EXPRESSIVE THERAPIES IN BRYN MAWR, CHESNUT HILL, AND ONLINE

Expressive Therapies for Teens

Awareness is like the sun. When it shines on things, they are transformed. — Thich Nhat Hanh

Supporting your Teens through Life’s Challenges

It might feel like your teen’s emotions are all over the place, and behaviors that once seemed unusual are now happening more often. The smallest things might set them off, leading to arguments or meltdowns that are hard to understand. They may be struggling to make or keep friends, dreading school, and having trouble sleeping. You might notice changes in their appetite or hear complaints about headaches or stomachaches. Teachers or friends may mention they seem disengaged, and you’re starting to worry something isn’t quite right.

Adolescence is a time when your teen is trying to figure out who they are, which can make their emotions feel intense and unpredictable. Their brain is still developing, especially the parts responsible for handling stress, making decisions, and managing emotions. This makes it harder for them to process feelings and can lead to mood swings or dramatic reactions.

Whether your teen is retreating to their room, clinging to you, or acting out in more aggressive ways, it’s clear something needs to change. You might know what’s going on—like family issues, grief, or big life changes—or you might not be sure, but you know something’s off. Either way, we’re here to help you navigate this difficult time and support both you and your teen.

A message to teens

A Safe Space Just For You

It’s not our job to be your parents—it is our job to advocate for you and make sure your voice is heard, especially when it feels like no one is listening.

We see you. We hear you. Life can be overwhelming, and it’s okay to feel lost, frustrated, or like the weight of everything is too much to carry. Whether it’s family drama, school stress, social media pressure, or the constant ups and downs of friendships, you don’t have to face it alone. And you're not alone in what you’re feeling—many others experience intrusive thoughts, anxiety, and depression, too.

You don’t have to have everything figured out right now. You don’t need to carry the burden of it all by yourself. We’re here to give you a safe space to express yourself in whatever way feels right—whether through art, music, writing, or just talking. Many therapies focus on changing who you are, but here, we focus on understanding and supporting you just as you are. There’s no judgment here—just understanding.

This is your time to be seen, heard, respected, and supported. We’re on your side, and we’ll advocate for you every step of the way.

How we Help

Expressive Therapies

  • Art therapy is a unique approach that harnesses the power of creativity to promote self-expression, self-discovery, and healing. It provides a safe and non-judgmental space for individuals to explore their thoughts, emotions, and experiences through various artistic mediums, such as painting, drawing, sculpture, fiber arts, printmaking, sewing,  and more.

    Each art medium has varying benefits and effects on our cognition, emotions, and sensory experiences. Art therapy is suitable for people of all ages, backgrounds, and levels of artistic skill.

    Whether you're dealing with mental health challenges, coping with trauma, navigating life transitions, or simply seeking personal growth and self-care, art therapy can be a valuable resource on your journey.

    How Art Therapy Can Help Your Teen:

    • Emotional Release: Expressing yourself through art can help release pent-up emotions and provide relief from stress, anxiety, and trauma.

    • Self-Exploration: Art therapy enables you to delve into your inner world, gain insights into your thoughts and feelings, and foster self-awareness.

    • Self-Expression: For those who find it challenging to express themselves verbally, art therapy offers an alternative  means of communication.

    • Stress Reduction: Engaging in creative activities can be a soothing and calming experience, reducing stress and promoting relaxation.

    • Problem-Solving: Art therapy can assist you in finding creative solutions to life's challenges and dilemmas

  • When young people use play and creative arts therapies, they are able to create a safe psychological distance from their problems and work out what is troubling them.

    Through play and other creative arts modalities, like sandtray therapy, art, music and attachment-based play therapy interventions, teens and families can heal in a safe space. Play Therapy is a developmentally appropriate modality for children and teens that:

    • Strengthens relationships

    • Elevates self-esteem

    • Offers a safe space to work out challenges and problem solve them effectively

    • Develops new and creative solutions to problems

    • Cultivates empathy and raises self esteem.

    Digital Play Therapy

    Digital play therapy uses innovative tools like virtual reality (VR), online gaming, AI-powered apps, and virtual sandtray to support emotional healing. By blending technology with traditional play therapy, it offers an engaging, creative space for individuals to explore emotions, develop coping skills, and build confidence in a safe, interactive, immersive environment.

  • Sandtray therapy is a powerful tool for working with children, adolescents, adults, couples, & families. Sand therapy offers a safe psychological distance from problems.

    It is a full sensory experience that connects the conscious and unconscious mind. Through the creation of sand trays - clients can go deeper into the healing process and find the inner resources to overcome obstacles.

