Exciting announcement!
Our non-profit, A New Hope Academy, dedicated to supporting mental health professionals,
has launched—visit www.anewhopeacademy.org today!
Being a teenager can be hard.
People keep telling you that these are the best years of your life, but right now, just getting through each day feels a struggle. You're fighting with your parents more often, you're struggling to concentrate on schoolwork, and you keep saying and doing things you later regret. Perhaps you're dealing with dramas in your friendship group that are chipping away at your confidence, or you're not sure where you fit in and wish you could just hide away from the world. Or maybe your appetite has changed and you're having trouble sleeping and switching off, as your mind is spiralling with worries and disturbing thoughts.
You know deep down that you can't carry on with things as they are, but you feel like nobody gets you and you don't know who to turn to for help.
Adolescence is an intense period of growth and challenge for both you and those trying to support you. We are here to be alongside you as you navigate the ups and downs, and help you find your footing and feel more comfortable in your own skin. Working with your therapist, you will have time and a truly judgment-free space set aside to think about what's really going on for you, set positive goals, and develop a toolbox full of healthy coping skills so you feel calm and confident whatever life throws at you.
What can therapy for teens help with?
Adolescents can benefit from therapy for a wide range of challenges, including coping with academic pressures, family stressors such as separation, illness, and loss, and the impact of discrimination and societal harms. We are also here to help strengthen the connections between teens and their parents, offering guidance and support to help parents better understand and support their teenagers through these formative years. Below are some specific issues therapy can help with:
Understanding & expressing feelings & needs
Identity,
enhancing self-esteem and self-image
Adjusting to life and family changes
Stress, depression & anxiety
Relationships
with peers
THERAPY THAT SPEAKS YOUR LANGUAGE
Our Innovative Ways of Offering Therapy
People often have an image of therapy as sitting and talking seriously, with someone silently nodding back at you. At A New Hope Therapy Center we do things differently as want you to feel comfortable bringing your whole self to sessions. Our warm, genuine therapists can offer you a wide range of ways of doing therapy both in-person and face-to-face to help make sessions engaging and really resonate with you.
From chatting about your favourite movies, music, or what's trending online, to exploring art-making, fanfiction or cosplay, or using video games and role-playing games such as Animal Crossing and Dungeons & Dragons, we embrace and integrate your diverse interests into your healing journey. These allow us to tap into stories and characters that make speak to you, using their strengths and lessons as tools to empower you on your own journey. We also welcome humor and laughter too when it feels right, as this can be extremely healing too.
Whether you explore these creative tools or simply sit and talk, the choice is entirely yours. We’re here to support you in whatever way feels most authentic and meaningful to you.
EMDR Therapy for Adolescents
Affected by Trauma or PTSD
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is well-recognised as a specific, effective therapy therapy for those who have experienced traumatic events. At A New Hope Therapy Center, we are proud to have specially-trained therapists who can adapt EMDR with creative methods to meet specific needs of adolescents.
What many find helpful with EMDR is that it allows you to heal and feel better without having to rehash details of what you've been through - you can share as little or as much as you like. We also have a range of state-of-the-art bilateral stimulation techniques including a light bar, tappers, light up drumsticks, fidgets, and coloured floor tiles so you can find what works for you. Visit our EMDR page for more information.
FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
Can therapy take place online as well as face-to-face? Absolutely! We believe therapy should be accessible and convenient, and we are delighted to offer this therapy conveniently via phone, tablet or computer. Studies have shown that online therapy is equally effective as face-to-face sessions, and all our therapists are trained in telehealth-specific methods.
How involved are parents? Parents plan an important role, and we work together to support your teen’s progress and growth. While the focus is on your teen and the specifics of conversations will remain confidential, we will have periodic check-ins and always keep you in the loop if there are safety concerns. We seek to create healthy lines of communication between teens and parents and you may be occasionally asked to join in sessions if both your teen and therapist agree it would be helpful to talk altogether.
Are sessions confidential? We recognize that confidentiality is essential for teens to feel safe to open up in therapy. Therefore, what we are told in sessions isn’t shared with anyone else without your permission, unless it’s something that could put you or someone else in danger. If this kind of situation ever comes up, your therapist will discuss it with you to work out the best way to move forward.
Our Adolescent Therapists
Our specialist team of experienced therapists are committed to providing personalized, culturally-sensitive therapy to adolescents. We are proud to include Spanish-English bilingual therapists on our team so that teens and their families can speak and be heard in whichever language they feel most comfortable in.
