Counselling for Teenagers

Is your teenager sleeping more, isolating themselves in their rooms, neglecting schoolwork and appearing down and unfocused? If you are noticing that your teenager is behaving differently, there might be something going on that they are having a difficult time coping with. Therapy helps teens and their parents understand the underlying cause of negative feelings, thoughts and behaviours, while also giving them the tools and strategies to feel empowered to work through their issues and find helpful solutions.

How Can Counselling Help?

Adolescence is a time for significant growth, self-discovery and change. It seems that the moment a child becomes a teenager, they are often inundated with a host of new external and internal struggles including changing bodies, increased work and academic pressure, peer pressure, bullying, conflict with parents, extracurricular activities, and even new romantic relationships. Additionally, social media complicates their perception of others and themselves, which increases the risk of poor body image, anxiety, low self-esteem, eating disorders and depression. Through therapy, teenagers develop vital skills such as resilience, emotional regulation, effective communication, empathy, assertiveness, self-acceptance, confidence and self-awareness. These skills will enable them to respond appropriately to challenges and feel more empowered to be themselves.

Common Mental Health Issues in Teenagers

  • Anxiety disorders (generalized anxiety, social anxiety, performance anxiety, and panic disorders)

  • Low self-esteem

  • Depression and grief

  • Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

  • Body image issues and eating disorders

  • Bullying and cyberbullying

  • Internet obsession and dependency

  • Defiant and risky behaviour

  • Gender dysphoria and sexuality

  • Stress and burn out

  • Trauma (physical, emotional or sexual)

Common Signs of Distress in Teenagers

Teenagers in distress are often dismissed as being hormonal or “just teenagers”. It is important to validate and understand the complex experiences and feelings that teenagers have to work through on a daily basis. Although challenging boundaries, sassiness or refusing to spend time with family are often normal teenage behaviours, if these behaviours are paired with sadness, changes in eating or sleeping patterns, or withdrawing from social activities all together, your teenager may be struggling emotionally. Here are some common signs that signal your teenager is troubled.

  • Persistent Sadness

    Persistent Sadness

    Have you noticed that your teenager is sad more often than not? Adults often dismiss teens who are sad as simply hormonal, but prolonged sadness is a sign of depression.

  • Angry Outbursts

    This sign is often overlooked or attributed to teen hormone; however, excessive anger, irritability and aggression is often a sign of trauma, anxiety or depression.

  • Social Withdrawal

    Social Withdrawal

    Your teenager may be struggling if they are locking themselves in their room all day, refusing to see friends or family, and socially isolating themselves.

  • Unexplained Cuts & Bruises

    If your teenager is coming home with unexplained cuts and bruises that they try to brush off, it is possible that they are being bullied or that they are harming themselves.

  • Anxiety and Stress

    Bullying, poor self esteem, peer pressure, academic stress and difficulties at home may all contribute to a teenager feeling increased anxiety and stress.

  • Reckless Behaviour

    In some cases, troubled teenagers may engage in reckless behaviour for a variety of reasons including to fit in, to act out against authority, or to harm themselves.

  • Changes in Eating Habits

    Whether it is overeating or under eating, changes in eating habits are often a red flag when it comes to teenagers since it can be a sign of eating disorders, bullying or depression.

  • Conflict with Parents

    It is normal for teenagers to test their boundaries, but if your teenager is constantly fighting with you, it could be a sign of a deeper issue that you don’t know about.

  • Changes in Sleep Patterns

    Teenagers who are unhappy or stressed may experience fatigue and can develop unusual sleeping patterns such as sleeping all day, staying up all night, or not sleeping at all.

  • Physical Symptoms

    Emotional distress can sometimes cause physiological symptoms such as elevated heart rate, headaches, stomachaches, nausea, and heartburn.

  • Dropping Grades

    Increased academic stress, an unstable home-life, bullying, ADHD, learning disabilities and depression can all negatively impact your child’s academic performance.

  • Loss of Interest

    If your teenager has lost interest in activities they once enjoyed, it is possible that they are feeling demotivated due to depression, anxiety or stress.

Bullying and Cyberbullying

Bullying is repeated harassment and aggressive behaviour towards a targeted person. Oftentimes, the bullies are relentless and the abuse escalates over time as the bully grows emboldened. The bullying can be physical, verbal, or relational, and it often deeply impacts the victim. Bullying can leave a person feeling helpless, humiliated, anxious, depressed, threatened and lonely.

Technology means that bullying is no longer limited to just schools and street run ins. Cyberbullying can happen anywhere and anytime, exposing the child to relentless torment in all hours of the day with no escape. Furthermore, it is often done anonymously and in front of hundreds of people, thereby causing the child to feel paranoid and threatened wherever they go.

If your teenager is being bullied, the mental health consequences can be severe and even life threatening. It is important to speak to your child, and if necessary, have them speak to a psychologist in order to cope and manage with abuse.

LGBTQIA+ Individuals

The teenage years are meant for self discovery. It is the time when teenagers start defining who they are and where they fit in the world, which makes it especially difficult when the world does not accept who they are. Although acceptance has improved over the years, many LGBTQIA+ teenagers and adults still face judgement, discrimination, loss of relationships and bullying.

Mental Health Therapy can help individuals with:

  • Self acceptance

  • Coming out

  • Transitioning

  • Gender dysphoria

  • Coping with judgement and discrimination

  • Relationships

  • Parent-child conflict

  • Healing from conversion therapy

Assessments and Treatment Options

Psychological Assessments

We provide psychological assessments for teenagers, including:

  • Psycho-educational assessments

  • Gifted assessments

  • Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder assessments

  • Autism spectrum disorder assessments

  • Social-emotional assessments

Learn More

 Treatment Approaches

  • Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

    Cognitive behavioural therapy is an effective treatment approach that helps teenagers recognize and challenge unhelpful thoughts, feelings and beliefs about themselves and others while developing healthy coping mechanisms that help them through out their life.

  • Parent-Child/ Family Therapy

    Counselling targeted towards improving the parent-child or family relationship focuses on communication skills, mutual respect, empathy, responsibility, and familial expectations. It is especially helpful in divorced, blended, adoptive, and broken families.

  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

    Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) can help teenagers learn to identify, understand, and accept their emotions. Since teenagers often face confusing or challenging feelings, ACT can help them find ways to manage them effectively.

Internet and Social Media Addiction

Internet and social media addiction is becoming an increasingly severe and concerning trend among teenagers and young adults. Teenagers spend many hours of the day and night on the internet instead of living their own lives, enjoying the sun and spending time with friends and families. Furthermore, they are comparing themselves and their lives to what they are seeing online even though what they are seeing is often far from reality. This often leads to low self-esteem, envy, depression, loneliness, and anxiety. In some cases, teenagers may even partake in dangerous or unhealthy trends they see online, or may experience cyberbullying. In any case, the internet is a dangerous place for teenagers. Therapy can help teenagers recognize these unhealthy habits and develop the skills and resilience to overcome their addiction.

Resources for Teenagers

  • Kid's Help Line

    Kids Help Line is Canada’s only 24/7 e-mental health service offering free, confidential support to young people. No issue is too big or too small.

    Text (686868), message or call (1-800-668-6868) for support.

  • Calgary Distress Centre

    Distress Centre Calgary (DCC) provides 24 hour crisis support, professional counselling, youth peer support and referrals.

    Call the Distress Centre at 403-266-HELP (4357)