Therapist Orlando Spotlight - Elizabeth Chambers, LMHC
Orlando Therapist Spotlight: Elizabeth Chambers, LMHC
We are excited to highlight our newest member of the team, Orlando therapist Elizabeth Chambers, LMHC. Elizabeth specializes in working with adults and teens struggling with anxiety, trauma, self-esteem, and depression. As a teen therapist in Orlando, she answered some questions you may be wondering about before starting teen counseling.
As an Orlando therapist providing teen counseling, what are some of the first things you address in counseling?
One of the first things I address with my teen clients is building healthy ways to cope with their emotions. Between stress at school, taking on more responsibilities, and growing toward adulthood, this can be a time of high stress and overwhelming emotions. By teaching them new ways to cope, teens can de-stress in a healthy manner rather than turning to unhealthy ways to relieve stress.
I also assess for common issues that I see occur in teens, such as anxiety, depression, or struggles with self-esteem. Another important issue I address in counseling is family support. Because families are with their teens frequently, it is important that they have support at home to further support the work we are doing in counseling.
What are some of the main issues you see as an Orlando therapist specializing in teens?
Some of the main issues I see in counseling for teens are depression, anxiety, issues with self-esteem, and self-harm. I have seen many teens struggle with these issues and feel overwhelmed by the emotions that depression and anxiety bring. Additionally, it is not uncommon for teens to have difficulty with low self-esteem and therefore seeing themselves in a negative light or comparing themselves to others. Self-harm has been a significant issue I have seen with teens as well and one that can be worrisome for parents to encounter.
How do you help teens with anxiety?
I help teens with anxiety by educating them on symptoms of anxiety, helping them identify what triggers the anxiety, and teaching them skills to reduce their symptoms. In the session, I teach them grounding, relaxation, and mindfulness skills so that when anxiety comes up outside of the session, they are armed with tools to use. We try a variety of skills in our sessions to see what works best for them and what helps the most.
How do you help teens with low self-esteem?
I help teens who struggle with low self-esteem by helping them recognize their strengths and positive traits. I frequently see teens focus on their flaws and put themselves down or compare themselves to other people and how they don’t have the same qualities as this person. Focusing on their strengths and positive qualities can help them recognize what they truly like about themselves and increase positive thoughts towards themselves.
How do you help teens with depression?
I help teens with depression by educating them on depressive symptoms and identifying distressing thoughts and beliefs that may be contributing to their depression. I frequently see that those who struggle with depression have many negative beliefs about themselves that impact their mood and how they view themselves. By identifying these negative beliefs, we can see how they may be contributing to depression symptoms and work to replace them with more positive beliefs and thoughts.
How do you help teens who self-harm?
It can be a worrisome topic for many parents when they discover that their teen has been self-harming. My top priority when it comes to self-harm is safety for the teen. We discuss and identify what contributes to the self-harming behaviors, assess for safety and suicidality, and create a plan for immediate action to address this behavior. Oftentimes, teens turn to use self-harm as an unhealthy coping mechanism when they are in distress. To help teens with self-harm, I collaborate with them in session to identify triggers that cause thoughts to self-harm. Additionally, I teach alternative coping skills for teens to use and create a plan to replace this unhealthy behavior with more positive coping skills.
Why is it important for you to work with the families of a teenager?
It is important to work with families because they can help support the work we are doing in the session. Families spend significantly more time with their teens whereas I only spend an hour per week with them in session. By collaborating with family members, they can support their teens and encourage them to use some of the strategies that we work on during our sessions.
How do you bring family work into counseling for teens?
Families are brought into the session with their teens periodically, to discuss changes or concerns that they may have noticed with their teen at home. Typically, parents are brought in with their teen every 5th session to check in on how they feel their teen has been doing and any progress they have noticed outside of the session. However, if there appears to be an ongoing conflict between your teen and another family member, I may recommend that this family member come into session more frequently to address these issues.
Do you use EMDR Therapy for teens?
Yes, I use EMDR Therapy to help teens work through anxiety, trauma, and self-esteem issues. Teens seem to like many of the containment and calming practices used in EMDR Therapy. After practicing them in session, they use them outside of session to work through difficult emotions and calm themselves.
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Additional Resources
5 Things Your Therapist Wants you to Know
About Elizabeth
Elizabeth Chambers, LMHC is an Orlando therapist at Mindful Living Counseling Orlando. Elizabeth specializes in working with adults and teens struggling with anxiety, trauma, self-esteem, and depression. As an EMDR Therapist, Elizabeth utilizes EMDR and mindfulness practices to help clients move beyond anxiety and depression so they can feel confident and in control again.
As a teen therapist in Orlando, Elizabeth enjoys helping teens work through anxiety and self-esteem issues, as well as helping teens and their families rebuild their relationships.
Mindful Living Counseling Orlando is a trauma healing center. Our Orlando Therapy Services include anxiety therapy, trauma counseling, eating disorder recovery, teen counseling, and healing from toxic relationships. At Mindful Living Counseling Orlando, we use a down-to-earth approach infused with cutting-edge therapies that go beyond traditional talk therapy so clients can heal at the root level and experience lasting change. Feel free to access one of our Guided Meditations to help you feel settled and calm now.