Lynne Welsh, M.S.

 Most  likely you’ve arrived on this page because you or your teen are  struggling with a mental health issue.  We have just been through a  pandemic, quarantine and virtual schooling with kids.  Any issue you may  have had  may have been complicated by all of this change.  

 At Welsh Therapy we specialize in helping adolescents and young adults with anxiety and  depression.  We also work with teens and young adults with self esteem  issues, body image issues, self harm, eating disorders, conflict with  parents,  and kids who for whatever reason just find themselves unhappy.    Our practice often times sees both the parents and the teen - with  two different therapists.  Parents often feel left out of the treatment  completely.  Although we are bound by  HIPPA guidelines, parents can be  seen by a different therapist in our practice. Parents can be guided by  their own therapist to learn how to best help and communicate with their  child.  
 

 We work with anxious teens and young  adults who have social anxiety, school anxiety, and kids who have  struggled greatly with virtual schooling.  Some anxious teens are very  worried about going back into an in person classroom again because it  felt very safe hiding behind a zoom screen.
 

We work with kids with with  depression. Sometimes my clients come to me in a shut down and detached  state because their level of stress reached the point of saturation:  their feelings just became too much and their brain decided to  "shut-off".  If they come to me in this state, they are often acting out  the pain in ways like self harm, eating disorders, using substances  excessively (marijuana or alcohol), or they start acting impulsively and  breaking the rules at home.
 

 Parents of both anxious and  depressed adolescents and teens are confused because the sweet connected  child they once had is no longer there. Their child no longer speaks  with them like they once did and/or they don’t remember the last time  their child hugged them. If the child is lying repeatedly or not  following the family rules, it can be hard to connect in a way that  feels safe for everyone. 
 

We  work with the parents to explore  the feelings of loss and shock around this change, and I help them  communicate with their child in a way that reaches the feelings  underneath the defensive actions. There is a lot of conflict when  parents speak only to the negative behavior.  Your child  will come back  to their true self but it may take time.  We can guide you and your  family through this difficult time. We can help you meet your teen  exactly where they are at. We can teach you ways to  encourage your child  to open up to you so that they feel safe and can once again be  vulnerable.  
 

 We will help you objectively as a  therapist, and at times I will share my own experiences,  when  appropriate, as a parent myself to teens in these crazy times of Covid,  Our kids are having a different experience than we did when we when we  were their age. We have to rise to the occasion and have compassion for  the generation they were born into and all that comes along with it.   

  We  have experience working with public and private schools, and providers  throughout Bucks County (including Doylestown, New Hope and Yardley).