Teen Therapy

Is your teenager struggling to find themselves?

• Is your teen moody, irritable and often angry?

• Is your teen struggling at school with keeping on top of assignments?

• Is your teen so dependent on technology at the expense of enjoying other activities?

• Is your family struggling to do activities together because of your teens attitude or mood?

• Is your teen struggling with perfectionism or rigidity?

• Is your teen having difficulty with eating or sleeping patterns?

Being a teenager is not an easy task. Teens have many stressors to consider, and they often will resort to unhealthy coping mechanisms to help deal with the demands of life. Some of these include drugs/alcohol, self-harm, videogame or phone addiction, under/over eating, under/over sleeping, and avoidance of school and friends. We are seeing an alarming increase in teen mental health issues, partially related to the upset that the pandemic had on us all. Not to mention, the adolescent years are known to be plagued with problems regarding self-image and identity.

We expect teenagers to be more moody at times, but what happens with your teenager is most often displaying an irritable or low mood? What if your teen doesn’t want to leave their room for activities they once enjoyed? What if they are disengaged and highly secretive from their family members, leaving you confused and feeling pushed out? More than ever, your teen may need someone to talk to who can provide guidance and support.

What is addressed in teen therapy?

• problematic family dynamics

• issues with insomnia, or over sleeping

• problematic peer relationships

• school avoidance

• perfectionism

• self-esteem issues

• anger or irritability

• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

• behaviour problems

• trauma or PTSD

• Disordered eating

• Issues related to identity

• Substance use, including vaping

• Suicidal thinking or self-harm

• Issues with authority

• Social anxiety or extreme shyness

“Everybody says that being a teenager is not easy. But what happens when the concerns around your teen are greater than what you expected? This is when therapy can have a huge impact.”

What to expect: Teen therapy sessions are conducted in-person in our office or virtually in the comfort of your own home. They are usually 50 minutes in length (this allows 10 minutes at the end of the hour for the therapist to write their note and plan for next session). Sessions can be done on a weekly, biweekly or monthly basis, depending on your goals and your therapist’s recommendation. We usually ask the parent to be involved for the first session to gather some information, but this is ultimately up to your teen whether they want their caregiver present.

Teen/ Youth therapy at Brookhaven

Our therapists have significant experience treating a variety of teenager and adolescent stressors and hold jobs on child/adolescent mental health outpatient units across the province. Many of our therapists also have experience in the school board, understanding the impact of teen mental health on their schooling. We use engaging and gold-standard materials to help your teen learn new coping mechanisms, understand their unhelpful patterns, and get to the root of the problem.