"My colleague & good friend, Patty, is an inspirational & empowering clinician, as not only a professional, but also as an expert with lived experience of the child welfare system. She provides affirming, compassionate care in both English & Spanish."
Support for Teens Navigating School & Life Challenges Teen Therapy in Los Angeles
I am a teen therapist providing mental health services for teens in Los Angeles. I offer therapy for teens and young people who need a space to feel understood and supported. I help teens work through their issues, build confidence, and feel better in our therapy sessions together. If you’re here, something about your teen’s behavior is concerning whether they’re acting out, shutting down, having school issues, or pulling away in ways that don’t make sense. What often gets labeled as a “behavior problem” is usually a response to something deeper. Therapy for teens creates space to understand those patterns and begin shifting them in a way that actually lasts by learning coping skills and healthier ways to communicate.
I’m a bilingual therapist who grew up in foster care and specializes in childhood trauma and behavior. Sometimes teens can feel like therapy wasn’t built for them—I get it. I’ve been there. Together, we’ll explore their experiences, notice patterns, and develop tools to help your teen feel more aware, grounded, and confident. As a therapist for teens in LA, I provide a safe, nonjudgmental space for adolescents to process painful experiences, rebuild trust, and reconnect with their authentic selves.
L. Patty Flores, MSW, ASW
Doctoral student & Chancellor's Fellow at WashU
Registered Clinical Social Worker No. ASW126834
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Supervision by Christina Dixon, LCSW87870
Understanding Teen Stress & Behavior How Therapy for Teens Can Offer Support
According to the CDC, teens today are experiencing higher levels of stress, anxiety, and emotional overwhelm than in previous generations. Whether a teen reacts outwardly or shuts down internally, these patterns often develop from navigating stress, instability, or environments where they’ve had to adapt in order to cope. I have extensive experience working with youth navigating different life experiences, including foster care, adoption, family transitions, school, university, and more. This informs how I approach teen therapy, looking beyond labels and focusing on the context behind a teen’s behavior. Teen counseling is not about fixing a teen. It’s about understanding what they’ve been carrying and helping them feel supported enough to move through it.
Therapy for teens with anxiety & Stress in Los Angeles
Adolescence can bring intense emotions, academic pressure, family conflict, social anxiety, and uncertainty about identity or the future. I provide teen therapy in LA for adolescents who need a safe, supportive space to better understand their thoughts, emotions, and relationships while developing practical coping skills. Whether your teen is experiencing persistent worry, panic, perfectionism, or overwhelming stress, therapy for teens with anxiety can help them build emotional awareness, strengthen resilience, and improve communication with the important people in their lives.
Every teenager has a unique story. Some young people are navigating school transitions, identity development, foster care or adoption experiences, family changes, or the pressure to constantly succeed. Others simply want someone who will listen without judgment. My approach combines curiosity, collaboration, and trauma-informed care to help teens recognize patterns, regulate emotions, and feel more confident in who they are. If you're looking for teen anxiety help or compassionate mental health support for an adolescent in Los Angeles or anywhere in California through telehealth, therapy can become a place where healing, growth, and self-understanding begin.
The Benefits of Online Teen Therapy & Virtual Support
Our online teen therapy services in California are conducted through a secure, confidential video platform, making mental health support accessible to adolescents throughout California. Virtual counseling allows busy teenagers to fit sessions comfortably into their school and extracurricular schedules without the added stress of a commute. This digital environment often feels natural and safe for today's youth, providing a familiar space where they can open up, process intense feelings, and build emotional regulation skills right from the comfort of home.
If you’re looking for therapy for adolescents in Los Angeles who truly understands their behavior, I’m here to help.
Areas of Specialization
Depression, anger, anxiety, trauma
Foster care & adoption
Parent/child relational struggles
LGBTQ+ identity support
School, university & educational support
Self-esteem and confidence
My Trauma‑Informed Approach to Teen Therapy in LA
Therapy for teens focuses on what’s underneath behavior whether a teen is acting out or shutting down. Many teens develop these patterns in response to stress, instability, or environments where they’ve had to adapt quickly to feel safe. In our work together, I help teens understand the “why” behind their reactions so they can feel more grounded.
