Young people
Counselling for young people aged 14 to 17
Therapy for a teenager is not the same as therapy for an adult, mostly because the person in the room is still working out who they are, who they can tell things to, and what they are allowed to decide for themselves. This page sets out how counselling works here for people from age 14 up, including how privacy and parents fit in.
You are the client
If you are 14 or over, you are the person being seen. That means the conversation is yours: what you decide to talk about, how much you explain, and whether you want to come back. Counselling is not a report to a parent, a school or anyone else, and it is not a punishment or a sign that something is wrong with you. It is a place to think out loud with someone whose only job is to listen carefully.
What people bring to sessions
Common things include identity and self understanding, gender and sexuality, belonging and friendships, family dynamics, changing bodies, school pressures and the general business of growing into yourself. Often it is less a single problem and more a feeling of being tangled. You do not need to have it sorted into words before you arrive; part of the work is finding the words.
Parents and caregivers
Parents or caregivers are not routinely told what is discussed, and their involvement is not automatic. Where a caregiver does need to be part of the picture — for practical or safety reasons — that gets clarified openly rather than arranged behind your back. Counselling is confidential with the usual limits: where there is a serious safety concern, a child protection requirement or another legal obligation, the counsellor will talk with you first about what needs to be shared wherever that is safe and possible.
Practicalities: cost, format and booking
Sessions are held by secure video call, which usually means joining from somewhere private at home rather than a school corridor or a share house kitchen. The first session runs 90 minutes and costs $160; ongoing sessions run 60 minutes at $160. Payment is handled by whoever is paying, but it is discussed with you rather than hidden, and no GP referral is needed.
Before booking, there is a short suitability enquiry so the practice can check that counselling here is the right fit and sort out any consent or caregiver involvement. You can start that through the contact page, read more about the practice and who runs it, or go straight to the booking portal if you have already been in touch.
Not sure whether it is the right fit yet?
