Common Challenges Teens Bring to Therapy

Therapy is ultimately about supporting people with the challenges and changes of life, so simply put: therapy can be supportive for any challenges you might be having. Here at Toronto Counselling Centre for Teens, we specialize in working with teens and their families and all that encompasses.

Some of the most common challenges teens come to us for include:

• Depression and challenges with mood

• Self-harm

• Anxiety, including generalized anxiety, social anxiety, panic, or performance anxiety

• Academic related struggles, such as stress management, test anxiety, procrastination, difficulty with school attendance, and learning disabilities

• Body image, relationship with food or disordered eating

• Neurodivergence, such as ADHD, autism, giftedness, and learning disabilities

• Substance use challenges

• Challenges related to 2SLGBTQIA+ identities, including questioning one’s gender or sexual identity, lack of support from those around them, or navigating stigma or discrimination

• Health challenges including chronic illness, new diagnosis, digestive issues, etc.

• Anger and difficulty regulating emotions

• Family changes such as navigating divorce, separation, blending families, or adoption

• Social challenges including feelings of loneliness, experiences of bullying, social anxiety, or social withdrawal

• Trauma including childhood trauma, experiences of abuse, or single incident trauma (i.e., car accident, witnessing traumatic event)

Depending on the unique person and their set of challenges, therapy may be the primary support. Other times, therapy is combined with other formal support and resources, such as: medication, support from the school, a dietitian, involvement of primary care and/or specialists, etc. Your therapist can work alongside you and your family to determine if other supports are recommended and help get you connected if so.