Teen Mentorship
A steady person in your teen's corner.
One-on-one mentorship for teens navigating anxiety, dissociation, and the weight of growing up.
I meet teens where they are, over video, at a rhythm that fits their life. Some sessions are all conversation. Others use breath, movement, and journaling. Every session is a room where they can be honest.
Why teens
Adolescence asks more of a person than almost any other chapter. Your body changes, your friendships shift, your feelings arrive at full volume, and everyone around you seems to expect you to already know who you are. Most teens carry all of that quietly. I remember carrying it too.
I work with teens because I am close enough to those years to remember exactly how they feel, and far enough through my own work to hold them steadily. I know what it is to feel anxious in a body that will not settle. I know what it is to float away from a moment because staying present felt like too much. And I know the way back, because I walked it.
I am not a parent, not a teacher, not a therapist. I am something teens rarely have: an adult in their corner with no agenda except their becoming.
What the work looks like
There is no script. Every teen is different, and every session follows what that teen needs on that day. Some sessions are entirely conversation. Others weave in tools for the body and the nervous system.
The work draws from four places:
- Real conversation. Space to say the thing out loud, without judgment and without a lecture coming back.
- Somatic tools. Breath, movement, humming, shaking. Simple practices that help a body feel safe again.
- Journaling. Prompts that help teens find language for what they are carrying.
- Nervous system knowledge. Understanding why anxiety and disconnection happen, and what actually helps.
Everything I share, I have practiced on myself first.
How sessions work
- Format
- One-on-one video sessions
- Rhythm
- Weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly. Whatever serves the teen.
- Length
- One hour
- Rate
- $75 per hour
- Between sessions
- On-call support available when life happens, billed separately
- Getting started
- Reach out and we'll find a time to talk
I'm a mentor. Here is what that means.
I am a mentor. I support teens through anxiety, low self-worth, dissociation, and the emotional weight of adolescence, with tools grounded in nervous system science and my own lived practice.
I am not a therapist, and I do not pretend to be one. I do not diagnose. I do not treat clinical conditions. When a teen needs more than mentorship, I say so, and I help the family find the right licensed professional.
Outside my scope: active suicidal thoughts, bipolar disorder, dissociative identity disorder, and any situation that calls for clinical care. Inside it: the everyday hard terrain of being a teenager, and the practices that help a young person come home to themselves.
For parents
Mentorship works because teens can be honest in it. Many teens come to me precisely because there are things they cannot yet say to their parents. Protecting that honesty protects the work.
Before we begin, both you and your teen sign a privacy agreement. What your teen shares in sessions stays between us, with two exceptions I will always act on: any risk of harm to themselves or others, and any sign of abuse or neglect. In those cases I involve you and the appropriate professionals immediately.
You will always know how the work is going, at the level your teen agrees to share. What you are trusting me with is not information. It is your kid's honesty.
Who this is for
The teen
Roughly twelve to eighteen. Navigating anxiety, friendship drama, self-doubt, disconnection, or just the ordinary confusion of growing up. Curious, even a little. Willing to try.
And one real requirement: they have to want it. I do not work with teens who are being forced into this. It does not work, and it is not fair to them.
The parent
You want someone steady in your teen's corner, closer to their world than a therapist and more equipped than a friend. You respect the confidentiality of the work. You see mentorship as one part of your teen's support system, not a replacement for whatever else they need.
Questions parents ask
Is this therapy?
No. I am a mentor, not a licensed therapist. I do not diagnose or treat clinical conditions. If your teen needs therapy, I will tell you honestly and help you find it. Many families use mentorship alongside therapy; the two do different jobs.
What happens in a session?
It depends on the teen and the day. Some sessions are pure conversation. Others include breathwork, movement, journaling, or learning how the nervous system works. There is no script. There is a direction.
What if my teen doesn't want to do this?
Then now is not the time. Mentorship only works when the teen chooses it. Pushing them into it teaches them the opposite of what the work is for. If they are curious but hesitant, one low-pressure conversation is a fine place to start.
How long does mentorship last?
As long as it is useful. Some teens work with me for a season, some much longer. We check in regularly and stop when it stops serving them.
Will you tell me what my teen shares with you?
No, with two exceptions: risk of harm to themselves or others, and abuse or neglect. Those I act on immediately. Everything else stays in the room, which is exactly why teens talk.
What if my teen is in crisis?
Then mentorship is not the right tool. A teen in crisis needs a licensed professional, quickly. If a crisis emerges during our work, I involve you and help you get the right care immediately.
Where do sessions happen?
Over video, wherever your teen is comfortable. Time zones are rarely a problem.
Start with a conversation.
Reach out and tell me a little about your teen. I read every message and respond within a few days.
Contact Ainsley →