Teen Therapy
With Dr. Trevor Alleman
As someone who faced significant challenges in my own teenage years, I’m passionate about making an impact in the lives of my teen clients.
Do you worry your teen is struggling and you’re not sure how to help?
Are conversations turning into fights or shutdowns?
Is your teen feeling isolated or misunderstood?
Adolescence brings major transitions, relationship changes, questions about identity, and pressure at school and at home.
Many teens struggle to manage anger or other strong emotions. Others turn to addictive coping strategies that create new problems. Parents are often unsure how to reach their teen without starting an argument or pushing them to withdraw.
Parents and Teens Come to Me When
Teens and their families come to therapy for many reasons. These are some of the most frequent challenges we work through:
Anger or behavior problems
School performance
Low self-esteem
Identity questions
Destructive coping
Relationships or loss
Emotional regulation
Family conflict patterns
Teen Therapy With Me
Building trust comes first.
I let teens know that I’m their advocate, not a parent in disguise. We connect, meet them where they are, and work toward addressing the issues beneath the surface.
Teen sessions with me balance depth work with practical solutions. We’ll address underlying feelings, as well as communication issues, and behavior patterns, while building practical strategies teens can use outside the office.
This work can be hard, and I’ve found that a blend of curiosity and humor is key to getting teens to open up. As someone who went through my own challenges as a teen, I am in a unique position to relate to struggling teens.
Approaches I Use With Teens
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CBT helps teens recognize how their thoughts, feelings, and actions affect each other. This supports more helpful responses to stress, conflict, and negative self-talk.
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This approach explores the deeper concerns and patterns behind a teen’s behavior. It helps us look beyond the immediate problem to understand what’s driving it, which often takes place at an unconscious level.
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Existential therapy helps teens explore identity, meaning, values, and questions about who they want to become.
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Somatic work brings attention to how emotions show up in the body. It helps teens notice emotional responses and build awareness of what’s happening internally.
Progress That Shows Up
at Home and School
Therapy doesn’t just focus on understanding what went wrong. It helps teens communicate more openly, manage difficult emotions, and handle the challenges of forming a sense of self.
After Working With Me, Clients Report:
Emotional regulation
More open communication
Improved performance at school
A stronger sense of self
Excitement for the future
Having fun again
Peace and cohesion at home
Progress looks different for each teen, but our work will stay focused on the concerns that brought you here and the changes that matter to your family.
“I focus on building trust first, and showing teens I’m an advocate, not a parent in disguise.”
About Dr. Trevor Alleman
Hi, I’m Dr. Trevor Alleman, PsyD, a licensed psychologist in Santa Barbara, California.
Teen therapy was my first specialty, and I’ve cared deeply about this work throughout my career. Over nearly two decades in mental health, including 11 years in private practice, I’ve learned that helping teens starts with earning their trust, not telling them what to do.
I’m an active, direct therapist, but I also bring curiosity and humor into sessions. I’ll be honest with teens, challenge them when it’s useful, and help them find creative ways to handle what’s happening at school, at home, and with friends.
I’m also a dad to two sons, which gives me a personal appreciation for the challenges of growing up today and the questions parents face as their kids become more independent.
I was born and raised in Pasadena and now live in Santa Barbara with my wife, our boys, and our husky mix, Pepper. Outside of work, I surf, play pickleball and drums, and enjoy live shows.
Availability: I provide in-person therapy in Santa Barbara, and virtual therapy via telehealth for clients across California.
Education, Credentials, and Trainings
Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) from Fuller School of Psychology
Licensed Psychologist, California (PSY32530)
Six years of supervision with teen expert Dr. Richard Michaelson
Postdoc at Westmont College Counseling Center
2 Year internship in psychoanalytic therapy from The Wright Institute
250-hour training in Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP)
Advanced Level certification in Mentalization-Based Therapy for Borderline Personality Disorder
3 Steps to Get Started
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Reach out and share what’s happening with your teen and what kind of support you’re looking for.
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We’ll discuss your concerns and whether my approach is a good fit for your teen and family.
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We’ll start getting to know one another, understand the main concerns, and plan how to approach therapy together.