulsions in Anxious Children
Julie Weigel Julie Weigel

Why It Is Important That Parents Not Support Compulsions in Anxious Children

Building distress tolerance—the ability to tolerate uncomfortable feelings without acting on them—is essential for helping children manage anxiety. Parents are uniquely positioned to influence children, but they must first notice and tolerate their own distress in response to the child’s anxiety/compulsions.

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