Teen Counselling Cottesloe
Teen Counselling. Helping Your Teen Find Their Way.
Adolescent therapy is designed to guide young people aged 12-18 through the emotional, mental, and social challenges in their teens.
By creating a nurturing and secure environment at our Cottesloe practice, our teen clients enjoy cultivating self-understanding, inner strength, and confidence building while enjoying a trusted, safe and confidential connection with their therapist.
Our Cottesloe counselling supports teenagers with:
Building resilience and developing effective coping strategies
Managing and understanding emotions
Navigating worry, low mood or overwhelm
Academic pressures and important life choices
Family tension and relationship patterns
Evolving peer relationships and social dynamics
Discovering and exploring who they are
Self-image and confidence challenges
Boundaries and healthy relationships
Guiding Teenagers Through Life’s Difficult Moments
Teen counselling is beneficial for adolescents who are experiencing difficulties such as:
Anxiety and depression
Peer pressure and bullying
Family conflicts
Low self-esteem and body image concerns
Academic stress and performance anxiety
Social challenges and isolation
Identity exploration
Boundaries and confidence-building
Navigating hard conversations
Navigating and supporting ADHD.
This therapy is ideal for adolescents who are open to discussing their feelings and seeking personal growth, and want to attend counselling sessions for themselves.
We love to support Teen clients with the following challenges:
-
You might feel like you have to change parts of yourself just to be accepted: at school, online, or even within your friend group. That pressure to fit in can feel exhausting, and sometimes it leaves you questioning whether you’re truly enough just as you are. You may struggle to be your authentic self, explore and discover who you are, while still staying close to your friends.
-
It’s easy to fall into the habit of comparing yourself to others on social media. Even when you know those images are edited or filtered, they can still make you feel like you should look or be a certain way. That constant comparison can really hurt the way you see yourself and your body, and make you feel self-conscious and not comfortable in your own skin.
-
You might be trying really hard to do well in school, but the pressure to get good grades and plan for your future and make big life decisions can feel overwhelming. When things don’t go as planned, it can lead to anxiety, stress, or even feeling like you’re failing, not just in school, but as a person. You may feel left behind or like you can’t keep up to find your strengths.
-
Maybe things at home feel confusing, tense, or just heavy. Whether there’s conflict, a big change like divorce, or you just feel misunderstood, it’s okay to want someone to talk to. You deserve support that helps you make sense of what’s going on and how it’s affecting you. You’re in a phase where you’re trying to find space from your parents, develop your own identity and have some space to be with your friends, and different families and parents navigate that differently.
-
Your friendships probably matter a lot to you, and that’s why it hurts so much when there’s drama, miscommunication, or when you feel left out or bullied. Navigating friend groups can be stressful and even make you doubt yourself or question your place in them. You may worry you can’t trust them or that your friendship circles are changing all the time.
-
You might find yourself being your own worst critic. Maybe you don’t like how you look, how you act, or just don’t feel good enough, no matter what anyone else says. That kind of self-doubt can sneak into so many areas of your life, and it’s really hard to carry alone. Low self-esteem can especially show up in friendships, relationships and standing up for yourself.
-
If your mind feels like it’s always racing, worrying about the future, replaying what you said, or imagining worst-case scenarios, you’re not alone. Anxiety can show up in ways that make it hard to sleep, concentrate, or even breathe, and it can feel like it's taking over your life. You may feel like you’re physically present but your mind is always elsewhere.
-
There might be times when you feel down, disconnected, or just kind of numb, like nothing really matters anymore. Maybe the things that used to make you happy don’t feel the same, and it’s hard to explain why. That’s not something you have to go through on your own.
Whatever challenges you're facing, what you're feeling matters. You don't need to have all the answers before seeking support. Therapy offers a secure, accepting environment where you can express yourself, feel truly understood, and begin reconnecting with who you are. You're not navigating this alone—and things can get better.
Our therapists are contemporary, love to laugh and want to grow strong identities and confident personaliities in our teen clients.
“I love our sessions! We get on so well and I didn’t connect with my other counsellors. I like that you and I can just talk and it’s private and I get this space away from my friends and family to find my own voice. Thank you for making me feel stronger and more confident in myself!”
Our Teen Counsellors
Processing ADHD diagnosis.
Support for peer or relationship struggles.
Family challenges such as parental separation, conflict in family dynamics or sibling challenges.
Managing anxiety and overthinking.
Emotional regulation for mood swings, sadness or emotional overwhelm.
Identity exploration and building to connect to your authentic self.
Boundaries, self-esteem and self-confidence building.
Academic stress, exam anxiety, and managing expectations.
Empowerment and inner strength building
Registered Counsellor
Justyna Ptak-Broers
Britt Tyrrell
Build confidence in your authentic self amidst peer and social pressures.
Navigate social media and comparisons.
Positive self-image and body confidence.
Support school stress, performance anxiety, and career decision-making.
Navigate family dynamics, conflict, and changes like separation or loss.
Create healthy communication and boundaries with parents and siblings.
Manage friendship challenges, bullying, social shifts, and isolation.
Empower self-esteem through self-compassion and positive self-talk.
Tools for anxiety, stress and overwhelm.
Registered Counsellor
Viola Prinz
Insight into your emotions and learning how to express your inner experiences.
