Represent gives inspiration and information to teens in foster care while offering staff useful insights into teen concerns.

What's New
Email Newsletter icon
Write for Youth Communication: Video
Behind the Scenes: Teen writers describe what it's like to work at Represent.
Follow us on:
Share Youth Communication Follow Represent on Facebook Follow Represent on YouTube Follow Represent on Twitter
Follow Represent on Facebook Follow Represent on YouTube Follow Represent on Twitter
Therapy (58 found)
Note: These stories are from Represent and its sister publication, YCteen, which is written by New York City public high school students.
author
Therapists describe techniques that use the body to help abuse survivors recover from their trauma—EMDR, Somatic Experiencing, and EFT Tapping. (full text)
author
Anthony escapes his abusive mother and writes down what happened to him. This helps, as does talking to a good therapist. (full text)
author
The writer cuts herself to soothe her anger. When her mom finds out and makes her go to a therapist, she hates it. Over the years, she finds a few therapists she likes, and she explains the difference. (full text)
author
Lavell summons the courage to stand up to her abusers and later shares her experiences with a supportive therapist so she can begin healing. (full text)
author
Psychologist Ira Moses explains that drugs and alcohol won't cure depression, and gives strategies for getting sober. (full text)
author
Anthony was put in a psychiatric hospital for a dumb remark and given drugs he didn't want or think he needed. He preferred therapy and to live back in the community, where he's done well. (full text)
author
Dr. John DiLallo gives teens tips on how to talk to their doctors about medication they don't want to take. (full text)
author
The writer finds a supportive community at a day treatment center for depressed teens. (full text)
author
When Janelle returns home after three years in foster care, she finds it hard to readjust. Family therapy helps her and her mother build a new and better relationship. (full text)
author
Natasha connects with her latest therapist in a way she never managed in the past. (full text)
author
Alina suffers through a terrible depression, but she’s determined to fight back. (full text)
author
After telling a counselor that she’s being abused, the writer is removed from her home and gets the help she needs to recover. (full text)
author
Psychologist Patti Feurereisen talks to Mimi about how to recover from the trauma of rape. (full text)
author
With his fourth therapist, the writer finally finds someone he can open up to. (full text)
author
Akeema interviews therapist Shelly Petnov-Sherman about why abuse can be hard to report, and how youth can deal with feelings of guilt and self-blame.
author
An expert explains how therapy can help families through the adoption process.
author
Aquellah works hard in therapy to release her inner child—the feelings and longings she was never allowed to express.
author
Andrew’s therapist helps him deal with his anger and sadness about not living with his family.
author
Natasha interviews a therapist to explain how therapy works and why it’s important for kids who’ve suffered trauma.
author
How family therapy can help parents and kids reconnect.
author
Diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, Erica learns to manage her emotions through therapy and medication.
author
Warning signs that indicate the need for a mental health professional.
author
Mary struggles with emotional problems after she leaves foster care, and is amazed at how long the system's after-effects linger in her life.
author
A therapist talks about the confusing feelings young people experience when their parents are addicts, and how they can get help.
author
Mayra is skeptical about participating in music therapy, but the program helps her express her feelings.
author
Linda interviews several boys in a support group for youth with incarcerated parents.
author
A psychiatrist talks about the pros and cons of medication and therapy.
author
A therapist describes the pros and cons of anti-depressant medication.
author
Gloria enjoys therapy until she’s switched to a therapist she doesn’t like and is put on medication that makes her feel like a “lab animal.”
author
Charlene explores why foster youth are often resistant to therapy.
author
The writer, who is diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, had many therapists while in the system. She describes the two who helped her the most.
author
A therapist explains how therapy works and how it can help.
author
When Samira is sent to a mental hospital she feels trapped, until a sympathetic social worker helps her open up.
author
Quantwilla, when she was younger, felt her therapist didn't listen to her. Now a teenager, she finds that people turn to her for advice when they're in trouble. As an informal "therapist," Quantwilla uses her empathy and listening skills to help them.
author
Christopher begins to forgive his mom, and they start family therapy together.
author
As a child, Tieysha is sexually abused by a family friend. She is too ashamed to tell anyone, fearful she'll be blamed or no one will believe her. When she goes into foster care, Tieysha discovers she's not alone and gets help from a support group and individual therapy.
author
The writer is outraged when she overhears a staff member gossiping about her.
author
At a youth shelter, the author gets connected with a good therapist who helps him release his anger.
author
Teasing drives the author away from her family and into a deep depression. She contemplates suicide, but therapy helps her begin to feel better.
author
Megan has always been an obsessive thinker and worrier, but when her anxiety threatens her friendships, she decides to consult a psychologist for advice.
author
A therapist explains how anger from your past can affect your future.
author
Therapist Toni Vaughn Heiniman describes healthy and unhealthy ways to express anger.
author
Miguel describes the programs that have tried to help him manage his emotions, and explains what works and what doesn’t.
author
Dr. Michelle Pearlman, a grief therapist, talks about symptoms of grief, and coping strategies to help with healing after a significant loss. (full text)
author
Erica interviews psychiatrist Alvin Poussiant about why therapy has a bad name.
author
Erica decides that she wants to become a psychologist, but her family thinks that’s crazy.
author
The writer turns to therapy when she can no longer handle her father’s rage.
author
Loneliness, stress, and depression lead Melissa to cut. Therapy and support from her mother and boyfriend help her control the fixation.
author
Joanna overcomes a stutter through speech therapy and her courageous decision to join the high school debate team.
author
Norman isn’t proud to admit it, but he was once a world-class shoplifter. Therapy helps him overcome the addiction.
author
With his fourth therapist, Norman finally finds someone he can open up to.
author
Gia’s been depressed all her life. In therapy, she learns to express her emotions and begins to emerge from her personal darkness.
author
The writer thinks she has the perfect family until she hits her teens and starts rebelling. She fights with both parents and her father leaves the family. Devastated, the writer is ready to run away from home before family therapy helps her communicate with her mother and sister.
author
A psychologist describes how separation affects youth and parents, and how family bonds can be rebuilt through therapy.
author
Charlene becomes obsessed with her weight and wants to be as thin as a model. She eats little, throws up after meals, and loses 20 pounds. When she regains the weight, she becomes depressed and contemplates suicide. But through therapy, Charlene comes to accept herself as she is.
author
Maya has been in therapy for years, but has had a hard time finding a therapist she feels comfortable with.
author
La’Quesha learns about a kind of therapy, that helps people change their behavior by changing how they think about it.
author
Sexual abuse sparks an eating disorder, which plagues the author for years even after the abuse stops. Finally, the author enters a treatment center and begins the slow process of recovery.

For Teens
Visit Our Online Store