Adolescent & Family Counselling
Specialized Counselling for Teens
The pre-adolescent and teenage years are a critical period of development for our youth. With the pace at which growth, learning and transformation occurs, there is a lot of opportunity to experience difficulties and struggle.
At Foundations Counselling, our therapists create a safe and supportive environment to foster healthy development, coping skills, and understanding the resources available to them. Therapy offers a private place for kids and teenagers to address school stress, friends, identity shifts, emotions and other mental health challenges.
Our team brings a wealth of experience in working with adolescents age 11 and up.
Why is Therapy Important For My Child?
Therapy for children and teens is not only a benefit to them, but also the family. Through learning how to communicate better, parents learning to understand the needs and behaviours of their children, and developing conflict resolution skills, both the parents and children can experience positive growth in their relationship.
Like adults, children can benefit from counselling through the development of essential life skills, building resilience and emotional intelligence, and understanding how to identify and cope with their emotions. The therapists at Foundations Counselling utilize evidence-based, age appropriate strategies to meet the emotional and cognitive needs of each individual child to nurture a comfortable and productive experience.
What You and Your Child Can Expect
We use a variety of therapies specifically designed to engage kids and teens, including verbal and expressive play, art therapy, journaling, role-playing and games. We also use age-appropriate cognitive behavioural techniques in our work. At Foundations, we believe that when a young person is struggling emotionally and exhibiting behavioural challenges, we must work with the parents/caregivers and the young person to work towards change.
Early intervention can have a profound effect on a young person’s development trajectory. It’s been shown that when children receive the support and resources they require for emotional regulation, they are better equipped to overcome future barriers. In working with parents and families, we help discover strengths and aid in shifting patterns that are not currently working. We get to know the family and their internal culture to develop an effective intervention strategy with meaningful goals.
Our clients report experiencing:
- Improved relationships with friends and family
- Increased self-esteem and confidence
- Stronger coping and emotional regulation skills
- Better communication
- Ability to solve-problems independently
- Overall feeling happier day to day
