The modern emphasis on "performance" drives teens to believe their identity, value, and self-worth resides there.
There is an incredible weight placed on academic, social, and athletic performance. Social status and comparison are determined by these measures. Because of this, many emerging adults define their self-worth from external means.
Your children are extremely susceptible to external definitions of value: A scoreboard. Their report card. Views on their latest TikTok. Who they know. Likes and comments. In a world that celebrates and rewards these vanity metrics, your child's self-worth is being influenced by these broken measures of success
If left unaddressed, your son or daughter could chase the wrong definition of "success" for a lifetime.
Help them avoid the hollow pursuit of broken success and start on the path to a fulfilling and purpose-filled life now.
Your son or daughter is about to step out into the unknown.
WHAT’S THEIR TRAJECTORY?
Your child's self-perception will set their path.
Sadly, schools, churches, and other institutions often do a poor job of helping young people understand and articulate their identities. When a child lacks a strong grasp of their own values and personhood, they drift, especially when they live away from home and enter adulthood.
Kids are shown what "success" looks like from an early age: money, social status, cars, follows... and if your child feels like they don’t measure up it can show up as:
Sabatoged Potential
If only our kids believed in themselves as much as their parents did...comparing themselves to external metrics can lead to self-limiting thoughts and self-defeating actions in school, athletic performance, and interpersonal relationships that wreck their opportunity to live out their full potential.
Emotional Struggles
When feelings of inadequacy, discontentment, and low-self worth run on a destructive loop, kids who lack a solid identity slide down the slippery slope of emotional struggles that can manifest as anxiety or depression. It's not uncommon for some to entertain dangerous pain-avoiding behavior like substance abuse to cope with their emotional struggles.
Risky Relationships
Emerging adults who lack strong core values engage in risky behavior in a bid to gain approval of others.: it could be a destructive romantic relationship, risky sexual behavior, stealing, cheating, acts of violence or attempting to impress friends with drug or alcohol use.
Your child is going places.
Do they have the foundation needed for life-long success?
Most teens struggle to find their identity and most parents don't know how to help.
What is identity? It's the internal beliefs we have about ourselves, our character strengths, and our core values. When our identity aligns with who God created us to be, we feel most alive. The less aligned we are, the more hollow we feel.
Skip the pain and confusion caused by chasing the broken definition of success so common in our culture.
What if your child discovered their true identity and knew how to navigate the growth, challenges, emotions, and relationships on the road of life?
True North for Emerging Adults is the compass for the journey ahead.
Let's change the narrative.
What if success was defined as "living in the fullness of your design" instead of "measuring up to the performance of others"?
In shifting the definition, new results start to emerge:
Resilience instead of Apathy
Character instead of People-Pleasing
Strength instead of Survival
Confidence instead of Insecurity
Young adults with defined values and identity are able to in who they are when faced with challenges. Their ultimate success depends on discovering and living out their true identity.
By developing an intrinsic sense of identity now, their course of life is altered forever. Your child will be less driven by external opinions and labels. Instead, they'll see their self-worth in living out their God-given design.
How will you help your child experience this shift?
I've spent years creating True North for Emerging Adults as a proven framework to help your child discover and live out their true identity.
Set your sons and daughters up for a future where they're secure, resilient, and confident in living their True Identity.
“My son went from struggling academically, being afraid or not knowing how to find his inner self. The interventions, strategies, and tools provided by Dr. Andy assisted him in finding his inner self and establishing his voice and purpose in life.”
Stan S.
True North: Three-Step Process
Stage 1: Uncover
Your child has individual core values, character traits, and strengths that were written on their soul by God. Step one is to uncover and identify these unique blessings to lay the foundation of our work together,
Stage 2: Articulate
Once their unique design is uncovered, we'll work together to hang language on that framework and map out a personalized strategy to live in alignment with their identity
Stage 3: Act
Over the course of eight weeks, we'll put the plan into action and work to develop skills to establish healthy autonomy and accountability of their actions to create lasting change.
