Thaw&Defrost
support services for your teen and almost-teen
Helping Teens Open Up, Communicate Better, and Build Confidence
Communication coaching for teens who feel shut down, overwhelmed, or misunderstood—so they can express themselves and connect with others.
Oh! And parents, you've got your own work too! We'll do it together!
Helping Teens Open Up.
Helping Families Reconnect.
I’m Stephanie Filio, a former school counselor who helps teens and pre-teens build confidence, communicate better, and feel more understood—while helping parents learn how to truly connect with their child.
Together, we will:
- Improve communication (without constant conflict)
- Help your teen express their thoughts, goals, and emotions
- Support your family in navigating stress, motivation, and challenges
- Bridge the gap between where your teen is and where they can be
Coaching Sessions Include:
- Virtual sessions (in-person available locally)
- Individual or multi-session packages
- Customized support for teens, parents, or both
- Practical tools you can use right away
“Will my kid actually open up?”
YES.
Let’s work together to create a calmer, more connected home.
Email me or click contact to get started with a free consultation!
Personalized & Private
Student Support
During the teen years, it would be lovely if the icy adolescent could thaw out a bit, and the frozen-in-time parent could defrost too. I'd love to help you and your child bridge the gap between adulthood and childhood using my 12 years of experience in School Counseling.
I'll build rapport with your little teen angel and listen to your concerns as the expert witness of your child. Then, bring it all together.
We will still be where we are in this phase of parenting, but I'd love to help make it a little easier.
Thaw and Defrost CAN:
- Provide coaching to your adolescent or pre-adolescent
- Address communication, organization, behavior choices, and education needs
- Help you and your teen/pre-teen find shared space for more productive communication
- Meet with neurodivergent students
- Refer to community resources, and provide educational materials about development
Thaw and Defrost cannot:
Provide therapeutic servicesDiagnose mental illnessMAKE your child be niceProvide time-warping services to skip this important developmental ageTutor your child only, especially in Math (thank me later)
Story Time.
My grandmother always said..."This too shall pass." Sweet, but when my kids were 11-18, no amount of time was soon enough.
I spent 12 years as a School Counselor-- beloved by my students and families, if I do say so myself. The reception from my own kids I got at home from a long 8-9 hour day? Rolled eyes and icy comments about my inability to understand. Anything. Especially them.
A student once came to me with some difficulties she was experiencing with her mother. Once very close, she expressed how she was sure her mother was now causing her irreversible distress that would no doubt last long into adulthood and likely the afterlife. I actively listened to her monologue, and told her that indeed parents can be a little extra. She nodded emphatically. I told her that sometimes kids get older and, "parents, like, just can't handle it that their kid is not a child anymore." She agreed with vigor.
Then, I turned a bit. "Ugh," I exclaimed, "and honestly?" I waited a beat, she was holding her breath. "It's really scary." She softened slowly as I discussed how it's hard to let go, how a parent can struggle with transitions, how difficult it is to let someone you love fail or even possibly fail.
"Ok, I get that," she hesitated in thought, "but why can't she just say that to me? Why can't my mom be more like you?" I gave her my kindest, knowing eyes and turned a picture of my kids around. We were both misty at the happy and well-adjusted image. I told her with certainty, they hate me. Her mouth dropped, she needed to know how that could be possible! I told her I didn't know, but I swore truthfully that they hate me and say all of the same things to me she reported about her mom. She thought for a second and then asked with hope, "You promise??"
"I promise," I assured her, "they really do." She returned to class, delighting in the newfound knowledge that what she was feeling was normal, and possibly, how her mom was acting was also normal. And maybe they just really, really loved each other. She'd come to thaw out just a little. Enough to slowly let her mom in, but not so much that she can't keep growing.