What is Adolescent Therapy?

Adolescents are amazing human beings. Parents and caregivers are eager to be supportive in this period of development.. These two facts do not always work together. Finding your identity can
feel risky and exhausting , while supporting an adolescent can feel frustrating and unrewarding. Therapy with adolescents and their families is designed to give greater understanding about this
important life stage. Together we support the adolescent in navigating their future adult life.

Adolescent work is from 10 years and up. The purpose of the work is to support the adolescent in processing and understanding the many issues and changes which adolescents face. We know that
adolescence is a time of growth and challenge and that the brain, body and emotions are undergoing significant changes. The adolescents' social and academic world is continually
changing as their education expands and their friend group emerges. With these changes comes a demand on the mind to work everything out. This can place a pressure on both adolescents and
their families to figure it out or get it right. Adolescent Therapy is a space to figure it out. Often adolescents need the opportunity to look at themselves in a supportive environment so that they
can see the real essence of who they are and who they want to be. Many developmental challenges arise in adolescence which impact behaviour, mood, learning style and overall development.

Adolescent Therapy provides support to adolescents who may present with the following:

- Anxiety/ Stress
- Depression/ Low mood
- Gender Identity/ Sexuality Issues
- Behavioural Changes
- Learning Challenges/ Learning Diagnosis
- Overwhelming feelings of stress/ anger/ loneliness
- Self Harm
- Trauma
- Grief

Therapy is designed around several approaches which focus on specific adolescent developmental issues. CBT, Trauma Therapy, Gestalt Adolescent Interventions, Humanistic approaches all form part of the work which support coping strategies, skill development and confidence building. At times various recommendations may be made for further assessments or supports in the community to
other professional services.