Therapy for Teens
We love teenagers, but it’s a very particular time of life and it can be hard to know how to help. We’re here to support your teen to help them thrive.
In some ways, we all remember what it’s like to be a teenager. But teenagers’ brains are wired to push for independence and autonomy, which means they may want help and support outside their immediate family. As they figure out their place in social circles, drive for identity and independence, and navigate the strong emotions of a growing brain, you may notice that some of their behaviours and emotions don’t feel familiar at all.
Between the changes in technology and culture over the past decade, there’s a heightened worry and intensity to the teenage years. As a parent, you may be uncertain if you’re observing “typical teenage drama” or if it’s crossed into something more concerning.
Especially if you’ve noticed changes in your child’s behaviour - resistance to activities or school, academic struggles, or signs they may have high stress or possible depression - you’re not alone. At The Wren Centre in west Ottawa, we offer therapy for teens (or parents!) to help them navigate these complex years so they emerge into adulthood with skills and confidence.
Why Teens May Need Therapy
The human brain doesn’t stop growing until around the age of 25, especially the areas most responsible for the most “adult” of functions. As teenagers are still developing their capacity for decision-making and emotion regulation, their ability to understand what’s happening for them and articulate it is still years away from being well-honed. If they are facing additional mental health challenges like high stress, anxiety, depression, or difficulty with peers, there's a high likelihood they won’t communicate it.
Getting ahead of it and giving your teen access to therapy can dramatically improve mental health, academic success, and resilience, as well as reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression (CAMH). When teens get timely help, with therapists who understand the teenage brain and are “pro teenager,” it can mean skills and success that will serve them into adulthood.
How to Know if Your Teen Could Use Therapy
Every parent can relate to uncertainty about when to get additional help for their kid. Some common signs that it may be time for therapy for your teen include:
- Avoiding friends and family (spending lots of time in room; never-ending screen use)
- Sadness or irritability that seem unrelated to specific events (especially listen out for when they describe everyone and everything as “annoying”)
- Significant changes in academic performance
- Worry in social or school settings (excessive stress about performance or peers; avoiding school)
- Describing themselves in highly critical terms
- Significant changes in sleep behaviour or eating habits
- Increased risk-taking or substance use
If you recognize any of these behaviours in your teen, therapy can help them gain the tools they need to manage stress, express their emotions, and develop healthy coping strategies.
How The Wren Centre Supports Teens
You don’t “jive” with every person you’ve ever met, and teens are the same. There’s no “one size fits all” therapy approach or therapist for teens. At our west Ottawa therapy centre, our approaches can tailored to the needs of your teen. We support teenagers coping with a diversity of mental health concerns that teens face, including depression, anxiety, school performance worries, and peer or family conflict.
Sometimes teens seek therapy to support them through life transitions or the big questions and feelings that come with their particular identity.
Our therapists use a supportive and directive approach to therapy with teens that draws on evidence-based practices like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and mindfulness, combined with our biopsychosocial perspective (the interdependence of physical, mental and social health).
We even do some somatic therapy techniques with teens, because they work! (This is one of our favourite things about working with teens - once the trust is there, they’re usually pretty game to try!)
What Sets Our Teen Therapy Apart?
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No teen wants to go to therapy that seems like their parents recruited someone to say, “Why hello - couldn’t you listen to your parents more?” . The best therapy outcomes for teens requires collaboration between therapist and teen. As one of our therapists says, “I just met you; I don’t expect you to spill your guts to me.” We help teens feel more at ease by letting them pick the music for the room (please no death metal), playing board games, doing colouring meditations, etc., especially in the early stages of therapy. We can’t do deeper emotional work without trust and respect!
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Regardless of their gender, adolescence is a time when teens begin to explore and question their identity. For LGBTQ teens, this can come with additional challenges such as discrimination, bullying, or added stress from navigating the world and relationships. Our teen therapists offer a safe, affirming space for teens of all identities to explore their feelings and work through the unique difficulties they face.
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Many teens come to us having experienced trauma, including bullying, abuse, or witnessing family conflict. Our trauma therapy helps teens process these experiences in a safe and compassionate environment, allowing them to heal and move forward.
The Benefits of Teen Therapy
Improved Emotional Regulation:
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Enhanced Problem-Solving Skills:
Whether your teen is neurodivergent or neurotypical, decision-making is a skill they need now, but their brains are less equipped to do! Therapy can teach them decision-making models and support conflict resolution without resorting to unhealthy behaviors.
Stronger Relationships:
After puberty, your brain’s region that is most responsible for signaling threat (the amygdala) is most soothed by the presence of supportive friends. (This is why feeling excluded from social plans can feel like death for a teenager.) Therapy helps them build better communication skills, improving relationships with peers, teachers, and family members.
Increased Confidence:
By addressing issues like social anxiety, negative self-talk, and helping them get out of the shame/blame cycles a lot of us live in, therapy can boost a teen’s confidence and self-worth.
Resilience For the Teen Years and Adulthood:
Maybe you had a different experience, but high-school can be rough. Your teen needs coping skills to serve them now and throughout their lives, preparing them for the challenges of adulthood by learning how to surf the waves of struggle now. Consider the counselling therapy process for teens as an investment in their strength; not a sign of weakness
How Does Therapy Work?
HERE’S HOW WE GET STARTED:
You do a Phone Screening call with our admin team to help with therapist matching and learn about our policies.
Your teen does a free consultation with a therapist to see if they’re a match. (Your teen’s interest and willingness to participate is essential!)
Your teen collaborates with their therapist to explore the methods that best meet their needs. Counselling therapy sessions can include:
Talk Therapy: A safe space for teens to express their thoughts and feelings without fear of judgment.
Skills-Building: Using evidence-based techniques, our therapists teach teens how to manage stress, regulate emotions and make values-based decisions in their life and relationships.
Creative Expression: As appropriate, we incorporate art, journaling, somatic therapy, and other forms of creative expression into your teen’s counselling process, because many youth are not best served by strictly talk-based therapy methods.
What About Online Therapy for Teens?
We understand that life is busy, and getting your teen to a therapy appointment isn’t always easy. That’s why we offer online therapy to accommodate your family schedule. We encourage parents to support their teen in coming to in person therapy at least for the first couple of sessions, but we know that sometimes virtual counselling is the only way it’s going to happen. We’ve worked with many teens we’ve only met with for online sessions!
FAQs About Therapy for Teens
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Therapy is a personalized process, but many teens benefit from weekly or every-other-week sessions over a period of a few months. The length of therapy depends on the complexity of the issues being addressed; your teen’s therapist will express their recommendations and work with you to make a plan.
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Yes, confidentiality is a cornerstone of therapy. However, there are certain circumstances where a therapist must break confidentiality, such as if your teen is in danger of harming themselves or others. We are happy to discuss your concerns with you.
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We put part of this question in quotations, because while psychotherapy includes talk therapy in a safe, supportive relationship, it is not “just” someone to talk to. The therapist/client relationship has to be trusting and supportive, including with teens, because therapy is hard work. It’s like an education in being a skillful human! We make it as supportive as possible to help teens do the work.
Read more from our team…
Get the Help Your Teen Deserves
As a parent, watching your teen struggle can be heartbreaking. But you don’t have to wait for things to get worse before seeking help - early intervention can make all the difference. Our team at The Wren Centre is here to support both you and your teen on a therapy journey toward healing and growth. We invite you to reach out for a consultation.
If your teen notices the pattern and - on top of the burnout - feel confused and guilty about why they seem to keep going back for more when their nervous system is already fried. We address this in the therapy office all the time - social media isn’t designed to make us happy, it’s just designed to make us look.