In therapy, teens learn how to recognize and respond to emotions without escalating or disconnecting, as well as learning coping skills. We practice real‑time regulation tools that help them feel safer in their bodies and more confident managing big feelings. Over time, teens begin to trust their ability to handle stress in healthier ways.
Some teens argue. Others shut down. Therapy for teens helps them express what’s going on in a way that feels more manageable. We explore what makes communication hard whether it’s fear, overwhelm, or past experiences. Teens build skills that support clearer, calmer conversations at home and school.
Therapy serves as support for teens navigating family conflict, school, foster care, or major life changes. I help teens make sense of what they’re experiencing while building tools to manage pressure, uncertainty, and shifting responsibilities. This approach is especially supportive for teens who are balancing cultural expectations, academic demands, and complex family dynamics.
How I Think About Therapy
I believe therapy should fit the person rather than asking the person to fit a single therapeutic model. My work is integrative, relational, and collaborative, drawing from multiple evidence-informed approaches while honoring your lived experiences, culture, relationships, and personal goals.
Mental health does not exist in isolation. Our experiences are shaped by our families, communities, migration experiences, culture, race, identity, and the systems we move through every day. Therapy can be a space to explore those experiences while recognizing both challenges and resilience.
Sometimes our present-day struggles are connected to earlier relationships, experiences, or patterns that developed over time. Together we explore those patterns with curiosity rather than judgment to better understand yourself and create lasting change.
Relationships have a significant impact on emotional well-being. Therapy may focus on improving communication, navigating conflict, processing grief, adjusting to life transitions, and strengthening supportive relationships.
Many people carry stories about themselves that were shaped by difficult experiences or messages received from others. Therapy creates space to examine those stories and reconnect with your strengths, values, and preferred identity.
Stress and trauma are not only experienced through thoughts but also through the body. Together we may notice physical sensations, nervous system responses, and patterns of tension while developing greater awareness, grounding, and emotional regulation.
At times, practical tools can be just as important as deeper exploration. Together we may identify unhelpful patterns of thinking and behavior while building coping strategies that support everyday functioning and emotional well-being.
"Patty brings a rare combination of clinical insight and lived experience that deeply enriches her work. Her commitment to immigrant families and trauma-informed practice is exceptional."
"Patty's lived experience, education, and research background inform her deep commitment to the practice of healing. The ways she holds space invites each client into the room, just as they are. What she provides is a rare gift."
📍Los Angeles, CA - In-person and online sessions available (California only)
I am employed by CR Dixon Counseling Inc for therapy services. For more info, visit her website: www.cdixoncounseling.com
L. Patty Flores, MSW, ASW126834
Doctoral Student & Chancellor's Fellow at WashU
Registered Clinical Social Worker No. ASW126834
Supervision by Christina Dixon, LCSW87870
Do not leave for tomorrow, what you can do today!
If this resonates, contact me to start working together.
I work directly with individuals and institutions navigating complex experiences or needing support.
SUPPORT
FAQs
I offer sessions Monday through Saturday between 9am and 8pm. Sunday appointments may be available upon request to support teens and families who need additional flexibility.
Yes. I offer in‑person, online, and phone sessions for teens located anywhere in California. Teens can choose the format that feels safest, most comfortable, and most accessible.
Yes. Many teens feel more comfortable opening up in online teen therapy because it takes place in a familiar environment. Virtual therapy for teens is just as effective as in‑person sessions and allows adolescents across California to access support without the stress of commuting.
Yes. Teen therapy is confidential, with a few safety‑related exceptions that I review with every family. Teens need privacy to feel safe opening up, and I work with both teens and parents to create a supportive balance between confidentiality and communication.
Yes. I speak fluent Spanish and offer therapy sessions in Spanish for teens and families who prefer support in their home language.
Therapy frequency depends on your teen’s needs, goals, and capacity. Many teens attend weekly or biweekly. We can discuss what feels supportive and sustainable for your teen and family.
I am not currently in‑network with insurance. I hope to offer insurance options in the future to increase access for teens and families from all backgrounds.
My standard fee is $180 per session. I offer a limited number of sliding‑scale spots for families who qualify. Please reach out to discuss availability and options.
Link to a mobile app, IVY PAY, a secure mobile app designed for therapy services.