If you’re a struggling adolescent or young person who is struggling. Or, if you’re a parent and you believe that your youth may benefit from youth counselling, start with a therapist who is trained and appropriately-skilled to work with young people as well as able to relate to them.

Youth counselling is another way to introduce a young person to the counselling setting – this can be useful if they are reluctant to go by themselves or just don’t like the idea of it.

This article will explain the purpose of youth counselling, how the sessions work, and the benefits it could give you or your child.

What is Youth Counselling?

Youth counselling is aimed at adolescents, teens and young people who are typically in their early 20’s and might still be living at home with family. Youth counselling falls under the umbrella of family counselling as well, as a lot of the time parents are impacted by concerns they have for their child.  Sometimes youths need help to navigate through the development stage in which they are typically becoming more independent and relying less on their family. Youth counselling is useful for parents who are struggling with how to manage young people or young adults living at home.

These days young people are exposed to many external factors which contribute to mental health concerns and acting out behaviours like drug and alcohol addiction, risky sexual behaviour, self-harm and even suicidal ideation. It can be a tricky time for both parents and the young people themselves as relationships can be strained and even completely broken down. Many parents seek professional help at this time – not only to get their youth back on track, but to also to support themselves and their own relationships during a difficult parenting phase.

Youth counselling can:

• Help you understand the stage of life your child is passing through, and why they may be acting in a certain way.
• Help you understand their behaviour so that you respond appropriately and with the benefit of some insight and knowledge.
• Help you regain parental control and learn strategies that will help you as a parent.
• Promote communication between you and your child so you have a constructive and respectful relationship – not a hostile one.
• Determine if your child is taking any illicit substances and determine the best strategy to respond if they are.
• Support the youth to work through social interactions or issues that arise with their friends and family.
• Support the young person to make decisions about pathways after high school finishes.
• Help the young person change behaviours that are holding them back from opportunities in life or leading to dangerous situations.
• Work with youth on their mental health.

Do You or Your Child Need Youth Counselling?

Sometimes it can be hard to know if it is necessary to take your child to a youth counselling session. Perhaps the erratic or strange behaviours of your teenager is due to hormonal changes? While this sometimes may be the case, not all behaviour can be explained this way, and some behaviour is very risky. Consider youth counselling if you are experiencing the following:-

• You’re very worried that your adolescent child is starting to break away from you. Or your adolescent has cut you off or is estranged from the family.
• Your child has started staying at friends’ houses for extended periods or they have essentially moved in with another family.
• You suspect your child is abusing drugs or alcohol and you don’t know how to respond to it.
• Your child is showing personality changes, seems withdrawn and not engaged in life – there may be mental illnesses to consider.
• You believe your child has fallen into the wrong crowd.
• Your child has started skipping school or university, or doesn’t seem to be able to hold down a job.
• Your child is acting out sexually or bringing people home you are not comfortable with.
• Your child is impacting other family members with their mood, behaviour or attitude. Perhaps they have become physically threatening or intimidating to family members.
  • Your child has attempted suicide or is self-harming.
  • Your partner or other members of the family are fighting with your child constantly.
  • Your child has lost someone significant to them and they don’t appear to be coping well.
  • Your child has told you they don’t like you or hate you and don’t want anything to do with you.

If you feel like you’re having any of the issues listed above, our specialist youth counsellors at Sydney Couple and Family Specialists can help.

Don’t wait to get professional support and advise. Just as it’s the case with a lot of medical issues, early diagnosis and treatment usually leads to better long term outcomes. The sooner you get help, the sooner you’ll see results. So, if you believe your child’s, or your own, behaviours fall under the bullet points listed above, do not hesitate to get in contact with us and arrange some youth counselling.

How Can Youth Counselling Help Me and My Relationships?

Youth counselling can help more than just your child’s relationship with you. If you seek youth counselling, the child’s relationships with everyone they meet  – work colleagues, employers, lecturers, friends and future partners – can all be positively affected. If your child is struggling with depression or other mental health issues, seeking counselling is vital to help them get back on track and develop in a healthy way alongside their peer group. Youth counselling can also help identify any underlying mental health problems with might be contributing to negative behaviour.

Similarly, seeking youth counselling is incredibly supportive and constructive for parents. Youth counselling helps parents to make decisions about their child, to understand what is normal and what is not. Counselling helps give parents strategies and skills to manage behaviour.

Why use Sydney Couple and Family Specialists?

If you’re seeking any youth counselling in Sydney, consider Sydney Couple and Family Specialists. We are all trained in the specialisation of couple and family work. This means we have extensive experience working with teens, youths and children as well as their parents. Our objective is to not just simply sit back and listen but to be actively engaged in providing solutions and guidance to both the youth and their parents. Parents tell us they value the support and expertise they receive at the Sydney Couple and Family Specialists. And importantly, we love working with young people and parents.

Adolescence can be a difficult and troubling time. If you believe that your child is struggling through this particularly difficult time, please contact us to arrange a consultation.

If you’re in the Sydney area and are looking for some youth counselling, don’t hesitate to call us on 02 8968 9397 or complete the contact form.