How I can help
Teen and Youth Counselling (12+)
Counselling for young people aged 12 and over in Surrey, BC, with a Registered Clinical Counsellor with over 30 years of experience. Sessions cover anxiety, depression, school pressure, self-esteem, behavioural concerns and family relationships — in person or online, with parents involved in a way that suits the young person’s age.
You might be here because
- Your child has changed and you cannot get them to say why
- School has become a daily struggle
- Anger, withdrawal or anxiety has escalated
- They are caught between what home expects and what their friends do
- Something happened and they will not talk to you about it
None of that has to apply exactly. People often arrive unable to name what is wrong, and that is a perfectly good place to start from.
What the work looks like
Sessions are for ages 12 and up. Young people are given a space that is genuinely theirs, which usually means being clear with them about what is and is not shared with parents. Parents are not shut out — how involved you are depends on your child’s age and what would actually help. For families navigating two cultures, that tension is often part of what a teenager is carrying.
Approaches most often used
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
CBT is a short-term, goal-oriented, practical approach to problem-solving. I use it to change the patterns of thinking or behaviour sitting behind a difficulty, and so change the way you feel. It is used for everything from sleep problems and relationship difficulties to substance use, anxiety and depression.
More on CBT →Dialectical Behavioural Therapy
DBT is a form of cognitive behavioural therapy focused on teaching skills to manage stress, regulate emotions and improve relationships. It emphasises living in the present moment while building healthier ways of coping, so that life’s challenges become more navigable.
More on DBT →Strength-Based Therapy
Starts from what is already working — the capabilities, relationships and coping you arrived with, which a difficult period tends to make invisible to the person who has them. It does not minimise what is wrong. It refuses to treat the problem as the whole picture, which matters most for anyone who has come to see themselves entirely through what they are struggling with.
More on Strength-based →
Further reading
Before you book
What actually happens in a first counselling session
A first session is mostly you talking and me listening, with no obligation to tell the worst of it straight away. Here is what the hour is actually spent on, what I will ask, and what you are free not to answer.
Before you book
How to choose a counsellor in BC, and what the letters after the name mean
In British Columbia, "counsellor" and "therapist" are not restricted titles — anyone may use them. "Registered Clinical Counsellor" is different, and carries a master’s degree, supervised clinical hours, a code of ethics and a complaints process behind it. Here is what to check before you book.