Confidential counselling where teens can talk things through at their own pace, even when no one is sure yet how serious things are. Registered Psychologists regulated by the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP). Registered Provisional Psychologists practise under the supervision of a senior registered psychologist. In person in Edmonton and St. Albert, or virtual 50-minute sessions across Alberta.

Book a Session | Match with a Therapist

You Might Be Wondering Whether Teen Mental Health Counselling Is Right for You

You may be wondering whether what is going on is just part of being a teenager, or something that needs more attention. If you are a parent, you might be second-guessing yourself. You do not want to overreact, and you do not want to miss something either. If you are a teen, you may not be sure your feelings are "bad enough" to bring up with anyone.

Maybe it looks like a kid who used to talk at dinner and now heads straight to their room. Maybe it is feeling tired all the time, snapping at people you care about, or lying awake replaying something that happened at school. Some teens describe it as feeling flat, or as always being behind with no way to catch up.

These reactions make sense. The teen years can bring a lot at once: pressure at school, shifting friendships, family changes, questions about who you are, and an online world that never really switches off. Pulling back, getting irritable, or feeling overwhelmed are common ways people respond when there is too much to carry. They do not mean something is permanently wrong.

If you are trying to figure out whether talking with someone could help, this page explains what teen counselling looks like here, what the research says, and what to expect. You can read at your own pace and decide what feels right for you or your family.

Who We Help

Teen mental health counselling may be a good fit for:

• Teens dealing with stress, low mood, worry, school pressure, or trouble with confidence or motivation
• Teens going through changes with friends, dating, family, or a move, separation, or new school
• Teens exploring questions about identity, culture, belonging, or values
• Teens who are not sure what is wrong but know something feels off
• Teens who would like someone outside the family to talk to
• Parents and caregivers who want to understand what their teen is going through and how to support them
• Families looking for in-person sessions in Edmonton or St. Albert, or online counselling from anywhere in Alberta

This service may not be the right fit for:

• Immediate safety concerns or a crisis. Please use the crisis resources below.
• Legal or court-related needs. Court reports, custody or parenting evaluations, and other forensic work are outside this therapy service. Psychological assessments are a separate service with their own process.
• Programs focused on harm toward others. If this is the main concern, the admin team can talk through whether a different service or a referral would fit better.
• Medication or medical care. Counselling does not include prescribing. A family doctor or paediatrician is the right starting point for medical questions.

If Someone Needs Help Right Now

Counselling here is booked ahead of time and is not set up to respond to emergencies. If you or your teen need support right away, these services are available:

• 911 for immediate danger or a medical emergency
• Alberta Mental Health Help Line: 1-877-303-2642 (24/7)
• 9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline: call or text 988 (24/7)
• Kids Help Phone: call 1-800-668-6868 or text CONNECT to 686868 (24/7)

Wholesome Psychology is not an emergency or crisis service.

What Teen Mental Health Counselling Is (and Is Not)

Teen mental health counselling is a structured, confidential space where a young person can talk with a trained clinician about what is going on, what they want to change, and how day-to-day life feels. Wholesome Psychology describes its approach as collaborative and client-centred. That means the teen's perspective is at the centre, and plans are built together rather than handed down.

The pace is set by the teen, not the therapist. Some teens want to work on practical things first, like sleep, school stress, or arguments at home. Others need a few sessions just to get comfortable. Both are fine.

Counselling has clear boundaries:

• It is not a legal service or an investigative process.
• It is not crisis intervention.
• It does not include a diagnosis or a psychological assessment. Assessments are a separate service.
• Each clinician works within their own training and professional scope. If a need falls outside that scope, they will say so and talk with you about other options.

What a teen shares is confidential, with some legal limits. These are explained in the first session and described in more detail in the confidentiality and privacy section below.

Access is part of the picture for many families. Canadian research has looked at how adolescents find mental health support, where needs go unmet, and whether young people prefer in-person or online services (Public Health Agency of Canada [PHAC], 2023). Statistics Canada has also reported on healthcare access among children and youth through its 2023 Canadian Health Survey on Children and Youth (Statistics Canada, 2025). Sessions here are available both in person and virtually.

Signs Mental Health Struggles May Be Affecting You or Your Teen

These are examples of experiences teens and parents often describe. They are not a checklist for a diagnosis.

• Feeling flat, heavy, or low for weeks at a time, even on days that should be good
• Worry that loops at night, or a sense of dread before school, practice, or social plans
• Sleeping much more or much less than usual, or feeling tired no matter how much rest you get
• Snapping at people, or feeling irritable over small things
• Pulling away from friends, family, or activities that used to matter
• Trouble focusing on schoolwork, or feeling like you are always behind
• Harsh self-talk, or confidence that seems to have slipped away
• Comparing yourself to people online, or feeling stuck on your phone even when it makes you feel worse
• Finding a big change, like a move, a separation, or a new school, harder to adjust to than expected

Having some of these experiences does not mean something is permanently wrong. They are common reactions to pressure, change, and stress. Structured support may help a teen make sense of what is happening and find ways of coping that fit their life. If any of this includes thoughts of hurting yourself, please use the crisis resources above, and you can read more on our page about support for suicidal thoughts.