  • Movement is the essence of humanity. We learn, feel, and relate to the world through our bodies. We communicate nonverbally everyday, and research indicates that early-childhood experiences are held within our nervous systems.

    Therefore, therapeutic interventions that focus on cognition and behavior alone are not always effective in addressing all that our hearts and bodies need.

    Dance/Movement Therapy (D/MT) uses movement as a developmental tool to connect with, assess, and process our experiences. Trust and safety are established with non-verbal attunement, rhythm, play, and repetition. Adolescent’s interests are used to highlight strengths and elicit meaningful metaphors and imagery. 

    Dance/Movement Therapy can help teens and families:

    • Safely connect to their bodies and environment. 

    • Develop self-awareness and empowerment.

    • Enhance emotional awareness and expression.

    • Learn strategies to calm and regulate their bodies.

    • Develop impulse-control techniques.

    • Mobilize coping capacities.

    • Develop social resources for more authentic relationships.

  • Music Therapy

    We are musical beings, as reflected in the rhythm of our breath, stride, and voice. When we struggle physically, mentally, or emotionally, our bodily rhythm can fall out of sync. Music Therapy, an evidence-based practice, helps restore balance by connecting clients with themselves and others.

    Through techniques like song-writing, lyric analysis, song re-creation, and improvisation, music therapists use the iso-principle to match a client's current state and guide them to a more supported one. This approach enhances communication, socialization, and emotional development, promotes healthy decision-making, reduces stress, and aids in trauma healing. It also improves motor functioning, memory, impulse control, and self-worth, while managing pain and sensory issues.

Trauma-focused Therapies

  • Trauma can shape the way children and adolescents think, feel, and navigate the world. TF-CBT is an evidence-based approach designed to help children and adolescents process traumatic experiences in a structured and supportive way.

    This integrative model combines cognitive-behavioral techniques with psychoeducation, relaxation strategies, and creative expression to foster healing. By addressing both thoughts and emotions, TF-CBT empowers teens to reframe their experiences, regain a sense of safety, and build resilience.

    Through gradual exposure and skill-building, TF-CBT helps teens and families:

    • Understand trauma and its impact on thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.

    • Develop coping strategies for managing distress and emotional triggers.

    • Strengthen relaxation and self-regulation skills.

    • Challenge and reframe unhelpful thoughts.

    • Process traumatic memories in a safe and structured way.

    • Improve communication and strengthen family support systems.

    • Build confidence and restore a sense of control over their lives.

    With the right support, teens can heal from trauma and move forward with greater emotional strength, self-awareness, and hope.

  • Children and adolescents thrive in relationships where they feel seen, safe, and connected. Theraplay is an attachment-based, play-focused therapy designed to strengthen the parent-child bond, build trust, and enhance emotional security.

    Rooted in the principles of joyful, attuned interactions, Theraplay engages young people and caregivers in structured, nurturing, and playful activities that foster connection and co-regulation. By integrating touch, eye contact, and shared experiences, Theraplay helps children and teens feel valued and understood.

    Theraplay can help children, teens and families:

    • Strengthen attachment and build secure relationships.

    • Develop trust and emotional safety within the family.

    • Increase self-esteem and confidence.

    • Enhance emotional regulation and impulse control.

    • Foster joy, connection, and playfulness in relationships.

    • Support children and teens who have experienced trauma, loss, or early disruptions in attachment.

    • Improve communication and cooperation between parents and children.

    Through warmth, structure, and play, Theraplay nurtures the foundation for healthy relationships, helping children and teens feel safe, loved, and capable of navigating the world with confidence.

  • Trauma and distressing experiences can become stuck in a teenager’s mind and body, impacting emotions, behaviors, and self-perception. EMDR is a research-supported therapy that helps adolescents process these experiences and build resilience.

    EMDR uses bilateral stimulation—such as guided eye movements, tapping, or sounds—to help the brain reprocess traumatic memories, reducing their emotional charge and making them feel less overwhelming. Through this structured approach, adolescents can integrate difficult experiences in a safe and supportive way.

    EMDR can help teens and families:

    • Reduce the emotional intensity of traumatic memories.

    • Develop healthy coping strategies for stress and anxiety.

    • Strengthen emotional regulation and self-soothing skills.

    • Shift negative self-beliefs toward more positive, empowering ones.

    • Improve sleep, concentration, and overall well-being.

    • Increase resilience and confidence in handling future challenges.

    • Foster a greater sense of safety and control over emotions and experiences.

    By gently guiding adolescents through their healing journey, EMDR helps release the weight of past trauma, allowing them to move forward with greater ease, confidence, and emotional freedom.

