Families searching for teen counseling in Miami want a plan that helps their teen function again at school, with friends, and at home.
At Adolescent Wellness Academy, care teams organize teen therapy into levels of care, so families across South Florida can match support to current needs. Dr. Maria Mejia, PhD, LMFT, Clinical Director for AWA Davie, explains how AWA connects teen day treatment (PHP), a teen intensive outpatient program (IOP), teen counseling, and pediatric psychiatry into one coordinated approach for teen therapy in Miami.
Teen Therapy Beyond Weekly Sessions
Dr. Mejia often meets parents who tried outpatient therapy “once a week for an hour,” yet progress stalled. Parents report a cycle of switching providers because teens stay quiet or share only surface answers. Dr. Mejia calls outpatient therapy “wonderful,” but she also explains why some teens struggle with it.
- Teens feel “intimidated to sit in a room with another adult and talk about their problems.”
- Teens feel alone or “weird,” like their feelings “aren’t normal.”
- Teens learn to say what adults want to hear.
- Weekly therapy addresses “one hour out of your entire week,” even when symptoms shape every day.
AWA builds teen therapy around more repetition, more support, and more chances to practice skills.
Why Group Therapy Changes Engagement
Dr. Mejia centers group therapy because peers help teens open up faster. She says, “There is a lot of power in teenagers sitting in a room with other kids their same age going through very similar issues.” Teens often connect over “really intense emotions that they don’t know how to manage,” even when they come in for different diagnoses.
She also points out a dynamic most parents recognize: “You and I, as adults, can tell your kids things until we’re blue in the face,” but teens hear the same idea from peers and respond because they feel “more receptive and more open.”
Levels Of Care At AWA
Families often ask which option fits best. Dr. Mejia compares programs by time, structure, and intensity, plus one practical question: can your teen keep up with daily expectations right now?
Teen Day Treatment (PHP)
The Therapeutic Day Program, also called PHP, is “our highest level of care that we offer here.” She frames PHP as an in-between option for teens who might otherwise need hospitalization or who keep cycling between outpatient therapy and crisis stabilization.
She notes that many families experience only two extremes: weekly counseling or “a Baker Act or a hospitalization.”
Some teens go through “four, five, six, seven hospitalizations,” then return to outpatient services, which isn’t enough to keep them stable.”
What teen day treatment looks like
- Program hours usually run from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM
- The program prioritizes routine because “having a routine and a structure is so important.”
- AWA can support morning virtual schooling for some teens, depending on scheduling and clinical needs
How Dr. Mejia frames the parent role
- “You’re not a therapist and that’s okay.”
- Parents should be able to “just be Mom” and “just be Dad.”
- The program provides structure, containment, and consistent clinical support.
Teen Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP)
Dr. Mejia describes IOP as the “after-school program,” typically from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM. This teen intensive outpatient program keeps school in place during the day while adding therapeutic structure in the evenings.
- PHP often includes three groups a day
- IOP often includes two groups a day
- PHP often includes two to three individual sessions a week
- IOP often includes one to two individual sessions a week, based on clinical need
Teen Counseling Miami
Many families begin with teen counseling in Miami because they want support without major schedule changes. Dr. Mejia supports that approach when symptoms remain manageable, and functioning remains intact. She sorts decisions based on the “severity, intensity, duration, and frequency” of symptoms, plus a teen’s ability to engage and apply skills.
Teen counseling in Miami often fits when
- Your teen attends school consistently.
- Your teen engages in sessions and talks honestly.
- Your teen practices skills between sessions.
- Safety concerns do not require daily monitoring.
How Anxiety And Depression Look Different In Teens
Teens rarely describe anxiety and depression the way adults do. Many teens express distress through their behavior, routines, and relationships.
How anxiety often shows up in teens
- School avoidance and frequent absences
- Physical complaints before school
- Perfectionism that turns into shutdown
- Irritability that masks fear
- Social anxiety that limits friendships and participation
How depression often shows up in teens
- Withdrawing from friends and activities
- Sleeping all day or staying up all night
- Quick anger and low frustration tolerance
- Dropping motivation and effort
- Isolating at home and disengaging from family
Dr. Mejia uses a similar lens when she asks parents to consider whether their teen can meet “the expectations of an adolescent,” especially around school attendance and meaningful engagement.
Early Warning Signs Parents Often Dismiss
Adolescence includes mood swings. Dr. Mejia encourages parents to watch for patterns that persist, intensify, and disrupt daily life.
