I work with many young women (ages 13 and up) who seem to find themselves picked on, taken advantage of or bullied. This can greatly impact self-esteem or self-worth. Confidence can decrease and one can begin to be seen as passive by others. This can open them up to even more of the negative behaviors they first experienced. In therapy we not only discuss the pain from these experiences and how to move through that effectively but also assertiveness. Clients can learn in counseling how to be appropriately assertive, stand up for themselves in healthy ways, and find that the negative behaviors they'd been experiencing start to decrease. Not only do they get picked on less, but confidence improves and self-worth increases! Assertiveness is not easy to start putting into practice but with time and rehearsal anyone can learn how to be assertive. It starts with small steps and practice in counseling and slowly transitions to the "real world". It's a powerful thing when clients are assertive to someone who typically picks on them and the aggressor backs down. Talk about a confidence boost! If assertiveness is difficult for you or your teenage girl, counseling can help you learn the skills and how to implement them.