Family therapy in Houston for teens and young adults
When everyone is talking and nobody feels heard. I work with Houston families whose teenager or young adult is struggling, and with the parents trying to hold things together around them.
What we work on
Family therapy for Houston families
Most families who find me have been managing something difficult for a while, often on their own, and are worn out from it.
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When a teenager shuts down
Grades slipping, new friends, doors closing. We look at what sits underneath the behavior rather than just the behavior itself.
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When nobody is being heard
Every family has the same three arguments on a loop. We work on the pattern, not the last argument.
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Young adults still at home
Twenty-something, stuck, and everyone treading carefully. We work on independence in a way that doesn't blowup the household.
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Substance use in the family
This is where I have spent most of my career, at every level of care. If substances are part of the picture, you are not on your own.
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When things feel unsafe
Some of what brings families here is frightening. I have sat with a lot of it, and I won't flinch or rush you.
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Support for parents
Footing and a bit of peace for you, even on the weeks your young person isn't making great choices.
Understanding the options
What family therapy in Houston actually looks like
Whether you call it family therapy or family counseling, it is the same work. Everyone in the room, or on the call, looking at how the family operates rather than putting one person under a microscope.
That last part surprises people. Parents often arrive expecting me to fix their teenager. What usually shifts things faster is changing what happens around the teenager, because a young person is always responding to something.
Sessions happen by video, which for Houston families tends to be the practical bit. Nobody sits on 610 at five o'clock to make an appointment, and getting a reluctant teenager into a car is often harder than the session itself.
Do we all have to come?
Not always, and not all at once. I often start with parents on their own, or with the young person by themselves, and bring people together when it is going to be useful rather than just uncomfortable.
Who you would be working with
Meet Allie
I am Allie Haydon, a licensed family therapist and counselor in Houston, and I have spent fifteen years working with teenagers, young adults and the families around them.
I have worked at every level of care there is. Residential, intensive outpatient, partial hospitalization, outpatient therapy, alternative peer groups and recovery high schools. There is not much you can tell me that I have not sat with before.
I am a straight shooter. I will tell you what I actually think, and I will use humor when a moment is dark enough to need it. Most families tell me that is the part that helps.
I hold LPC-S, LMFT-S and LCDC, which means I am also approved to supervise across three licenses.
How it works
Simple from first contact to first session
Three steps, and you can change your mind at any of them.
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Get in touch
Fill in the form or give me a call. Tell me roughly what is going on, in as much or as little detail as you feel like sharing.
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A short consultation
A short chat to see whether I am the right person for this. If I am not, I will say so and point you towards someone who is.
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Start sessions
We meet by secure video, from wherever suits the family. No waiting room and no drive across town.
Not sure where to start?
Most parents who contact me have already tried everything they can think of. That is usually the right time to call.
Who I work with
If any of this sounds familiar
A few of the things families tell me when they first get in touch.
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The parent who is exhausted
You have tried talking, grounding, bargaining and pleading. The house feels like it revolves around one person's mood. You want your home back and you want your kid to be okay.
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The teenager everyone is worried about
Grades slipping, new friends, secrecy, and something that feels bigger than normal teenage stuff. You are not sure how much is a phase and how much is not.
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The young adult who feels stuck
Twenty-something, still at home, and not sure how to start. Wanting everything around you to change without knowing how to change any of it.
Where my families are
Houston and everywhere around it
I am based in Houston and work with families across the metro area. Because sessions happen by video, the drive stops being a factor, which matters if you are out past the Beltway or juggling two work schedules and a teenager who does not want to go anywhere.
Inside Houston
- The Heights
- Memorial
- Bellaire
- West University
North
- The Woodlands
- Spring
- Kingwood
- Humble
- Tomball
- Conroe
- Montgomery
West and Southwest
- Katy
- Cypress
- Sugar Land
- Missouri City
South and Bay Area
- Pearland
- League City
You do not have to wait until it is a crisis
Families often tell me they wish they had called six months earlier. There is no threshold you need to reach first.
A bit about my background
Fifteen years of this work, and most of it in the harder rooms.
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15
Years spent with teenagers, young adults and their families
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3
Licences held: LPC-S, LMFT-S and LCDC
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6
Levels of care I have worked in, from residential through to outpatient
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TX
Licensed across Texas, based right here in Houston
Common questions
Frequently asked questions
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No. I am based in Houston but every session happens by secure video. For most families that turns out to be the easier option, particularly when getting a teenager into a car is half the battle.
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Teenagers and young adults, and the parents and families around them. I do not work with children under thirteen.
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In practice, yes. People use both words for the same thing, and you will see both on therapist profiles around Houston. What matters more is whether the person you choose has experience with the age group and the situation you are dealing with.
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Not necessarily. I often start with parents alone, or with the young person alone, and bring people together when it will actually be useful.
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That happens a lot, and it is not a dead end. When what happens at home shifts, the young person has something different to respond to, and a good number of them join in later on their own terms.
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It depends on what is happening at home and what you want to be different. Some parents come for a few sessions to get through a specific moment, like a young adult moving out or a new set of house rules. Others prefer steadier support over a few months while things settle. We will talk it through in your consultation and agree on a plan that fits, and you can stop whenever you feel ready.
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Parent coaching is paid privately. Because coaching is not a medical service, health insurance does not usually cover it. The cost depends on how often we meet and whether you choose single sessions or a package. The easiest way to find out what fits is to book a consultation, where I can walk you through the options.
Worried about your teenager?
Family therapy in Houston, and fifteen years of sitting with the things most people find frightening.