Therapy for Young Adults
Hi, my name is Heather Clifford (she/her), and I’m a therapist for young adults in New York City, serving all of New York State via online therapy.
Your twenties can be a time of intense emotional upheaval. You may be feeling pretty lost and unsure of what you want your life to look like. Perhaps you are feeling like you are supposed to have everything figured out already and be 100% put together. Maybe you feel like there is something missing in your life, but you can’t quite put your finger on it.
I help young adults learn how to cope with change and build a life they feel connected with.
If you’re ready to start creating a life that brings you joy and confidence, schedule a complimentary mutual fit call today.
My approach to therapy for young adults.
The only constant in life is change. Even though it’s a cliché, annoyingly, it’s true. Change is hard. Even “good” or “positive” changes often add a lot of stress to our daily lives. I love to help people learn how to manage the ups and downs.
Young adulthood is filled with tons of transitions. Some can be no sweat, while others feel like the end of the world. There are a lot of things we don’t get taught in school that would be helpful for young adulthood, like how to set boundaries, be compassionate to yourself, and communicate effectively (just to name a few).
If you are going through a big (or small) life change and it is causing you stress, therapy may be the extra support you need. Stress can manifest in many different ways but some examples of what it may look like include sleeping difficulties, snapping at people, avoiding tasks that are important to you, or crying frequently.
It is important for me to take the time to get to know my clients and assess what is going on with you. My approach is individualized, collaborative, and goal oriented. We will utilize a type of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) called Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). ACT utilizes mindfulness strategies and self compassion exercises in ways which are proven to help people manage stressful life transitions. This approach to therapy for young adults is interactive and hands-on. I’ll ask you to do activities in sessions and help you to implement what you learn outside of sessions.
Why ACT?
The goal of ACT is to help you create a rich and meaningful life, while accepting the inevitable pain that arises along the way. I feel passionately about this approach because it normalizes experiencing all emotions including sadness, anxiety, and anger. ACT teaches you skills to help you be more present for the beauty and joy that life has to offer while helping you to manage the unavoidable pain and suffering.
Intentionally Inclusive and Socially Conscious
Another important aspect of my practice is recognizing the impact of systems of oppression on mental health (white supremacy, racism, ableism, homophobia, and fatphobia to name just a few). These forces of institutionalized bias are ingrained in our culture and therefore have some influence on everything in our lives, including having a huge impact on mental health. Even within a therapist-client relationship, complex dynamics of power and privilege come into play. I work hard to acknowledge how these forces affect myself and my clients and I am always open to discuss and explore these topics.
There’s no argument against it, life is hard. At the same time there are tools that you can learn to help you reach your goals and achieve the life you want. Take the first step and schedule a free consultation today.
Therapy for Young Adults FAQs
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Young adult therapy is helpful for those who no longer feel like a teenager, but also don’t quite feel like an adult (around ages 16-30 years old). It is especially helpful for people who are experiencing major life transitions, having difficulty with relationships, and people who are questioning what is important to them.
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✦ Graduating from high school
✦ Starting or graduating college
✦ The start or end of a romantic relationship
✦ Loss of a parent/friend/sibling/significant other
✦ Readjusting to in-person learning and working
✦ Exploring gender and/or sexual identity
✦ Difficulty with work/life balance
✦ Feeling unsatisfied with friendships and community
✦ Loss of a pregnancy or the decision to terminate
✦ Changing career paths
✦ Value conflicts with your family -
Change is hard because it takes us out of our comfort zone and often forces us to be vulnerable. Our brains are programmed to try to keep us safe from danger. Sometimes we need to help our brains learn that although change can be scary, it is not necessarily dangerous.
Change is also hard because we live in a culture that is hypercritical. Oftentimes when we compare ourselves to others we start to feel like we are not adjusting fast enough. Therapy can help give you skills to deal with the discomfort of change and find ways to learn and grow from it.
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It depends! If you are still a minor your parents need to have some involvement in your treatment which we will discuss. If you are over 18 years old, your parents do not need to be involved in your therapy and I will only reach out to your parents if you give me permission to do so. It is often helpful to have parents participate, but you get to decide the level of their participation.