Teens & Adolescents
Virtual therapy
for teens of color.
across Massachusetts
Helping middle and high school students manage stress, build self-esteem, strengthen confidence, and feel more comfortable being themselves.
A Space of Their Own
Focused on them — what they're experiencing and what they need.
Culturally Affirming
Room to explore race, culture, and identity without assumptions.
Practical Skills
Tools for stress, overthinking, and pressure they can actually use.
Built on Trust
Listening, patience, and respect — meeting teens where they are.
Your Teen’s Therapist
Jemima Mbaka
MSW, LCSW
Jemima works primarily with middle and high school students, ages 13 and up, with particular focus on BIPOC teens.
Her sessions lean on visuals, hands-on tools, and conversation that doesn’t feel like an interrogation — teens who arrive skeptical usually find their footing quickly.
Supporting teens of color.
Teens of color are often navigating race, culture, and identity at the same time as everything else — family expectations, school, friendships — and many feel a quiet pressure to change how they show up depending on the room they're in.
Therapy makes room to explore those experiences without assumptions. Over time that work builds a stronger sense of self, healthier ways of coping, and more confidence in who they already are.
Therapy for teen stress and confidence.
Stress in teenagers isn't always obvious. It can look like irritability, shutting down, procrastinating, losing motivation, worrying constantly, or feeling like nothing they do is quite good enough.
- Academic pressure and expectations
- Overthinking and worrying
- Social and friendship stress
- Family expectations and boundaries
- Perfectionism and fear of failure
- Preparing for life after high school
We work on naming what's actually driving the stress, and on building a steadier inner voice — one that doesn't collapse the moment something goes wrong.
Is your teen struggling with stress or self-esteem?
Parents often notice something before their teenager can put it into words.
- Doubting themselves or putting themselves down
- Feeling overwhelmed by school or academic expectations
- Comparing themselves to friends or people on social media
- Feeling pressure to fit in, or like they don't belong
- Keeping their feelings to themselves
- Becoming increasingly stressed, frustrated, or withdrawn
Therapy gives your teen a place that is focused entirely on them — not on grades, not on how they're doing for everyone else.
For Teens
You don't have to have everything figured out.
A parent may have sent you this page. That's usually how it starts. Therapy isn't someone sitting across from you explaining what's wrong with you — it's a conversation, and you get to decide what it's about.
School. Friends. Family. Stress. Confidence. Relationships. Your future. Things you don't know how to explain yet.
You don't need to arrive knowing what to talk about first. Most people don't. Working that out is part of it.
Why virtual therapy for teens?
Most teenagers' weeks are already full. Virtual sessions mean therapy doesn't become another commute and another appointment to work around.
Your teen can attend from a private, comfortable location on a phone, tablet, or computer — which, for a lot of teens, makes it easier to open up than sitting in an unfamiliar waiting room.
A therapist who understands teens
Trust with teenagers is earned, not assumed. Our work with middle and high school students is collaborative — built on listening first, moving at their pace, and treating them as the expert on their own experience.
We serve teens and families across Greater Boston and all of Massachusetts — including Dorchester, Roxbury, Jamaica Plain, Hyde Park, Mattapan, Cambridge, Somerville, and Brookline.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What ages do you work with?
We provide virtual therapy for middle and high school students. During your initial consultation, we’ll talk about your teen’s age, needs, and concerns to determine whether our services are a good fit.
Does my teen need a mental health diagnosis to start therapy?
No. Teens may come to therapy for many reasons, including stress, low self-esteem, school pressure, friendship challenges, life transitions, confidence, or simply wanting a safe place to talk.
Is therapy completely virtual?
Yes. Teen therapy sessions are offered virtually, allowing your teen to participate from an appropriate private location.
Do you take insurance?
We’re in-network with Aetna, Oxford, UnitedHealthcare, Oscar Health, Point32Health (Tufts & Harvard Pilgrim), and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. If you’re not sure whether your plan covers therapy for your teen, we’re happy to verify your benefits before the first session.
How long are sessions?
Sessions are 60 minutes. We’ll talk during your consultation about how often makes sense to start, and adjust as your teen settles in.
How involved are parents in their teen’s therapy?
Parents and caregivers can play an important role in supporting their teen. At the same time, teens need space to develop trust with their therapist. We’ll discuss confidentiality, parental involvement, communication, and expectations so both you and your teen understand how the therapeutic relationship will work.
What if my teen doesn’t know what to talk about?
That’s okay. Your teen doesn’t have to arrive with a list of problems or know exactly what they want from therapy. Building comfort and figuring out what would be helpful can be part of the process.
What if my teen doesn’t want to go to therapy?
That’s a common place to start, and it isn’t a reason to wait. Reluctance is usually less about therapy itself and more about not wanting to be handed to another adult who’s going to tell them what’s wrong with them. The free 15-minute consultation is a low-pressure way to test that — your teen doesn’t have to commit to anything, and they get to see what the conversation actually feels like. Teens who arrive skeptical often stay, once it’s clear the hour belongs to them.
Help your teen build confidence beyond the therapy room.
Therapy works best when what happens in session shows up everywhere else — in how your teen handles a hard week, a difficult friendship, or a moment of self-doubt.
A free consultation is a short, no-pressure conversation about what's going on and whether this feels like the right fit.