How Treatment Works Here

• Find your therapist. Use the Match with a Therapist tool or browse Our Therapists to see who works with teens. If you would rather talk it through, the admin team can help at 780-904-4880.
• Book your first session. The first appointment covers consent, confidentiality, and goals. For teens, this includes talking about who will attend sessions and how parents or caregivers will be involved. It is also a chance to see whether the therapist feels like a good fit.
• Build your plan together. The teen and therapist decide what to focus on first. Parents may be part of this conversation, depending on the teen's needs and the consent process.
• Ongoing sessions. Follow-up sessions are typically weekly or bi-weekly and can be adjusted. Each session is 50 minutes.
• Progress check-ins. The therapist reviews progress with the teen regularly. If something is not working, the plan changes.

There is no fixed number of sessions. Counselling is a collaboration, and the teen's voice matters at every stage. You can learn more on our Getting Started with Therapy page.

Evidence and Approaches

Teens come to counselling for many different reasons, and no single approach fits everyone. The research below comes mainly from a clinical guideline on depression in children and young people, because that is the most detailed treatment guidance reviewed for this page. Approaches differ between clinicians, so these are examples rather than a promise of what will be used. You can read more about cognitive behavioural therapy, family systems therapy, and psychodynamic therapy on their own pages.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

What it helps with: CBT may help teens with ongoing low mood or depression see how thoughts, feelings, and actions connect, and practise new ways of coping.

Evidence summary: A clinical guideline recommends individual CBT, for at least three months, as the first psychological therapy to offer 12- to 18-year-olds with moderate to severe depression (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence [NICE], 2019). In the evidence reviewed, it reduced depression symptoms and improved functioning and quality of life compared with waiting list or usual care (NICE, 2019).

Limitations: This UK guideline focuses on depression and may not reflect every concern a teen brings. For milder low mood, it suggests group or digital options may come first (NICE, 2019).

Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Adolescents (IPT-A)

What it helps with: IPT-A is interpersonal therapy adapted for teens, and may help when low mood is tied up with relationships, conflict, or big life changes.

Evidence summary: The guideline lists IPT-A among the options to consider when individual CBT does not meet the needs of a 12- to 18-year-old with moderate to severe depression (NICE, 2019). In the studies reviewed, IPT-A showed benefits for depression symptoms and functioning compared with waiting list or usual care (NICE, 2019).

Limitations: The guideline committee described the evidence for these second-line options as less certain than for individual CBT. Not every clinician offers IPT-A, so ask about it when matching.

Family Therapy

What it helps with: Family therapy brings a teen and their parents or caregivers together, and may help when family relationships are part of what is going on.

Evidence summary: For 12- to 18-year-olds, the guideline suggests considering attachment-based family therapy for mild depression when first options do not fit, and attachment-based or systemic family therapy for moderate to severe depression when individual CBT is unsuitable (NICE, 2019). In the evidence reviewed, family therapy showed benefits for depression symptoms and functioning (NICE, 2019).

Limitations: For mild depression, the family therapy findings came from a single study. Joint sessions are not right for every teen or every family situation.

Psychodynamic Psychotherapy

What it helps with: Psychodynamic therapy explores feelings and patterns beneath day-to-day struggles, and may be an option for some teens with depression when CBT is not a good fit.

Evidence summary: The guideline lists psychodynamic psychotherapy among the options to consider for 12- to 18-year-olds with moderate to severe depression when individual CBT is unsuitable (NICE, 2019). The main trial it drew on could not detect a difference between psychodynamic psychotherapy, a brief psychosocial intervention, and individual CBT across a range of outcomes (NICE, 2019).

Limitations: Most of this evidence came from one trial. In the guideline's analysis, it was not more effective than control conditions at relieving symptoms or improving quality of life by the end of treatment.

What Results to Expect

Progress in counselling is rarely a straight line. A teen may have a few good weeks and then a hard one, and that does not mean counselling has stopped working.

Some teens notice shifts within a few months. Others benefit from longer-term support, especially when several pressures are happening at once. For young people with depression, guideline recommendations describe courses of psychological therapy that usually run for a few months rather than a few weeks (NICE, 2019).

Things that can shape how counselling goes include:

• what the teen is dealing with, and for how long
• what is happening at home, at school, and with friends
• how comfortable the teen feels with their therapist

No therapy can guarantee a particular result. Fit matters, and changing therapist or trying a different approach is always an option.

Confidentiality and Privacy

What a teen shares in counselling is confidential. Psychologists at Wholesome Psychology are regulated by the College of Alberta Psychologists, and clinicians follow professional ethics standards such as the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) Code of Ethics.

