Is your teen overly anxious and/or struggling to cope with the demands of daily life?

Is your teen’s anxiety getting in the way of their happiness or success?

This group aims to help teens understand symptoms of anxiety as well as learn how to identify triggers, shift thinking patterns, develop healthy coping skills, self-advocate across different settings, and create a support network.

Parents will receive weekly information aligned to each week’s topics in order to help families reinforce skills or concepts practiced during sessions. Parents will also have an opportunity to attend one parent support group session midway through the program to provide feedback to the facilitator and to offer insight or support for one another.

Participants can expect to gain:

  • a deeper connection to self and to others,
  • a deeper understanding of personal experiences,
  • resources and positive coping skills to better manage anxious thoughts and symptoms,
  • improved self-esteem, self-acceptance and self-love, and
  • a greater sense of personal control.

When/Where

Specific offerings TBD; please inquire to join an interest list

Saturdays from 11:00am-12:00pm

Meets in Sunstone’s Ashburn office (map it)

Cost

$75/session

An initial $150 60-min intake session is required prior to joining and will include administration of the GAD-7 for adolescents, as well as discuss the purpose and expected outcomes of the group with the participant and their family. 

Participant Profile

Teenagers age 13-17 who experience difficulties related to anxiety 

The group best supports teenagers who are experiencing mild to moderate anxiety and who have never participated in therapy before, or who did not have a good experience attempting individual therapy in the past.

Registration and Inquiries

To sign up or learn more, contact Katie Doppelheuer (katied@sunstonecounselors.com)

Meet the Facilitator

Katie Doppelheuer, MA
Resident in Counseling

Katie Doppelheuer is both a Certified School Counselor and a Resident in Counseling. She has over 13 years of experience providing counseling services to teens and their families in culturally diverse settings. Katie has successfully facilitated teen groups on topics including: Anxiety, Grief & Loss, Depression, Major Life Transitions, and Executive Function Skills, and she has provided group support to teens or families who have recently migrated to the United States. 

Her experience has taught her that teens are most successful when they have both the support of one another, as well as the support of their family systems. Therefore, her work with teens often includes work with parents, caregivers, and siblings to strengthen family bonding and improve long-term outcomes. 

Symptoms of Anxiety in Teens

Symptoms of anxiety vary widely, from withdrawal and avoidance to irritability and lashing out. Anxiety is often overlooked because teenagers are good at hiding their thoughts and feelings. But these are some of the behaviors that might be a sign that a teenager is anxious. (Source: Child Mind Institute)

  • Recurring fears and worries about routine parts of everyday life
  • Irritability
  • Trouble concentrating
  • Extreme self-consciousness or sensitivity to criticism
  • Withdrawal from social activity
  • Avoidance of difficult or new situations
  • Chronic complaints about stomachaches or headaches
  • Drop in grades or school refusal
  • Repeated reassurance-seeking
  • Sleep problems
  • Substance use