Youth Counselling - Geelong
Being a teenager can be a lot.
There is school, friendships, pressure, family stuff, relationships, identity, expectations, social media and everything else happening at once. Sometimes young people know exactly what is bothering them. Other times they just know they feel stressed, angry, flat, overwhelmed or stuck.
At Lumi Counselling, I work with teenagers in Geelong who need someone outside of home and school to talk to. Someone who can get alongside them without turning every conversation into an interrogation.
Counselling that actually feels manageable
A lot of teenagers are not excited about the idea of counselling.
That is okay.
Sessions at Lumi are relaxed, practical and built around the young person in front of me. We might talk. We might play a game. We might go for a walk, use a whiteboard or sit side by side while we work through something.
There is no pressure to sit down and immediately explain everything that is going on.
The first goal is usually much simpler: help the young person feel comfortable enough to be themselves.
From there, we can start working on what actually matters to them.
What can teen counselling help with?
Teenagers come to Lumi for all sorts of reasons, including:
Anxiety and overthinking
Stress and feeling overwhelmed
Anger and big emotions
Low mood and loss of motivation
School stress or school refusal
Friendship problems
Family conflict
Confidence and self-esteem
Grief and major life changes
Relationships and identity
Feeling stuck or unsure what to do next
Sometimes there is a clear problem.
Sometimes a parent just knows their teenager has not seemed like themselves lately.
Both are good enough reasons to reach out.
What if my teenager does not want counselling?
This is really common.
Teenagers are much more likely to engage when they feel like counselling is something being done with them, not to them.
I do not expect a young person to walk in ready to talk about everything straight away. I take time to build trust, give them choices and understand what is important to them.
Sometimes that means starting with football, music, gaming, cooking, school, work or whatever else they actually care about.
Counselling still needs a purpose, but the relationship comes first.
What happens in the first session?
The first session is about getting to know each other and working out whether Lumi feels like a good fit.
There is no expectation that your teenager needs to tell me their whole story.
We will usually talk about what has been happening, what they would like to be different and what counselling could realistically help with.
Parents are often involved at the beginning, particularly with younger teenagers, before I spend some time with the young person individually.
From there, we work out the next step together.
A practical approach
I am not interested in giving teenagers a lecture about what they should be doing.
Counselling at Lumi is practical.
We work on understanding what is happening, recognising patterns, learning ways to handle difficult thoughts and emotions, and helping young people make choices that move them toward the person they want to be.
The goal is not to turn them into a different kid.
It is to help them understand themselves better and feel more capable when life gets hard.
Ready to get started? Reach out to us today or book your free Meet & Greet here.