Alberta has two main privacy laws that can apply to psychological services: the Health Information Act (HIA) and the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA). Which one applies depends on the setting, and private clinics are generally covered by PIPA. Your clinician can explain how records are stored and who can see them.

There are legal limits to confidentiality. A clinician may need to share information without consent when:

• there is a risk of serious harm to the teen or to someone else
• there is a suspicion that a child or young person is being abused or neglected, which must be reported under Alberta law
• a court orders the release of records

For teens, there is also the question of what parents or guardians are told. Psychologists in Alberta consider each young person's ability to understand and consent to their own care, and this shapes what is shared with family. Your clinician will explain these limits clearly in the first session.

You are welcome to ask questions about privacy before sharing anything personal. Teens and parents can ask together or separately.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to describe everything that happened in detail?

No. The teen sets the pace together with the therapist. Many sessions focus on what is happening now, like sleep, school, friendships, and practical ways to cope. Details are shared only if and when that feels useful and manageable. Saying "I'm not ready to talk about that" is always allowed.

Will my parents find out what I talk about?

What you share is confidential, with a few legal limits: a risk of serious harm, suspected abuse or neglect of a child, or a court order. How much is shared with parents also depends on your ability to consent to your own care. Your therapist will explain all of this in the first session, before you share anything personal. See the confidentiality and privacy section above for more.

How many sessions will we need?

There is no fixed answer. Some teens benefit from shorter-term work focused on one concern. Others find longer-term support helpful, especially when several things are going on at once. Sessions are typically weekly or bi-weekly, and the therapist reviews progress with the teen regularly so the plan can change as needed.

What if the therapist is not the right fit?

Fit matters, and teens are allowed to say when a therapist does not feel right. The admin team can help you find a different clinician, and the Match Tool can help narrow your options. New clients may access their first session at 50% off to help find the right therapeutic fit.

Can my teen have sessions online?

Yes. Virtual sessions are available across Alberta, and the same confidentiality standards apply as in person. A private, quiet space at home, or somewhere the teen feels comfortable, can make online sessions easier.

What if things at home do not feel safe?

If anyone is in immediate danger, call 911. The Family Violence Info Line (Alberta) is available at 310-1818, 24/7 and toll-free, for information and support about family violence. Counselling can be a place to talk about what is happening, and a therapist will explain their duty to report when a child or young person may be at risk of abuse or neglect. Counselling is not a substitute for immediate safety.

Should a parent come to the first session?

It depends on the teen and the family. Some teens prefer to start one-to-one with a therapist, while others want a parent or caregiver there at first. You can talk this through with the admin team when booking, and the therapist will discuss how parents will be involved during the first session.

My teen does not want to go. What can I do?

Mixed feelings about counselling are understandable. Some families find it helps to let the teen look through therapist profiles and choose who they would like to meet, or to start with a virtual session. You can also call the admin team to talk through options. Parents who want support of their own can learn about parenting support counselling.

Meet Your Clinicians

Our team includes Registered Psychologists, Registered Provisional Psychologists, Registered Social Workers, Canadian Certified Counsellors, Mental Health Therapists, and Student Therapists. All psychologists are registered with the College of Alberta Psychologists. Provisional psychologists practise under the supervision of a senior registered psychologist. Registered Social Workers are regulated by the Alberta College of Social Workers (ACSW).

Many of our clinicians have training in teen mental health and related areas, such as stress, low mood, worry, and family relationships. You can read individual profiles on Our Therapists page, or use the Match with a Therapist tool for help choosing. If you would like guidance, call the admin team at 780-904-4880.

Counselling for Children, Teens, and Young People

Wholesome Psychology offers counselling for children, adolescents, and young adults. Clinicians who work with younger clients adapt how they talk and work to the young person's age and stage. For younger teens, you may also find our page on teen therapy for youth 13 to 15 helpful, along with our overview of child and youth mental health.

Clinicians also work with parents and caregivers where appropriate, keeping the young person's needs and the consent process in mind. The aim is for support at home to fit what is happening in sessions. Families of 2SLGBTQ+ teens may also want to read about supporting LGBTQ youth.

Taking a Next Step

If you would like to learn more, you can take the next step in whichever way feels easiest:

• Book a session online
• Use the Match with a Therapist tool
• Call the admin team at 780-904-4880
• Email info@wholesomepsychology.ca
• Read Getting Started with Therapy

Starting the conversation is enough.

New clients may access their first session at 50% off to help find the right therapeutic fit.

References

• National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. (2019). Depression in children and young people: Identification and management [Clinical guideline].
• Public Health Agency of Canada. (2023). Access to mental health support, unmet need and preferences among adolescents during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention in Canada, 43(4).
• Statistics Canada. (2025). Healthcare access among children and youth aged 1 to 17 in Canada: Results from the 2023 Canadian Health Survey on Children and Youth, cross-sectional component. The Daily.