To develop competency working with children, I have practiced one-on-one psychotherapy with kids at the elementary level for two years, and now, I’m working with teens at a high school wellness center.
As with most other mental health placements, there can be a lot of emotional heaviness to the work. Students tell me about their uncaring parents, their siblings in jail, the friends who have betrayed them, their stress, fear, boredom, and uncertainty about the future. Although I feel glad to be able to connect with teens who struggle, it can be difficult not to feel dampened by their pain.
