Teen Therapy in North Vancouver
Adolescence is a challenging time in our lives. While we’re in it, it feels like forever. Teenagers nowadays are faced with more pressure than ever, and the stresses of school follow them off campus, through the miracle of the smartphone. While coping with these challenges, you may have noticed your teenager become more withdrawn or agitated. Maybe they’ve been more worried or sad than usual. When teens start to struggle, many parents feel stuck. It can be painful to watch your child struggle, not knowing how to fix it.
Therapy gives your teenager a safe, nonjudgmental, neutral space to explore their inner world and develop coping skills to better manage the stress of life.
Anxiety in teenagers.
For older kids and teenagers, anxiety can start to move away from worries about the outside world, to worries about themselves and their relationship to others. They may describe having low self-esteem and thinking negative thoughts about themselves. They may worry about academic or athletic performance, or what their friends and peers think about them. In their bodies, they may describe a tightness in their chest or their throat that won’t go away. As children age, they may rely on you less for support as the problems in their lives become more personal and their fear of consequences or rejection becomes bigger.
Depression in teenagers.
Seeing your teenager struggle with depression can be scary and heartbreaking. Many teens will withdraw from friends and family, lose motivation to study and do well in school, and stop engaging in hobbies and extra-curriculars that used to bring them joy. You may notice changes in their mood; teens who were previously happy and passionate about life may seem down, irritable, angsty, stuck, or lost. They may experience negative self-talk and low self-esteem. Some parents notice changes in their child’s eating and sleeping (more or less than before). Some teens may even engage in non-suicidal self-injury (such as cutting themselves) or have thoughts of suicide.
Unhelpful coping mechanisms in teenagers.
When people are struggling (kids and teens included), we tend to engage in behaviours that help ease our suffering in the short-term, but are unhelpful and sometimes dangerous in the long-term. Common ways that adolescents cope with the pain of anxiety and depression include:
Substance use (alcohol, cigarettes, cannabis, etc);
Non-suicidal self-injury (ex. cutting/hurting themselves);
Withdrawing from friends and family;
Engaging in risky behaviours;
Excessive screen time;
Negative self-talk.
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for Teenagers
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) is a highly effective, evidence-based treatment for anxiety and depression. The goal of CBT is to identify unhelpful self-talk (thinking traps) and behaviours that keep teens stuck, and replace them with more accurate and supportive ways of thinking and responding. CBT also helps teens practice coping strategies and small behavioural changes that make daily life feel more manageable. Over time, it empowers them to feel more confident, resilient, and in control of their emotions. For a full overview of CBT, click here.
While I mainly work through a CBT lens, I do use techniques from a few other modalities:
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT): helps teens by teaching practical skills for managing big emotions, improving relationships, and coping with stress in healthier ways. DBT can be especially effective in helping teens to set boundaries and navigate tricky interpersonal relationships.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): helps teens by guiding them to acknowledge difficult thoughts and feelings without getting caught up in them, reducing the extra suffering that comes from fighting our thoughts and feelings, while focusing on actions that align with their values and goals.
My approach is:
Warm, compassionate, authentic, and humorous.
Person-centered, respecting your teen’s autonomy and supporting them in making choices that align with their values.
Culturally informed, honoring your teen’s background, identity, and unique experiences.
Takes a harm reduction perspective, focusing on safety and practical strategies while supporting healthier choices.
About Alexina
I’m a Registered Clinical Counsellor with a Master of Counselling Psychology, where I specialized in school and youth populations. I completed my clinical practicum at Foundry North Shore, where I supported youth ages 12–25 with concerns such as perfectionism, excessive worries, suicidal ideation, and relationship challenges. I am trained in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy. I have nearly 10 years of experience tutoring high school math privately.
I find great fulfillment in supporting and working with children and young people.
When I’m not working, you can find me running on the North Shore, or watching teen and young adult shows on Netflix (staying up to date on relevant pop culture is a MUST).