Teen Therapy & Counselling FAQS

This is a good question and one that does not have a simple answer. Sometimes the process is short and only a few sessions are needed. Sometimes it can take a long time depending on a number of factors.

What we know with certainty is that therapy is a process. An important part of that process involves developing a relationship with your therapist where you feel trust, heard and respected. All of the therapists at our centre strive to really listen and appreciate the vulnerability that it takes to come into therapy.

Depending on what your teen, your family or you have experienced it may take a bit of time to develop this relationship. Also, people enter therapy with different goals, some people are seeking an ongoing supportive relationship with a therapist where they can have space to talk about stresses in their lives. Other people enter therapy with a specific goal, for example, to overcome social anxiety.

Therapy is effective and that we will work with you to meet you where you are at and support you in making the changes that you want in your life.

Starting therapy may be something that you or your teen has thought about for a while or you may have found yourself in a crisis and have started therapy quite suddenly.

Therapy will likely involve talking about things that are connected to difficult or uncomfortable emotions. We know what this is like and our team also focuses on your strengths, resiliency, and ways of coping. At the same time, when you start to do this, it may lead to you feeling a bit more unsettled at first. Kind of like when you start to exercise after not doing so for a while, your muscles may be a bit sore. We encourage parents and everyone to come into therapy to keep an open dialogue with one another about what is helpful to one another.

Another great question that has a range of answers! This is something that we’ll all decide together. We take into account how deeply your teen is struggling and your budget and time constraints.

This is a great question and this answer is also not 100% straightforward.

We love working with families when we’re working with teens. That being said, we also know that adolescence is an important time for developing independence and autonomy. Also, we’re bound by some legislation around confidentiality that applies to everyone 12 and over. Which means that teens and anyone accessing therapy, have a right to make decisions about who is involved in their therapy and whether information is shared (unless there are specific concerns regarding safety).

Our goal is to come alongside your teen and your family and support connection, while respecting your teens' need for independence. We will customize a plan that fits your family. Sometimes that means that parents have weekly direct involvement in therapy and sometimes that means that your teen will give you updates. Sometimes this also means that with your teens consent we will ask about having family therapy sessions. These decisions are made together with you and your teen as we are in process. We are happy to discuss what meets your needs.

We love this question. One of the reasons our centre specializes in working with teens is that we really love the energy and vitality and also the struggle that is so often associated with this time in life. We know that teens don't often want to come to therapy, and we get it. We genuinely respect that it can be hard to come to therapy. One of the ways we work to connect with teens is spending time getting to know them in whatever way that makes sense and sometimes that is bonding over TikTok videos or what is happening with their friends. We are specialists in working with young people and really care to get to know teens in all aspects of their lives.

Teens are so different, and will likely need and want different things from parents over the course of therapy. Just asking this question to them at a time when you can listen, and really hear what they say, is the best place to start.

All of the therapists at our centre are either Registered Social Workers or Registered Psychotherapists, all trained at the masters level. This means that part of the work we do in providing therapy is considering overall how your teen is coping. If we are concerned about your child or your family, we will discuss this with you and support you in connecting to other supports while we continue to work together. This could involve other supports such as your family doctor or other specialized services.

The biggest difference is to families that have some sort of health coverage plan. Some plans cover one of those two practitioners, some plans cover both. Each plan has been negotiated by the entity providing the plan (usually your employer). There are a number of professionals registered with colleges in Ontario that are permitted to practise within the controlled act of psychotherapy. Registered Social Workers and Registered Psychotherapists are the two most common practitioners that offer psychotherapy. The only significant difference between the two is that you will also find Registered Social Workers employed in a variety of capacities and places whereas Registered Psychotherapists tend to only be employed in a psychotherapy setting.

Sessions with any of our associates is a flat fee cost of $185 per 1 hour sessions.

Sessions are typically an hour long. If longer sessions are required, this is something you can arrange with your therapist.