ADOLESCENT COUNSELLING
Adolescents is an age of emotional vulnerability anxiety and insecurities. Since adolescence is a transition from childhood to adulthood, the adolescence age phase is usually centred around identity crises, peer influence, bullying, sibling rivalry, school adjustment and parental conflict.
The adolescents are usually unable to convey their unpleasant feelings and resolve their life issues on their own. My aim is to help adolescents to express their thoughts, emotions and wishes that they think are often overwhelming or too much to handle for them. I also strive at teaching healthy coping skills to young people so that they can handle their life stressors in a healthy way rather than becoming a victim of unhealthy coping mechanisms.
I always feel it’s important to meet with the parents / guardian for an initial session to ensure I have as much relevant information as possible. This can also be a time for parents to talk through their concerns and to discuss any questions about specific therapeutic techniques used.
Adolescents are more prone to relationship issues and substance use. They are usually not comfortable communicating or discussing these issues with their parents or their family due to the fear of being judged or criticized. Adolescent counselling helps adolescents to deal with relationship issues and negative peer influence or substance abuse and replace their maladaptive behaviours with adaptive ones
​ADOLESCENT COUNSELLING ISSUES
☑ Anxiety
☑ Identity Questions or Confusion
☑ Bereavement
☑ PTSD
☑ Bullying
☑ Low Self Esteem
☑ Depression
☑ Trauma
☑ Transition from primary to secondary school
☑ Parental Separation
Adolescent Counselling
One of the clearest differences between adult counselling and adolescent counselling is the modifications for differing developmental milestones.
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Many mental health professionals including myself consult psychologist Erik Erikson’s developmental stages to inform their practice with different age groups. His theory states areas of primary interest corresponding to specific developmental periods in life.
According to Erikson’s Stages of Psychosocial Development, adolescents are focused on creating identity but can encounter confusion in the process. They weigh societal expectations, their upbringing and their values at this stage