I've created a roadmap to avoid this tragic truth:
Kids without a strong identity often grow into broken adults
After almost 20 years, I've seen a common thread in the stories of so-called successful people: they were living the paradox of looking successful while feeling like a failure.
They had built their life on the shaky ground of external value and others' opinions. Outside, they looked like they were winning. Inside, they felt hollow.
I realized that at the core of this discontent and pain was an utter lack of identity.
After nearly 20 years working in clinical settings, I developed the True North framework.
The goal? To coach individuals how to find and start living true to their intrinsic design.
And to avoid the emptiness caused by pursuing an inauthentic life. I've now tailored that program for emerging adults, young people that are on the precipice of “real life” to set them up with the necessary skillset to navigate adulthood.
I want to reduce the likelihood of your child showing up in my office a decade from now.
They shouldn't have to learn every hard lesson through painful experiences.
It's my greatest joy to help young people develop a strong identity—to uncover who they're supposed to be. Through this coaching program, I'll guide your child to find their True North identity so they learn the fundamental truth of who they are without unnecessary suffering later.
Here's to your child thriving now and in the future,
— Dr. Andy
The Three Building Blocks of Your Teen's Identity Development
Personal Responsibility
Taking ownership of one's actions, thoughts, and feelings. No one can control everything that happens around them, but they can control how they respond.
Autonomy
Every emerging adult craves freedom, independence, and the ability to make their own choices to have more control of their life. But, true autonomy isn’t emotionally reactive rebellion (or simply saying “no” to whatever mom and dad ask of them). Rather it is the ability to make responsible decisions that honor one's values and deeply held beliefs.
Self-Mastery
Personal discipline is the ability to control one's thoughts, emotions, and behaviors in order to achieve desired outcomes. This isn't about perfection; it's about having the awareness and skillset to behave in alignment with your core values, even if your circumstances are unpleasant.
“I am now happy to report that I’m thriving and look to the future with excitement, not dread. Relatable, welcoming, and supportive to the utmost degree. I couldn’t recommend him more highly!”
Freddy C.
Work with me
Ready to take the next step?
I'm only able to personally work with a limited number of people at any given time. If True North for Emerging Adults would benefit your child and their future, apply today.
Step One: Apply
Complete the Application
In 10 minutes or less, set your son or daughter on a different trajectory as they enter the next season of life.
Step Two: Inquiry Meeting
We’ll talk so you and your son or daughter can learn how to get the most out from the True North Emerging Adults program.
Step Three: Commit
Commit to the Process
Your child will uncover and articulate their own identity and discover strategies that produce a lasting impact in just eight weeks.
True North for Emerging Adults
The 8-week program that helps your child discover their true identity so they can lead an authentic and successful life.
Over Eight Weeks, your child will...
Get personalized coaching from me to accept and maximize their unique strengths for success
Identify their intrinsic motivations and learn to leverage them for greater autonomy and purpose
Discover and define their authentic self so they can stand firm in new environments
Implement a personalized strategy to effective organization and time management
Develop a strong framework for academic and interpersonal habits to overcome any self-sabotaging behavior
Establish boundaries and standards so they can navigate social challenges with confidence
Develop self-awareness so they can read challenging situations and adapt their response for the best outcome
Establish processes and systems for accountability that produces ongoing benefits
Program Outline
1. Establish core values to discover and define their identity
I'll assess and identify core values with your child. This part is fundamental to making any other part of my program effective and successful. In fact, for any coaching work I do, values identification is a mandatory component because it forms the foundation we build upon.
2. Build the techniques for emotional resilience
Develop mental fortitude and affirmations that help your son or daughter navigate comparison traps and negative thought patterns. Through this program, I'll equip them with the tools and resources needed to develop the fortitude to overcome these common pitfalls.
