Ashley Mozart Fey is listening to teens in a cozy upstairs room at the Allied Arts Guild in Menlo Park. She calls her endeavor Teen Rising Project.
“I worked in commercial real estate for many years at the company my father started. But at the back of my mind, I always thought, ‘If I could do anything, I’d work with kids.’
“After getting my masters in clinical psychology, I did some work at my alma mater, St. Francis High School,” she said “It quickly became obvious to me that not every teen needed therapy. Some times they just need a trustworthy, responsible adult to listen to them.
“I decided I could be that person, and that I could draw from my own personal experience in my teen years. My parents went through a tumultuous divorce, which caused me a lot of anxiety and stress. If I’d had someone who talked my language then, I think it would have been extremely helpful. In many respects, when I talk to kids today, I feel like I’m talking to my younger self.”
Ashley, who lives in Menlo Park, describes Teen Rising as a “mentorship and problem solving platform” that helps teenagers navigate such topics as boyfriend/girlfriend issues, time management, and academic preparation.
In addition to the mentorship, she offers parent conferences, and, in the right circumstance, parent/teen conferences.
“I want the kids and the parents to know that although there is anxiety, there is hope and definitely a way to work out of it,” she said. “Teens can release their anxieties. They have the capacity to get work done and be successful. It just requires some digging in.”
More information is available on her website.
Photo by Betsy Sergeant Snow (c) 2018
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