Therapy for the whole family
Teen & Family Therapy
In-person therapy in Burnaby and virtual psychotherapy sessions across BC for teens and families.
Therapy for the whole family
Teen & Family Therapy
In-person therapy in Burnaby and virtual psychotherapy sessions across BC for teens and families.
Stop fights between family members
Feel heard, understood, & loved
Build a stronger connection
Families are complex
When one person is facing challenges, it can have a significant impact on every member of the family.
Family therapy can help with issues related to relationships, behaviour, conflict, and communication – bringing peace & connection back to your home.
Searchlight Counselling
Why should I consider teen & family therapy?
As a parent, you want your teen to be happy, and your home to be a peaceful space. When unexpected challenges or conflicts arise, it’s natural to feel overwhelmed or unsure of how to navigate them.
Teens and parents face a variety of challenges in their day-to-day lives, including:
Difficulty Getting Along
Members of the family may find it hard to get along or solve problems with others. You want to fix your relationships but aren’t sure how.
Feeling Disconnected
When it feels like something is missing – with your partner, or your kids – that prevents you from enjoying the relationship you want.
Consistent Worry or Anxiety
When you or another member of the family are dealing with persistent feelings of fear, nervousness, or unease that can impact daily life and well-being.
Trouble Focusing or Listening
The challenges that arise when your teen has difficulty concentrating or paying attention, can result in tension and frustration in the home, or at school.
School Challenges
Refusing to go to school, disruptive behaviour, missing a lot of school, and dropping grades can indicate a deeper issue.
Emotional Regulation
When teens or adults have difficulty managing and expressing emotions in a healthy and balanced manner, it can impact the whole family.
Feeling Isolated or Withdrawn
Wanting to be alone a lot, or not spending time with others can indicate a deeper issue that can be addressed in therapy.
Feeling Misunderstood
A lack of communication in the home can lead to misunderstandings between partners, or between parents and teens.
How Can Therapy Help Our Family?
Somatic therapy focuses on how emotions affect the body. It teaches teens and families ways to relax and let go of stress using techniques like deep breathing and gentle movements.
Our approach
How Teen & family therapy works
We may do individual sessions
In working with individual members of your family, we can help get to the root of the challenges they are facing by providing personalized support and understanding that resonates with each person’s unique experiences and needs.
We may do parent sessions
Meeting with you as parents helps us understand your family better so that we can equip you with skills and strategies that you can use to address challenges & foster harmony in your day-to-day life.
We may do family sessions
As needed, we’ll bring your family together to enhance communication, strengthen bonds, and develop valuable problem-solving skills. This collaborative approach fosters a supportive, nurturing environment at home.
Teen & Family Therapy
Why Searchlight Counselling?
Over time, pressure from society, peers and parents can start to cloud the feelings and needs of your children and teens. The demands of parenthood can have an effect on the harmony of your home life, as well as your confidence.
Our primary mission in working with teens and families is to offer caring, culturally inclusive, non-judgmental and gender-affirming therapy to help each member feel seen and heard in a way that allows them to develop into the person they are working to uncover.
As a parent, our goal is that you will see positive changes in your family members’ moods and behaviours as your communication and understanding of each other improves.
Therapists Who Specialize In Youth Counselling
Therapists who specialize in teen & family Therapy
Searchlight Counselling
What you can expect from this approach
Teen & family counselling in Vancouver can help teens and adults manage the complexities of family life.
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Improved self-esteem and confidence
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A happier and more content teen
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Better relationships with themselves and others
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Improved listening and communication
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More peace and calm in the home
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More tools for parents to manage behaviours
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More tools to support your teen’s well-being
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Good parent-child connection
Better coping skills for dealing with stress and anxiety
Enhanced communication and relationship skills
Greater emotional regulation and stability
Enhanced creativity and productivity
Increased ability to make decisions and solve problems
Improved self-awareness and self-esteem
Frequently Asked Questions About Teen & Family Counselling
Frequently Asked Questions About Teen & Family Counselling
We start with a parent and teen session to get a thorough understanding of what is happening at home, what your teen is struggling with, and what your current parent-child relationship looks like.
We then have an individual session with your teen to assess their current struggles and get their perspective on the problem.
Once we have a better understanding of your needs, we will decide whether more separate sessions are needed or whether both parent and child are ready to work together in family sessions.
Children express their emotions through behaviours. Some children will “act out” showing anger, aggression, defying authority, being rebellious, and not following your rules. Other children will “act in” by shutting down, withdrawing and isolating from others. In both cases, parents often feel overwhelmed, confused, frustrated, and hurt.
When you recognize your children either acting in or out, and your best attempts at “fixing” the situation have not brought about change, it is time to seek help.
Do not wait too long before seeking help. Change is possible and is easier when addressed sooner than later.
Family therapy helps family members build a safe, respectful, and loving connection after having felt emotionally distant and disconnected from one another for a while.
Ideally, when possible, both parents should be involved in family therapy, as they can learn to support each other when things are difficult at home. Along with challenges in parent-child relationships, parents may have differences about parenting, and feel disconnected from each other, which makes everything even more difficult.
For family members who do not want to participate in family therapy, the therapist may want to invite them in for an individual session to get their perspective on the problem and to understand their reasons for not wanting family therapy.
The therapist makes sure that every family member feels understood, seen, heard and validated, and respects their choice regarding therapy.
One of the fastest ways for children to start feeling and behaving better is to feel understood, and supported by emotionally responsive parents. We want children and teens to reach out to their parents for emotional support when needed. A good parent-child relationship is the best antidote for mental health issues in children and teens. That is why parental involvement in therapy is essential when aiming for long-term sustainable change. Parental involvement may look like a parent session and joint family session, depending on each family’s specific needs.
That being said, the therapist can work with the child or teen alone, but it may take some more time for change to be seen.
How You Get Started
Looking For An Appointment?
