Empowerment Workshops for Teens & Tweens
Growing up today takes courage. Between social pressures, self-doubt, and the challenges of identity and belonging, it’s easy for kids to lose sight of their strengths. These empowerment workshops, based on the Fearlessly Girl Certification Program, give teens and tweens the tools and space to rediscover them.
Through creative exercises, guided discussions, and hands-on activities, participants learn how to manage stress, build self-confidence, navigate friendships, and use their voices with clarity and compassion. Each session encourages authenticity, emotional awareness, and resilience, helping young people feel grounded in who they are and empowered to handle what life brings their way.
Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety disorders are among the most common mental health concerns in children and adolescents. They can present as excessive worry, restlessness, irritability, difficulty concentrating, sleep disturbances, or physical symptoms such as stomachaches and headaches. When anxiety becomes disproportionate to the situation or begins to impair functioning at home, school, or with peers, clinical intervention can be highly effective.
Treatment is evidence-based and typically includes Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), with a focus on identifying unhelpful thought patterns, developing coping strategies, and gradually confronting feared situations. Mindfulness and relaxation techniques are also incorporated to strengthen emotion regulation and resilience. The goal is to help children and teens better understand their anxiety, reduce avoidance behaviors, and regain a sense of control and confidence in their daily lives.
Mood Disorders
Mood disorders describe a category of illnesses that is signified by a serious change—a drastic elevation or depression—of one’s mood. Several industry resources include under this umbrella major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder (mania – euphoric, hyperactivity, inflated ego, unrealistic optimism), persistent depressive disorder (characterized by long lasting low grade depression), cyclothymia (a mild form of bipolar disorder), and SAD (seasonal affective disorder) However, in diagnosing mood disorders in children and adolescents, it is important to be as specific as possible so as to avoid misdiagnosis or incorrect treatment. Only those trained specifically in child and adolescent clinical psychology should attempt to do so. Mood disorders in adolescents if untreated may put them at risk for other conditions including anxiety disorder, disruptive behavior, and substance abuse disorders, which could persist even long after initial episodes of depression are identified and seemingly resolved.
Phobias
Phobias are intense, persistent fears of specific objects, situations, or experiences( like bugs, storms, elevators, and heights) that can cause overwhelming anxiety and avoidance. For children and teens, these fears can start to interfere with everyday life, making simple things feel impossible.
The good news is that phobias are highly treatable. Using evidence-based approaches such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and gradual exposure techniques, I help kids and teens face their fears safely and build confidence step by step. Together, we work to replace fear with understanding, courage, and a growing sense of control.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) involves unwanted, intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors or mental rituals (compulsions) that can temporarily ease anxiety but often leave kids and teens feeling trapped in a frustrating cycle. They may recognize that their fears or routines don’t fully make sense, yet feel powerless to stop them.
With the right support, OCD is highly treatable. Evidence-based therapies such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) help children and adolescents face their fears, reduce compulsive behaviors, and build confidence in their ability to manage uncertainty. My approach focuses on helping young people understand their symptoms, develop healthy coping skills, and feel empowered to take back control of their lives.
Life Transitions for Young Adults
As young adults move from adolescence into adulthood, they experience a wide array of “firsts,” while simultaneously discovering who they are and making decisions as individuals for the first time in their lives. While experiencing these intense period of discovery, children and adolescents can respond very differently. In many cases, they benefit from the help of professional with an outside, objective perspective, to ensure they transition in a way that is healthy and specific to their desires and goals.
Dr. Katie Liebenberg
Dr. Katie Liebenberg, Psy.D, is a licensed clinical psychologist who has been working with children, teenagers, young adults and families for the past 19 years. Dr. Liebenberg specializes in treating children, adolescents, and families.
Connect With Dr. Katie
Embolden Wellness
166 Kings Highway North
Westport, CT 06880
Phone: 646-734-6672
E-mail: [email protected]