3. Increase academic awareness for effective learning and application
We'll work through a learning styles assessment to establish the best practices for being productive, learning material, study preparation, and more. During this unit, we'll also identify strengths that have been developed and find ways to strategically and intentionally enhance them to more effectively deal with adversity, stress, and overcoming obstacles.
4. Create a personalized organizational and time management strategy
Through a time management and organization practices evaluation, we'll create a customized strategy for managing time, energy, and material. Ultimately, the goal is to create habits that fit your child specifically so they implement, and stick with, effective practices.
5. Developing motivation that promotes greater autonomy and purpose
Many teens aren't actualizing their full potential—largely because they haven't identified why school and learning is personally important to them. When they take ownership and pursue excellence because of intrinsic motivation, their attitude, output, and enthusiasm shift to a new level.
6. Create accountability that actually works to accomplish goals
Woven into and across every module of the program is accountability. It's the most impactful and effective element, especially once your child's values and motivations are identified and goals have been set. By understanding the unique combination to a student's internal drive, it becomes far easier to help them tackle and accomplish their dreams.
7. Implement high-impact and productive goal-setting strategies
In the science of goal setting - there is a particular framework for setting goals that is undeniably the gold standard for setting, following through, and achieving goals. Your child will learn how to use this framework for setting and achieving goals that produce extraordinary results.
8. Discover how you can engage as a parent to empower your child's identity development
I'll work with you as the parent at multiple points through the program. We'll take time to specifically discuss how you can best support your child's progress, ask questions, set expectations, offer feedback, and more. I'll also be available to you via email and text outside of the regular meetings for questions that arise during the week.
Stories of Change
Read recent stories from parents like you and teens who have discovered their identity by working with me.
My son’s time with Dr. Andy has given him the tools that he needs to be successful in several areas of life. Lastly, I am grateful that Andy sees this as a partnership with my husband and me, a team that is investing time and effort in the best interest of our son.”
— Heather S.
“[Dr. Andy] has also helped us to develop our own individual skills for dealing with grief, loss and adversity. Our oldest child is also seeing Dr. Andy now to help him through his own challenges.”
— Sean & Pam T.
“I genuinely believe that Dr. Andy has helped me to become a more complete human being.”
— S.P.
“Dr. Andy has helped me overcome significant obstacles and self-limiting thinking, and never before have I had such a clear vision for taking such consistent action.”
— P.H.
"[Dr. Andy] helped guide me down the right path in which I was able to develop all the tools, self-confidence, and healthy habits I needed to improve my wellbeing.”
— Kristen M.
“I know of many people who have struggled to find a therapist that they enjoyed working with or that their teenage/young adult child would be willing to work with and finally found the answer when they met Dr. Garrett.”
— Timothy Gunn, PSY.D.
“When I think of giving up on things or goals he helps me to become more resilient and focus on my top priorities and values and helps me to tap into my sense of purpose.”
— S.V.
True North's Money Back Guarantee
You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
If you and your child implement this program and are unhappy with the results, I'll give you a full refund.
FAQs
What happens after I apply?
I'll be in touch with you shortly. We'll schedule a time for you, your child, and me to meet. During that call, we'll talk through your needs, my program, and how we'll work together. Ultimately, we will form a strategy for how your son or daughter can build the foundation they need to succeed.
Are you able to offer the True North Identity Blueprint remotely?
Yes, I'm available to meet via video with you and your child during the length of the program. All the materials are accessible online.
Where did “True North” come from, and what does it mean?
I believe that God has put specific gifts, talents, abilities, and traits inside each person. When we discover that design and live in alignment to it, it allows us to navigate life like having a compass that always points north. When we don’t live in alignment, we get off course fast. True North is all about helping your child discover that fixed point so they can move with confidence in any and all circumstances now and in the future.
What’s your refund policy?
Implement this program and see the results for yourself. If you've put the work in and are unhappy with what we've accomplished together, I'll give you a refund. There's nothing to lose!
The greatest discovery for your child's future: their true identity.
Let's work together to help your son or daughter step into their future with confidence and resilience.