Developing self-compassion and building a kinder relationship in your self-talk.
Exploring identity and making sense of who you are during times of transition
Navigate peer and family relationships with more awareness and confidence
Challenge unhelpful thought patterns and build healthier ways of thinking
Feel safer to open up and seek support when needed by asking for your needs.
Reconnecting with hope and creating a more meaningful path forward.
Exploring ADHD or Autism diagnoses.
Registered Psychologist
Your Teen’s Journey With Us
Adolescent therapy combines meaningful dialogue and therapeutic approaches designed specifically for young people's needs. Our qualified therapists have extensive experience guiding teenagers to examine their thoughts, feelings, and life experiences within a secure and accepting space.
Sessions might include evidence-based cognitive strategies, grounding techniques, creative therapeutic elements, hands-on activities and emotionally focused methods to promote wellbeing and mental health.
The aim is to provide young people with practical resources to navigate pressure, foster positive connections, and deepen self-awareness, while celebrating their unique personality and nurturing their growing confidence.
Through developing an understanding of their inner landscape, adolescents will discover how to care for themselves during difficult periods and build a reliable toolkit for life's challenges. They’ll learn how to communicate, create voundaries and make safe and aligned decisions.
Getting Comfortable in Session
Our therapists engage in open discussions about their thoughts, feelings, and concerns. Depending on your teen’s needs, the session may involve:
Identifying and processing emotions
Developing problem-solving skills
Exploring family and peer relationships
Learning stress management techniques
Addressing academic pressures and career aspirations
Practical activities and tools to help make sense of what they’re experiencing, such as therapy cards, drawings, diagrams, activities, etc.
We know, talking can be hard for teens!
Sessions are tailored to the adolescent’s progress, and the number of sessions required varies based on individual needs.
At times, parents will be invited in for a portion of the session or for full sessions, while maintaining confidentiality with the teen,
The Research Behind Teen Counselling
Teen therapy is backed by comprehensive research and acknowledged as a valuable approach for addressing diverse emotional and psychological challenges. It draws on proven techniques including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), emotionally centred work, goal-oriented strategies and awareness-based practices. Research demonstrates that therapeutic support for teenagers substantially enhances emotional strength, adaptive skills, and general mental health outcomes in young people.
Finding the Right Support for Your Teen
Teen counselling at our Practice is not suited for clients who;
Are experiencing acute or complex mental health challenges that require clinical or psychological support.
School avoidance, physical violence or aggression.
Are in immediate crisis, engaging in high-risk behaviours or thoughts and need emergency support.
Active drug or alcohol abuse or addiction.
Teens who do not want to engage in counselling at this time.
In such cases, a GP can recommend alternative support and referral options.
Contact Us
We’re so excited to welcome you as a treasured client of our bespoke therapy practice in Cottesloe & Fremantle.
Please complete the form below and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
Please note, we are a full-fee paying private practice where we support clients long term through excellent contemporary therapy.
We are unable to provide emergency or crisis services and do not have a reception phone number.
If you are experiencing a mental health emergency, please call 00 or the Mental Health Emergency Response Line on 1300 555 788.
Frequently Asked Questions ✨
Frequently Asked Questions ✨
-
In a counselling session, the therapist creates a safe and supportive space where your teen can express their thoughts and emotions freely. The session may involve structured conversations, problem-solving exercises, and skill-building activities tailored to their needs.
-
The duration of therapy varies depending on the individual. Some adolescents may experience noticeable improvements after a few sessions, while others may benefit from ongoing support over several months. The more the client is engaged and practices their tools and strategies outside the session, the more likely they are to see the benefits. A supportive and nourishing family environment further supports adolescents’ growth.
-
Yes! We love to include parents as much as possible, with the consent of the adolescent. If the adolescent requests a parent or guardian to be present for their first few sessions, we’ll follow their lead, while encouraging them to work towards having their own individual private sessions. Parents can be invited into portions of the sessions, at the request of the adolescent, to update the parent or navigate conversations. We believe a collaborative approach is best, and happily involve parents and family members, within the scheduled appointment times, to nurture the adolescent and family health and wellbeing together. This may also include sharing strategies and techniques the adolescent is working on, with the whole family for support.
-
During 1:1 sessions, what is shared between the adolescent client and the therapist is confidential, unless there are reasons to break confidentiality due to safety or risk concerns, in which case, parents will be notified to create safety and support for the adolescent.
Any information that is shared with parents is always discussed with the adolescent client first and concerns are explored
-
While many teenagers benefit from counselling, it may not be suitable for those with severe psychiatric conditions requiring medical treatment or adolescents who don’t wish to engage in counselling at this time. A consultation with a mental health professional can help determine the best approach, as well as setting priorities for care and assessment, such as addressing ADHD or school avoidance challenges first.
-
Counselling supports young people dealing with anxiety, depression, family conflicts, school stress, social difficulties, and self-esteem concerns. It provides coping strategies and emotional support tailored to their developmental stage.
-
Adolescent counselling is specifically designed to address the developmental, emotional, and social challenges unique to teenagers. It integrates various therapeutic techniques to provide a holistic approach to mental well-being. It takes a more informal and practical approach, as adolescents can find it harder to articulate their thoughts and feelings and take longer to build rapport with their therapist.