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Services
I generally work with young people
between the ages of 11 and 25. Occasionally, I work
with people of other ages if I think I can be of assistance to
them and/or their families.
Having worked for so many years in a
public high school, many families are referred to me by colleagues
within various school districts, who know the quality of the
services I provide.
Being in distress is a good reason
for seeking help so you do not have to arrive with an established
diagnosis. However, if you want to know what type of problems I help
with, here is a list of the most frequent ones:
Depression
Suicidal Ideation
Bipolar Disorder
Self-Injurious Behavior and
Cutting
Anxiety Disorders
Anger Management
School Failure
Learning Disabilities
ADHD
Substance Abuse
Asperger's Disorder
Many people, who may be seeking help
due to one of the above problems, have never been evaluated for the
presence of a personality disorder. Thus, I not only examine the
visible tip of the iceberg behaviors, but explore the possibility of
underlying, chronically maladaptive behaviors called Personality
Disorders. This in-depth approach increases the effectiveness of
treatment.
The traits of one particularly
troublesome personality disorder called Borderline Personality
Disorder (BPD) are increasingly seen in young people. Not
surprisingly, it can be difficult to make this diagnosis because
adolescents tend to be impulsive, act-out, and subject to
hormonally-driven emotional changes. While typically above average
in intelligence, persons with BPD suffer from what is a biologically
fragile emotional system from birth. They feel all their emotions
more intensely than non-BPs, and tend to get intensely attached to
people, then feel betrayed when something goes wrong in their
relationships. Those with BPD seem to have trigger-happy hostility,
extremely low frustration tolerance, and want what they want NOW and will
go to extreme lengths to get it. They cannot tolerate emotional
pain and often try to rid themselves of it by turning towards drugs
and alcohol, which, they find in the long run, only increases their
pain and isolation. They are often miserable in their own skins,
have abysmally low self-confidence, and are often accused of being
manipulative – when maybe all they were really trying to do is to
cope as best as they can. Within each BPD sufferer is the
original goodness of their childhood waiting to be uncovered once
again.
The good news is that the treatment
options for young people diagnosed with BPD in the last ten years
have improved dramatically. Since it is essential to ask the
correct diagnostic questions in order to evaluate whether BPD might be
present or not, I include these questions routinely.
I have had many years of experience
as a therapist with programs for young adults, such as Alternatives
For Youth (AFY), Person In Need of Supervision (PINS), Child
Protective Services (CPS) and Family Court, and understand them
well.
I take special pride in assisting
families of youngsters who are on long-term school suspension and
guide the family in making the best and most informed choices.
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