Teens & Tweens (10–16 years)

Being a young person today is hard.

Between school pressure, friendships, family life, social media, identity, exams, puberty and trying to figure out where you fit in — it can feel like a lot, because it is.

For some young people, these challenges pass with time. For others, things start to feel heavier. Anxiety gets louder. Mood gets lower. School feels impossible. Friendships become exhausting. Confidence disappears.

Sometimes they can explain it. Often, they can’t.

If your child seems anxious, withdrawn, angry, overwhelmed or just not quite themselves, you are not imagining it.

And if you’re a young person reading this thinking, I don’t know what’s wrong, but I know I’m struggling — you’re not alone either.

Why this stage of life can feel so difficult

The ages between 10 and 16 are full of huge emotional, social and physical changes.

Young people are managing:

• school pressure and academic expectations
• friendships, peer pressure and social anxiety
• low self-esteem and confidence struggles
• identity, belonging and self-worth
• family changes and conflict
• sleep difficulties and emotional overwhelm
• social media comparison and constant pressure to “keep up”

At the same time, the brain is still developing — especially the parts responsible for planning, decision-making and emotional regulation. This means feelings can feel BIG, fast and difficult to manage.

For neurodivergent young people, there can be even more layers. Masking, burnout, sensory overwhelm and feeling misunderstood can often look like anxiety, low mood or “behaviour problems” when actually, the young person is simply exhausted.

When things start to feel overwhelming

The young people I work with often struggle with:

• anxiety and constant overthinking
• low mood and depression
• school avoidance or emotionally based school non-attendance
• OCD and intrusive thoughts
• panic, stress and emotional regulation difficulties
• low self-esteem and confidence
• friendship and social difficulties
• trauma responses and feeling stuck

Many feel frustrated because they’ve been told they’re “fine”, “lazy” or that they’ll “grow out of it”.

They’re not lazy. They’re overwhelmed.

How therapy can help

I offer 1:1 Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) sessions for young people aged 10–18.

CBT helps us understand the link between thoughts, feelings, behaviours and physical symptoms — and most importantly, how to change the patterns that are keeping things stuck.

It’s practical, collaborative and adapted to your child. We don’t just talk about problems — we work on real strategies that help them feel better and function better.

My work is:

• evidence-based (recommended by the NHS and NICE)
• fully young person-centred
• neurodivergent-affirming
• culturally sensitive and respectful of identity and lived experience
• supportive of parents, because you matter too

My goal is simple: to help young people feel more like themselves again — calmer, more confident, and able to move towards the life they want. Read more about the difficulties I support with below.