Need therapist recs for 12 y/o daughter
My daughter is strong-willed and very resistant to most of the boundaries her dad and I set for her. Her relationship with her dad, in particular, is very negative right now. She routinely accuses us of hating her if we don't let her do what she wants and is generally rude, disrespectful, and self-centered. On the other hand, having been a teen girl myself, I think a fair amount of this is normal behavior, and I also think her dad is too hard on her. Of course, the pandemic has been really hard - she has been doing well in school and has good friends she is now getting to see again, but she has gotten really sedentary and basically wants to be in her room on her phone all day.
Against this backdrop of things not going so well, including my husband and I fighting about how best to respond to her, we just discovered that she used a razor to cut her arm. It looks like she's only done it once, but of course this is a big red flag and we want to get her the support she needs. Would love recommendations for a therapist who could help her with these issues. We're in Oakland and would prefer someone close by -- assuming that in-person therapy is starting back up. Thanks!
Parent Replies
Hello!
I recently discovered Tonia who is an art therapist in Oakland. Our daughter is also 12 and will be going to her. We start this week, but from our initial conversation I truly enjoyed talking to her and her methodology seems in line with helping to raise strong, capable, emotionally stable, women.
Hi,
We are having very similar experiences with our 13 year old daughter. There is huge resistance to any moderation of screen use, coupled with anger, defiance, retreating to her room, rudeness, etc. We would also love a recommendation for a therapist for her, as well as a suggestion for a family therapist so that her dad and I can more effectively align around how to parent her through this time, as it is challenging for all of us.