When you are worried about your teenager and not sure what you are seeing

These consultations are for you, the parent. I work only with adults, so I do not see teenagers, assess them or provide their therapy. What I offer is time and attention for the person who is usually holding things together at home.

What brings parents here

It often begins with something small that does not pass. A teenager who used to talk now answers in single words. School mornings turn into a battle, then into stomach aches, then into days at home. Grades fall, the door stays shut, and every conversation seems to end in an argument. It is easy to put it all down to puberty, and sometimes that is right. Sometimes, though, a parent senses that something heavier is underneath and does not know whom to ask.

Anxious avoidance or laziness?

One of the hardest questions is whether a teenager will not do something or cannot. From the outside both look like doing nothing. The difference matters, because pressure that may help with reluctance can make anxiety worse.

This is an orientation, not a diagnosis, and real teenagers rarely fit one column. If you would like to sort your own observations, the check for parents takes about two minutes.

Where this experience comes from

From 2009 to 2012 I worked as a psychologist at the children's psychiatric hospital in Opařany, with adolescents with behavioural difficulties and ADHD. Before that, my master's thesis at Masaryk University looked at the relationship between self-esteem and risk behaviour in early adolescence. Today I bring that background to work with parents.

How I work with this

I am a psychologist, psychotherapist in training (Gestalt, Institut Dialog), working under supervision. Consultations are for one adult at a time, 50 minutes long, in person in Prague 1 or online, in English, Czech or Slovak. I do not work with couples or families.

We start from what you bring: what you have seen, what you have tried, what frightens you most. We can look at how the situation affects you, your sleep, your patience, your relationship with your partner, and at what you need in order to stay steady. If it seems your teenager needs their own care, I can help you think through where to turn, whether that is their paediatrician, a child and adolescent psychologist, a child psychiatrist or the school counsellor, and how to talk to your teen about it.

The worry can show up in your own life too: as anxiety, as physical symptoms, or as the flat exhaustion some people call high-functioning depression.

International families

If your family moved to Prague, your teenager may be finding their way through a Czech or international school, two or more languages, and friendships spread across countries. That can add strain for the whole family and make it harder to tell what belongs to adolescence and what to adjustment. You, meanwhile, may be learning an unfamiliar school and healthcare system. We can bring all of that into the conversation, in the language that is easiest for you.

When this is not the right place

• Immediate danger. If your teenager talks about suicide, has harmed themselves or you fear for their safety, do not wait for a consultation and do not use the contact form. Use the crisis lines on this page or call emergency services.
• Therapy for your teenager. I do not work with children or adolescents. Their own care belongs with a child and adolescent specialist.
• Medication. Questions about medication for you or your child belong with a doctor or psychiatrist.

More options are on when to seek help, prices on pricing, and you can contact me by form, phone or email.