Adolescent Counselling

The Adolescent Journey

Adolescence is a time of exciting personal growth and self-discovery, but it also brings with it many social, emotional and physical changes for our teens. At a time when many teens crave greater independence, they also depend on the caring adults in their life to navigate the ever changing landscape of being a teenager. If you are struggling to support your teen or are concerned about their emotional, social or physical wellbeing, booking a session with a counsellor is a great place to start.

Healthy Coping Reduces Distress 

Our adolescent therapists, Adam, Danielle, Linda, and Tehya use Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) to support teens who are engaging in self-harm, experiencing suicidal ideation, using drugs or alcohol, or who have difficulty forming healthy relationships. DBT is based on the belief that every experience can hold opposite truths. Life can bring us both moments of joy and moments of deep emotional pain. By learning to accept and tolerate the painful moments of life, we can learn to fully appreciate the moments of joy. DBT is an evidence-based treatment approach which teaches clients four sets of coping skills:

• Mindfulness skills which teach us to accept the current situation and stay grounded in the present moment.
• Distress Tolerance skills which teach us healthy coping tools which help us tolerate painful emotions instead of numbing, avoiding or escaping our emotional pain. 
• Emotional Regulation skills which teach us to manage and change our response to intense emotions.
• Interpersonal Effectiveness skills which teach us to set healthy boundaries and reduce conflict in our relationships by communicating in a way that is effective and respects ourselves and others. 

Strength-based approach:

Our teen therapists work collaboratively with teens to incorporate each teen’s individual strengths, personal interests and existing support networks into their treatment plans. Helping teens re-engage in pleasurable activities and hobbies can help them reduce stress and find a sense of purpose. Building upon teens’ existing supports and strengths can also help teens feel included and empowered throughout the counselling process. 

How Our Online Adolescent Counselling Works

1. Book a free initial consultation: This 15 minute session allows both adolescents and parents to meet with your teen's therapist and explain what you would like to work on with him. During this brief initial introduction, your teen and their therapist will see whether they are a good fit for one another and discuss what issues are causing your teen distress. You will also be able to ask the therapist any questions you may have about the therapeutic process, or bring up any other concerns.

2. Book an initial assessment: This initial 50-minute session allows your therapist to walk you through the counselling process and outline what you can expect from him/her. We ask all parents/guardians to attend for the 10-15 minutes of the appointment with their teens. This allows all parties to be on the same page about counselling. For the rest of the appointment, their therapist will meet individually with your teen to discuss the current issues affecting them and discuss goals to work on together during their counselling journey.

3. Counselling sessions begin: Once the initial assessment takes place, we then move forward to counselling sessions. These sessions can occur on a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly basis depending on your needs. During these sessions your therapist will meet individually with your teen to explore what is going on for them and to help integrate coping skills to manage difficult emotions, improve their self-esteem, and build healthy relationships with others.