Adolescence and early adulthood carry intense pressure: grades, social media, identity, family expectations, and for some youth, HIV affecting themselves or someone at home. Shanti Orange County offers mental health counseling tuned to that life stage.
What Teens and Young Adults Bring to Therapy
Common themes:
- Anxiety and depression: school, loneliness, future fears
- LGBTQ+ identity and safety planning
- Family conflict: immigration stress, cultural gaps, parenting clashes
- Substance use concerns, often coordinated with recovery groups for adults in the family
- HIV-affected youth: a parent, sibling, or partner living with HIV; or their own diagnosis
Therapists use developmentally appropriate approaches, not mini-adult lectures.
How Enrollment Works for Minors
Generally a parent or legal guardian contacts intake at (949) 452-0888. Bring:
- Guardian contact information
- School concerns (if any)
- Insurance card when available
Intake explains consent, confidentiality limits, and session length before the teen meets the therapist.
Young adults 18+ can self-refer like any adult client.
Telehealth for Students
College students elsewhere in California may use telehealth when matched with an available clinician. Discuss privacy in dorms; headphones and scheduled private time help.
Testing for School Accommodations
When learning or attention questions arise, Shanti's psychological testing and evaluation team may conduct evaluations with a written report. See Psychological testing. Start early if deadlines approach.
HIV, Stigma, and Youth
Teens affected by HIV, personally or at home, face unique secrecy burdens. Counselors experienced with HIV stigma help without forcing disclosure at school.
Community educators also visit schools. See Community education.
Connecting to Crisis Care
If a teen is in immediate danger, caregivers should call or text 988. Shanti provides ongoing therapy, not emergency room substitution.
For Parents Reading This
You are allowed to want help for your child and still respect their privacy. Intake helps balance both. Couples or family sessions are possible when agreed.
Start the Conversation
First visit · Contact · 949-452-0888 (Mon–Fri, 9 am – 5 pm PT). The right time to ask is before a small struggle becomes a crisis.
What Parents Can and Cannot Control
The most common question from parents is some version of "how much will I be told?" The honest answer is that confidentiality protections apply to young clients too, and the therapeutic relationship depends on the teenager believing that. Intake will walk through consent, what is shared, and where the limits sit for minors before anything begins, so nobody discovers the rules mid-process.
What parents can control is the framing. A teenager brought in as a problem to be corrected arrives defended. A teenager told "this is an hour that belongs to you" arrives curious. The second one is far more likely to still be going in three months.
Family Counseling Is Its Own Option
Sometimes the teenager is not the client. Teen and family counseling exists precisely because the thing that needs adjusting is often the system around the young person, not the young person alone. If the recurring conflict is about communication, expectations, or a change nobody has processed, family sessions may do more than individual work.
Couples counseling is also available, which matters more than it sounds when the stress on a household is running through the parents.
Telehealth and the School Calendar
Telehealth is available throughout California, which solves a specific problem for students: continuity. A young adult who starts counseling in Orange County and then moves for school does not have to restart with a new provider and re-tell the whole history. In-person sessions at our Laguna Hills location remain available for anyone who wants them, with free parking on site.
Scheduling runs Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5 pm PT, so it is worth raising school hours and commute at intake rather than after the first missed appointment.
When Evaluation Is the Better Question
If the presenting issue is focus, learning, or school accommodations rather than mood, psychological testing may answer the question that counseling cannot. Shanti provides assessments for ages 6 and up, covering specific learning disorders, ADHD, executive functioning, mood concerns, trauma, and autism spectrum disorder.
Testing runs across several appointments and produces a written report you can use with a school. For children, an intake appointment gathers history with a parent or legal guardian present.
Note the boundaries: Shanti does not provide disability assessments, parenting or divorce-related assessments, or forensic and court evaluations such as custody, risk, or competency. If that is what you need, ask intake for a referral instead.
Starting
Call 949-452-0888, Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5 pm PT, or email [email protected]. Services are LGBTQ-affirming, and the team works in English, Spanish, Farsi, and Hindi. If a young person is in immediate crisis, 988 is free, confidential, and available 24/7.
