Propel: Essential Skills for College and Beyond

Before I opened my private practice as a psychologist, I spent many years working in community mental health settings with children and teenagers. I also received my PPS Credential in K-12 Counseling to see what the intersection of mental health and counseling was in schools.  I quickly realized a few things.  High School counseling is about registering for coursework, intervention, and college preparation.  Mental health services for teenagers is rare and rests on good counselors and teachers to make referrals and bring the need to the parents attention for additional supports.

When I worked with Transitional Aged Youth, it was clear that the developmental age and stage they were in did not always lend them to success in college and beyond.  Teenagers of course are not always future motivated as their brains are not yet developed.  They are thrill seeking, experience driven, and boundary pushing.  They do not always think about consequences of their impulsive behaviors.  In college, this can cause problems with mental health issues, academic and social difficulties. 

I have created a course for 16-18 year old college bound teenagers to help them to start to develop the skills needed for success in college and beyond.  Often parents and schools are hyper-focused on college acceptance, extra curricular and SAT/ACT prep that life skills are overlooked.  I work with your teen on practical life skills that will carry them into their careers.

This is a critical time to teach and prepare your child for the "real world."  I am not promising they will not get in to trouble in college, lose a job, or fail a class because they were in love and forgot to study, but I do know that this innovative approach has helped many teens turn into successful emerging adults.

There are Six Topics I cover over 6 weeks in my Propel: It's Time to Launch, but How? course.  Each has information, exercises, and time for Q&A to help your teen feel more prepared for heading to college and life beyond.

1. Preparing and Adapting to Changes

2. Money Management, Job skills and other Life Skills

3. Time management, Organizational skills and Stress Management

4. The Freshman 15: Health Eating, Nutrition and Exercise

5. The 3 S's and a DATE-Sex, Sexuality, and Sexual Assault and DATE (drugs, alcohol, technology, & exploration)

6. Mental Health 101

If you are interested in having me conduct a Launch Group for Teens at your home, please contact me directly for scheduling.  (8-10 Jr/Sr. per group).

Or, if you think your teenager will respond better one on one, I provide this information and processing in my private practice.