Counselling for teenagers & young adults
Photos I took when I was 18 years old on a Holga (120mm film).
I have worked extensively with people aged between 14-25 who come from a wide range of backgrounds. What I’ve noticed is that, no matter who they are or what they have gone through in life, they have these things in common:
They want to feel heard.
They want to feel understood and validated.
They don’t want to be lectured.
They don’t need extra emotional and mental pressure.
They want to feel safe.
Teenagers & Young Adults & Narrative Therapy
Narrative therapy honours your story thus far. It will teach you how to gain agency over your own story as you move from childhood into adulthood. As your psychotherapist, I can help you on that journey with a compassionate, empathetic and understanding ear.
Some of the many issues I know teenagers and young adults face include the following:
Self-esteem, feelings of self-worth & identity development
School worries & career questions
Friendship & relationship issues
Body image & self-image issues
Sexuality, sexual identity & gender identity
Anxiety, depression & stress
Gaming addictions
Substance misuse
Neurodivergence & disability
Exposure & experience of domestic & family violence
Cyberbullying & internet use
How I can help young teens & young adults
Using a non-pathologising, collaborative approach in the counselling room, narrative therapy styles can draw out the stories of teenagers and young adults, giving them agency to write and re-rewrite their stories in a safe space.
My style of therapy places you in the driving seat of your story - I’m there to listen and guide you along.
How I can help parents
Parenting teenagers and young adults can be a stressful time. Helping your children move through the messiness this stage is often mired in emotional and mental exhaustion for parents.
How you relate to your child during this stage is crucial, and looking after your own wellbeing is just as important as looking after your teenager.
I’m here to listen, to support and offer guidance on how to hold space for your child as well as for your own peace of mind.
I share these photos that I took at 18 because I believe they capture something I couldn’t put into words at the time.
No matter how many friends or family I had around me, everyone felt far away, blurry or just out of reach. I felt lost, confused and isolated, trying to make sense of my imposed and sudden adulthood.
I forged my own path and it changed many, many times along the way. When I look at these photos, I remember the awkward, unsettling & lonely feelings of young adulthood.
When I look at these photos, I’m reminded of my story - how I wrote it, and re-wrote it, again and again and again.