School And Routine Red Flags
- Frequent absences or steady attendance decline
- Anxiety that becomes physical, including “constant GI” issues
- Morning conflict that becomes “a fight every morning.”
- Failing grades driven by nonattendance rather than ability
- Inability to engage meaningfull,y even with support
Behavioral And Consequence Red Flags
Warning signs that often escalate
- Frequent trouble, detention, or suspension
- Substance use that puts a teen “at jeopardy of getting expelled”
- Patterns that risk expulsion or long-term school disruption
Safety Red Flags
Dr. Mejia draws a firm line around safety. She describes day treatment as a fit when a teen cannot keep themselves safe, including cutting and suicidal ideation, or when parents feel they cannot leave their teen alone.
Signs that call for higher intensity
- Self-harm behaviors
- Suicidal thoughts or statements
- Threats toward others
- Need for constant supervision at home
Eating Disorder Behaviors Families Often Miss
Families benefit from knowing common early patterns that can hide behind “healthy habits.”
- Consistent meal skipping, especially breakfast and lunch
- Rigid rules about “good” and “bad” foods
- Anxiety or anger when meals change unexpectedly
- Obsessive calorie tracking or label checking
- Avoiding meals with others and preferring isolation
- Body checking, frequent weighing, or mirror scanning
- Exercise driven by guilt rather than enjoyment
- Mood swings around meals and clothing
Substance Use As Coping
Many teens use substances to cope with anxiety, shame, loneliness, and stress, not just to experiment. Dr. Mejia references substance use through school consequences, especially when it risks expulsion.
- Using alone, not just socially
- Using after conflict or rejection
- Using to sleep or calm racing thoughts
- Increasing use during stress spikes
- Hiding use and withdrawing from family routines
How AWA Sorts Through Overlapping Symptoms
Dr. Mejia explains that the first week focuses on “getting to know your child, your family, and identifying treatment goals,” while helping the teen adjust to programming.
After “about a week to two weeks,” once assessments are complete and the team understands the “full clinical picture,” the team can clarify goals and map the appropriate level-of-care path.
The planning process
- Identify the goals AWA will address now.
- Decide what the teen can continue at an outpatient level later.
- Maintain weekly contact with parents for progress updates.
- Reassess and adjust goals as stability grows.
She describes the step-down structure as a “slow titration process,” where teens start with a more intensive approach and reduce intensity as stability improves.
Pediatric Psychiatry As Part Of A Bigger Plan
Dr. Mejia describes pediatric psychiatry as one tool inside a broader treatment plan. At the PHP level, AWA’s psychiatric provider meets with clients weekly, which supports closer monitoring than typical outpatient schedules.
Dr. Mejia explains why PHP can support medication decisions well. Teens attend daily, and the team observes them for several hours, which helps clinicians quickly notice mood shifts and side effects.
Dr. Mejia also stresses consent: AWA does not recommend or provide medication “without your explicit permission,” and the team uses a “low and slow” approach.
She also shares a key point for families who tried medication before: many teens come in after multiple medication changes, but “what’s missing is the behavioral intervention.” She tells parents that research supports stronger outcomes when families combine medication with talk therapy.
Choosing A Starting Point
Dr. Mejia keeps the decision grounded in function, safety, and consistency.
Teen counseling in Miami often fits when
- Your teen attends school and participates most days.
- Symptoms cause distress but do not derail daily life.
- Your teen engages in weekly sessions and practices skills.
Teen intensive outpatient program often fits when
- Your teen attends school but needs structured support several evenings per week.
- Symptoms disrupt home and social life, but safety remains manageable at home.
- Your teen needs more repetition and accountability than weekly sessions provide.
Teen day treatment often fits when
- School attendance collapses or becomes inconsistent.
- Behavior triggers serious consequences, including suspension or expulsion risk.
- Safety becomes a concern, including self-harm or suicidal ideation.
- You feel like you cannot leave your teen alone safely.
What Progress Looks Like Over Time
Families often arrive with overlapping concerns: anxiety, depression, school refusal, anger, isolation, self-harm risk, substance use, and eating issues. Dr. Mejia does not rush to labels. She starts with assessment and goal clarity.
Dr. Mejia wants teens to build stability first, then re-enter normal adolescent life with confidence. AWA’s goal is to help teens regain a sense of routine, rebuild coping skills, and reconnect socially so they can return to school and life feeling ready, not stuck.
About the Author
Dr. Maria Angelica Mejia
