Teen & Adolescent Counselling in Ireland

Mind Healing Counselling offers teen and adolescent counselling for young people aged 13 to 17, online across Ireland and in person in Limerick. Sessions are €90, with evening and weekend appointments, so support can fit around school and family life.

The teenage years can be a lot. New pressures, shifting friendships, exams, social media, and a body and brain that are changing fast. Counselling gives a young person something they rarely get elsewhere: a calm, confidential space to talk to someone who isn’t a parent or a teacher, and who is properly trained to listen.

What teen counselling can help with

Young people come to us for all sorts of reasons, and none of them need to be a crisis. Sometimes it’s anxiety that won’t quieten down, or a low mood that’s lingered too long. Sometimes it’s bullying, exam pressure, a friendship that’s fallen apart, or a big change at home like a separation or a bereavement.

Often it’s harder to name. A teenager who’s withdrawn, angry, not sleeping, or just not themselves, and no one can quite say why. That’s reason enough. Counselling can help before things get heavier.

How we work with teenagers

Teenagers aren’t small adults, and they aren’t young children. The work has to meet them where they are.

Our counsellors work integratively, which means they draw on whatever helps rather than forcing a young person through one fixed method. That might be practical CBT tools for managing anxious thoughts, person-centred space to be heard without judgement, mindfulness for the physical side of stress, or more creative and talk-based ways in for a teenager who finds it hard to put things into words. The pace is theirs. Nobody is pushed to share more than they’re ready to.

Plenty of teenagers find online sessions easier, talking from their own room, on their own turf. In person at our Limerick office works just as well for those who prefer it.

How parents fit in

Parents and guardians matter here, and the level of involvement depends on your teen’s age.

Before a first session, we’ll need consent from a parent or guardian. For younger teens, roughly ages 13 to 15, a parent or guardian joins the first session so everyone understands how it works and what to expect. After that, the sessions are usually one-to-one, with you kept appropriately informed about how things are going.

For older teens, ages 16 to 17, we still need guardian consent to begin, but they can attend on their own from the start if they’d prefer. Many do, and that independence is often part of what makes it work.

Confidentiality, and its limits

For counselling to help, a young person needs to trust that what they say stays private, and it does. We won’t report back the detail of every session.

There’s one honest exception, and we’re upfront about it with both teens and parents. If a counsellor becomes concerned that a young person is at risk of harm, they may need to share that with a parent or the right services, in line with Children First, Ireland’s child protection guidance. Keeping a young person safe always comes first.

Who you’d see

Working with young people takes specific experience, and six of our counsellors offer it: Adam Grace, Charmaine Chiwara, Jonathan Monahan, Monika Hadisfar, Richie Reeves and Susan O’Shea. Each is registered with the APCP, BACP or IACP, and each works regularly with teenagers.

Fees and booking

Teen and adolescent sessions are €90, online across Ireland or in person at our Limerick city centre office. A parent or guardian books the first appointment, and you’ll usually be seen within a week. Evening and weekend times are available so sessions don’t have to clash with school.

If your teen needs urgent help and it can’t wait for an appointment, Childline (ISPCC) is free on 1800 66 66 66 or you can text to 50808, any time of day or night. You can also reach the Samaritans free on 116 123, or Pieta on 1800 247 247. In an emergency, call 999 or 112.