Helping Teens and Families Live Happier Lives
Helping Teens and Families Live Happier Lives
Helping Teens and Families Live Happier Lives
Helping Teens and Families Live Happier Lives
Welcome to Teen Therapy Center. My name is Kent Toussaint. I'm the founder and clinical director.
We are a group private practice here in Woodland Hills, California. We are filled with therapists
who are fun loving, professional, warm, and we specialize in helping kids, teens and families
live happier lives. And we do that because we speak teenager and we speak parent. And we are often
the interpreter in between the two to help bridge those gaps to make sure that teenagers are
finally understanding parents, parents are understanding teenagers. And we're helping
develop greater communication, better empathy, healthier boundaries within the family.
But when we understand a kid or a teenager, we also have to understand what it's like to be a little
kid and a young adult and a parent. Because when you're a teenager, you're in this amazing transition
period where you got 1 foot as a kid and 1 foot in the adult world. And it's confusing and it's frustrating.
You know, I know we've been teenagers. Your teenagers
are going through it for their very first time. And so my job, or our job as therapists is to help
them go through that. We do that through individual therapy, family therapy, and sometimes
group therapy, depending on what your kids needs are. There are a variety of issues we deal with,
obviously. Self esteem issues, school motivation, anxiety, depression, attention issues,
autism spectrum, anyone who identifies multi, exceptional or two E. We work with those people
every day. Kids who are their families are going through divorces or even sometimes when they're
blending families together. Those can be very nuanced, complicated issues. And sometimes
having a therapist to help bridge the gap, help increase and develop better communication
is really helpful. Thanks for stopping by. Please check out our website. Give us a call. We're
happy to provide a complimentary phone consultation so you can ask all your questions. We can
provide you the answers so you feel comfortable choosing us. And
if somehow what you're asking for is outside of our scope, we're happy to provide you other resources
so you can find the referrals you need to get the help you need for you and your family. Thanks
again. My name is Kenta Tussant. This is Teen Therapy Center, and we look forward to talking
to you soon.
Welcome to Teen Therapy Center!
The mission of Teen Therapy Center is to help children, teens and families live happier lives. We’re good at it too! We speak both “teen” and “parent” which helps us break down barriers to communication. Our staff is a group of fun loving professionals from a variety of backgrounds. You can meet them here.
Teen Therapy Center offers individual, family and group therapy. We’re happy to offer a free consultation to see if we’re the right fit for you. If not, we can still help guide you to the support you need. Get in touch at (818) 697-8555, we’d love to hear from you!
Online and Phone Sessions Available!
Teen Therapy Center is offering virtual therapy through platforms like Zoom, FaceTime, or via phone call. Whether you attend session in-person or from home, our therapists remain committed to providing a high level of care, compassion, and support for you and your family.
Online and Phone Sessions Available!
Teen Therapy Center is offering virtual therapy through platforms like Zoom, FaceTime, or via phone call. Whether you attend session in-person or from home, our therapists remain committed to providing a high level of care, compassion, and support for you and your family.
Our Latest "Tips on Teens" Video
Tips on Teens is our weekly segment on Facebook Live where Kent Toussaint answers your parenting questions. We cover a wide range of topics affecting teens and their families. We’ve archived all the videos right here on the site.
Click below to search our library of Tips on Teens videos for answers to your questions. As always, we love to hear your questions. Send them to us here.
How do you talk your kids about a cancer diagnosis? Well, let's talk about that today on Tips
on Teens. My name is Kent Toussaint. I'm a licensed marriage and family therapist, and I specialize
in helping kids, teens, and families to live happier lives. I lead two organizations, Teen
Therapy Center and the nonprofit 501c3 organization, Child and Teen Counseling, both here
in Woodland Hills, California. Every Wednesday at noon, I jump onto Facebook Live to answer
your parenting questions. Let's answer today's. When Kate Middleton made her cancer announcement
about last week, it reminded me of our own situation. My husband has cancer and we haven't told
our kids yet. They're eight and 11. We're just not sure if we should tell them everything or if
it's better to give them just little pieces. We don't want to scare them. Do you have any advice
on how to approach this kind of conversation with kids? Yes. Thank you for this question. Unfortunately,
many families have to deal with this in one
way or the other. And the way I'd approach is number one, understanding what your kids, where
your kids are emotionally and what they are capable of understanding. And that's something
that only you can know because you know your kids. It also depends on how serious are the symptoms
and what is the treatment. If let's say it's very early on, there's not a lot of changes, you may
not need to talk much about it at all because it's not really changing their life. If it's a very
serious diagnosis and the cancer's really progressed and there's really aggressive treatment,
you kind of need to be direct. But it's not less about what you say, it's more about how you say
it. Do you explain it to them with compassion and confidence knowing that you and your husband
are doing everything you can To treat this so let's hypothetically say your husband has to go.
Sorry. I'm getting a bunch of texts right now Has to go through a lot of um, you know chemo treatment
Well, that's going to affect him considerably
and they're gonna see that so I think it's important to talk to them and help them understand
what he's going through, but that you guys are working with doctors and you're doing everything
you can to help him feel better. Additionally, how do we, and you hear me talk about this all the
time, of connection. How do we start creating more space to have quality time between your husband
and your kids? You know, God forbid he succumbs to cancer and he passes away, which is a horrible
situation, but it's a possibility. If that's the case, we want to make sure that the kids have
as much positive memories and connection with him as they can to take that into life without
their dad. But also even if he does survive, which hopefully he does, maybe that also creates
a better connection within the family and more closeness and more trust so you can have more
of these conversations in the future. Again, connection is king. It's the most important part
of the family. It's just as important as eating
and drinking water and good sleep and all those things. Connection is such a big part of a child's
developing self -esteem, self -worth, and view of the world. So regardless of the obstacles
that are in your way, and every family will deal with obstacles, the more open and honest you
can be from a place of compassion and confidence, I think that's what helps your kids. And through
that lens, I think you'll know what you need to share with them and what you don't need to share.
Again, what you share with an 8 and 11 year old may be different than a 16 and 19 year old, you know,
they may have very different conversations. Every family is going to be different and unique.
So I can't give you exactly what to share or not share because it really depends on your kids and
your family. But strengthen the connection, strengthen the ability to talk about these things
in a place of compassion. I think that will lead you to the right place. If you need help, you can
always consult with a therapist,
a grief therapist, a therapist who focuses on kids and teens will be great help for you guys too.
Anyways, that's our question for today on Tips on Teens. My name is Kent Toussaint. If you'd
like me to answer your question here on Tips on Teens, email us at tipsonteens at teentherapycenter
.com or direct messages right here on Facebook. We love your questions. Thank you so much. This
is Kent Toussaint with Teen Therapy Center and Child and Teen Counseling, and we'll see you
next time. Bye bye, guys.
How does YOUR kid fit in?
"Ask Kent" at CBS Morning News
Our Clinical Director, Kent Toussaint, appeared on his ongoing segment “Ask Kent” at CBS Morning News. Kent answered questions from parents about REAL parenting issues.
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