Q: I saw a local Facebook post about a self-esteem group called “You go girl.” Could you tell me about it?
A: You are inquiring about an upcoming six-week course for girls 10-17 led by licensed marriage and family therapist Jessica Alexander, which begins Aug. 24. The group will be offered in Kennesaw and Vinings.
Alexander’s original career choice was interior design but her parents ended up going through a divorce and an influential talk show episode piqued her interest.
“Oddly I remember watching Oprah one day. She had this therapist on working with teenage girls and I thought it sounded like so much fun ... ,” she said.
Between her family dynamics and other life accounts, Alexander’s path to becoming a therapist was organic and admits she wasn’t always vocal or confident.
“Through doing my own work, exploring and learning things in therapy, I just want to be able to give back to those kids that need that extra help. Though I look a certain way, I relate so much to what they are going through,” the therapist stated. “I just wanted to speak to my younger self because when I was growing up I was super shy. My sister used to have to order my meals for me at restaurants.
“I’ve always loved teenagers ... their energy and enthusiasm. This is how this group came to be.”
“You go girl” is designed for middle- and high-school aged girls that address self-esteem, limits, sense of self and connections. The groups are broken into developmental stages with age factoring into them as well.
With power in words, one of the top classes is negative self talk and positive affirmations where the girls will examine the source and how to be kinder to themselves. Alexander said that week is “transformational.”
Credit: contributed
Credit: contributed
The next top class covers boundaries and effective communication that break down the various types of boundaries and cover “I - am, need, feel” statements.
Homework follows each session. Alexander also includes the parents by emailing them about the assignment, what was covered and any updates.
“The line of communication is very important, and that is something I really want to stress between these young girls and their parents as well because I think a lot of times there’s such a barrier in terms of communication. Teenagers these days are keeping a lot of stuff in and not really expressing it. So trying to mitigate that is my other goal.”
Location/Time: Kennesaw on Wednesday at 6 p.m. and Vinings on Saturdays at 10 a.m.
For more information or to register: jessicanoll.lmft@gmail.com or 404-640-2605.
New to Atlanta or simply have a question about this place we call home? Email your request to atlactualfact@gmail.com
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