Adolescent Psychologist | Teen Therapy

Psychotherapy can be a useful way of addressing many stressful issues that can arise during the teenage years. Though it can be an exciting time in one's life, it can also bring a significant number of challenges for both teens and their families.

This might include adapting to different ways of relating to parents and taking on more responsibility at home, dealing with school issues and problems related to friendships, navigating through new romantic relationships, or coping with the physical changes within their teenage bodies. Most adolescent psychologists will be especially skilled in working with teens and the psychological concerns that can arise during these teen years.

It is often the case that many teens have a difficult time articulating their feelings or sometimes even knowing how they feel. Therapy can be a place for teens to have a voice - to tell their story without feeling judged, criticized, or pressured and to get help in expressing their thoughts and feelings when they become hard to articulate.

Confidentiality with Teens

Confidentiality is extremely important in order to be open and expressive in therapy. Teens need to know that what they share with a psychologist will be respected and will not be openly and unconditionally discussed with parents without their permission. Our Halifax psychologists will always discuss policies around confidentiality during the first session – usually with both the parent and teen.

In Nova Scotia, any person under the age of 19 is considered a minor. The competence of minors to provide informed consent to therapy services is not assumed and parental or guardian approval is often needed. However, as children grow more able to understand and choose, they assume legal rights. An individual may be considered a ‘mature minor’ if it is judged that they can understand and appreciate the nature and consequences of their decision to pursue therapy and its alternatives. In these cases, the details of things they discuss may be treated as confidential, though parents or guardians do have the right to general information, including how therapy is going and major safety concerns that might arise. Although there is no set age limit for an individual to be considered competent to give consent, the mature minor status is typically considered during adolescence and on a case by case basis.