OUR APPROACH

Why Expressive Therapies Are Perfect for Teens

Adolescence can be a tough time for teens, and sometimes talking about their struggles just isn’t enough. Expressive therapies—like art, music, dance, sandtray, and drama—offer a creative, fun way to help them process their emotions in a non-threatening way. These therapies provide a safe psychological distance from problems, using a full-body and brain approach that’s powerful when words alone fall short.

Whether it's through creating art, moving their body, or using sandtray to visualize their challenges, teens can explore their feelings in ways that feel natural and enjoyable. These therapies help the. build emotional awareness, gain confidence, and manage stress, all while engaging their creativity. It’s an empowering way for them to express themselves without the pressure to “talk” about their struggles.

If you’re looking for a way to support your teen that’s both fun and effective, expressive therapies might be the perfect fit.

  • We view a teen’s struggles as a signal of what’s going on inside. If their intensity is ignored or silenced, it can lead to bigger struggles—both internal and external.

    Yet when we understand and embrace their intensity in positive ways, we help teens grow into leaders and changemakers. Our approach nurtures a resilient "I can" mindset, shifting the focus from limitations to growth, possibility, and empowerment.

  • At Main Line Play Therapy, we lead with curiosity. We see behaviour as a source of information and an invitation to uncover what your teen—and sometimes the entire family—is grappling with.

    By approaching behaviours with curiosity and compassion, we gain deeper insight into your teen’s inner world: their challenges, needs, and the skills they need our support to develop. Equipped with these insights, we create space to help teens and families move beyond their present struggles.

  • Extensive research now tells us that the adolescent years are remarkable periods of development, as their brains are rapidly wiring. Many teens come to us with nervous system vulnerabilities arising from a number of factors including stress, trauma, neurodivergence, or neuroimmune disorders. 

    Whatever the underlying reason, we take a whole-person approach and start by nurturing your teen’s nervous system and its ability to regulate their body and emotions from the ground up, before building toward higher-level cognitive skills. This approach fosters lasting change in teens, enabling adolescents to grow, connect, cope, and have brains wired for greater balance and resilience.

“Why fit in when you were born to stand out? ”
— Dr. Seuss

Our Specialties

  • Anxiety & OCD

  • ADD/ADHD

  • Depression/Aggression

  • Trauma (including sexual, physical, and medical trauma)​

  • Parenting Intense Teens

  • Autism

  • Separation & Divorce

  • Attachment & Adoption

  • Increasing Self-Esteem and Resiliency

  • Sensory Processing Disorder

  • Grief and Loss

  • Adjusting to a new sibling

  • Life transitions

  • LGBTQIA+

  • College Anxiety

FAQS

Frequently Asked Questions

We understand that considering therapy for your teenager can bring up a lot of questions. To help, we’ve answered some of the most common ones here.

If there’s anything else you’re wondering about, check out our FAQ page and don’t hesitate to get in touch with us!

  • If your teenager is experiencing big emotions, behavioral challenges, anxiety, difficulty in school or friendships, or struggling with a major life change, therapy can provide support.  Being a teen can be tough, and sometimes it can feel like too much.

    Every adolescent faces challenges, but if you notice persistent struggles that impact daily life, professional guidance can help them develop coping skills, build confidence, and feel more secure.

    Not sure if therapy is the right step? We offer a free consultation to discuss your concerns and explore the best path forward. Reach out—we’re here to help!

  • Think of the brain like a muscle—the more you practice, the stronger and more resilient you become. Weekly therapy is often recommended as regular sessions provide consistent support to build skills, process emotions, and strengthen the connections in the brain, leading to lasting change.

    While most sessions are held once a week, frequency can vary based on your child’s needs. Some teens may benefit from more frequent sessions at first, while others may transition to biweekly or as-needed sessions over time.

    Your therapist will collaborate with you to find the right schedule and adjust as needed to ensure therapy remains effective and supportive for your teen’s growth.

  • We view therapy as a team effort between teens, parents, and therapists. While therapy provides a safe space for your teen, your involvement is crucial for their success.

    • Collaborative Communication: Parents can share insights with the therapist to help guide the treatment process.

    • Support at Home: We’ll work with you to create strategies that reinforce therapy goals in your teen’s everyday life.

    • Understanding Progress: Parents stay informed about their teen's treatment goals and progress to offer support.

    • Encouraging Independence: You help foster your teen’s growth by supporting their developing skills and autonomy.

    • Family Dynamics: In some cases, family therapy may help address home life issues.

    Your role in supporting your teen’s journey is essential, and we’re here to help every step of the way.

Reach Out Today

Reach Out Today

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Transforming struggles into strengths, together.