A private, collaborative place for young people to talk through what feels hard, even when it is not clear whether it is "serious enough" to bring to someone. Registered Psychologists regulated by the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP), along with Registered Social Workers regulated by the Alberta College of Social Workers (ACSW), Canadian Certified Counsellors (CCCs) certified by the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA), and other counselling clinicians. In-person sessions in Edmonton and St. Albert. Virtual sessions available across Alberta.

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You Might Be Wondering Whether Youth Mental Health Support Is Right for You

You may be wondering whether what you are going through is just part of growing up, or something worth talking to someone about. Maybe it feels too small to bring to a counsellor. Maybe you have told yourself it will pass once exams are over, or once things settle down at home.

If you are a parent or caregiver, you might be asking the same question from the other side of a closed bedroom door. You may not know whether to step in or wait. You may not know how to bring it up without making things worse.

Some of what young people describe is hard to put into words. Getting through the day on autopilot and feeling flat by the evening. Snapping at people you care about and not knowing why. Dreading school or work in a way that sits in your stomach all Sunday.

Reactions like these often make sense. Young people are handling a lot at once: school, friendships, family changes, questions about who they are, and decisions about what comes next. Feeling overwhelmed by that is a human response. It does not mean something is permanently wrong with you.

If you are not sure whether talking with someone could help, this page may be a useful place to start. It explains what youth counselling looks like here, who it may suit, and what to expect. If you already know you would like to book, you can go straight to how youth counselling works here. If you or someone you care about is not safe right now, the crisis resources below are the faster route.

Who Youth Mental Health Support May Help

This service may be a good fit for:

• Teens and young adults who want a private place to talk about stress, mood, relationships, school, work, or identity
• Young people going through a change, such as a move, a new school, graduation, a breakup, or a family separation
• Young people who cannot quite name what is wrong, but know things do not feel the way they used to
• Parents and caregivers who are worried about a young person and want to understand the options, including whether and how to be involved
• Families looking for appointments that fit around school, with evening, weekend, and virtual times

For younger children, our child and youth counselling and mental health in tweens pages may be a better starting point.

This service may not be the right fit for:

• Emergencies or immediate safety concerns. Please use the crisis resources below.
• Legal or court-related needs, such as reports for custody matters or other court processes. These are outside this counselling service. Psychological assessments are a separate service, described on our child and youth assessment services page.
• Urgent medical or psychiatric care, or questions about medication. A family doctor, an emergency department, or Health Link at 811 is the right place to start.

If Someone Is Not Safe Right Now

Counselling appointments are not an emergency or continuously monitored crisis service. If you or a young person you care about is in danger or thinking about suicide, please use one of these instead:

• Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department if there is immediate danger.
• Call or text 9-8-8 for suicide-related crisis support anywhere in Canada (Government of Alberta, n.d.).
• Call the Alberta Mental Health Help Line at 1-877-303-2642, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
• Call Health Link at 811 for Alberta health advice and information (Government of Alberta, n.d.).

Wholesome Psychology is not an emergency or crisis service.

What Youth Mental Health Support Is, and What It Is Not

Youth mental health support at Wholesome Psychology is counselling: regular conversations with a trained clinician about what is happening in a young person's life. Counselling can provide a private space to talk through concerns and identify priorities together. The young person sets the pace, not the therapist. Nobody has to share more than they are ready to.

Youth counselling here is not:

• A crisis or emergency service
• A legal service or an investigation. Clinicians do not decide who is at fault or gather evidence for court.
• A psychological assessment or a diagnosis. Assessments are a separate service, booked separately.
• A replacement for medical care, school supports, or community services. A clinician can talk with you about whether another service or referral may also be useful.

What a young person shares is kept confidential, within some legal limits. The clinician explains those limits, and how parents or caregivers fit in, before counselling begins. You can read more in the confidentiality section below.

Each clinician works within the limits of their training and professional designation. If a concern falls outside what they can safely offer, they will say so and talk through other options with you.

Signs Stress, Mood, or Life Changes May Be Affecting a Young Person

Mental health is not only about problems. It can include well-being, relationships, coping, and the ways people respond to life's challenges (Public Health Agency of Canada [PHAC], n.d.-b). Young people's experiences can be shaped by many personal, family, school, community, and social factors (PHAC, n.d.-a).

Some things young people and parents often notice:

• Feeling overwhelmed by school, work, or other people's expectations most of the time
• Losing motivation for things that used to matter, like a sport, a hobby, or time with friends
• Pulling back from family or friends, or arguments at home that seem to happen more often
• Worry or stress that is hard to switch off
• Harsh self-talk, or feeling like you never measure up
• Questions about identity, belonging, or where you fit
• Struggling to adjust after a big change, such as a move, a family separation, or finishing school
• Feeling flat, irritable, or just "not like yourself" for a while

None of these is a diagnosis, and counselling does not require one. They are common reactions to pressure and change. Having some of them does not mean something is permanently wrong. It may simply mean that structured support, and someone outside the situation to think things through with, could be useful.

How Youth Counselling Works Here

• Find your therapist. You can use our therapist Match Tool or read clinician profiles on our Our Therapists page. If you would rather talk it through, our admin team can help at 780-904-4880.
• Book your first session. You can book through our online booking system. The first session includes a conversation about consent, privacy, and what the young person hopes to address. For clients under 18, this is also when the clinician explains how a parent or guardian will be involved.
• Build your plan together. The young person and clinician decide together what to focus on. When appropriate, the role of a parent or caregiver is discussed too. Nothing is fixed after one appointment.
• Ongoing sessions. Sessions are 50 minutes, usually weekly or every two weeks, adjusted to fit schedules and needs. They can be in person or virtual.
• Progress check-ins. Your clinician regularly reviews what is helping and what is not. Goals, pace, and fit can be revisited at any point as needs change.

There is no fixed number of sessions. Counselling is collaborative, and the young person's voice matters at every stage. Our Getting Started with Therapy page has more detail on each step.

Evidence and Approaches

Clinicians at Wholesome Psychology draw on different therapy approaches, and the right fit depends on the young person, the concern, and the clinician's training. This page describes only the principles supported by the sources reviewed for it. Your clinician can explain the specific approaches they use, and the evidence behind them, in your first session.

A Whole-Person, Strengths-Aware Focus

What it helps with: Looking at what is going well, such as coping, relationships, and a sense of belonging, alongside what feels hard.

Evidence summary: Canada's Positive Mental Health Surveillance Indicator Framework tracks outcomes such as self-rated mental health, happiness, and life satisfaction, along with individual, family, community, and societal factors (PHAC, n.d.-b). This reflects a view of mental health as more than the absence of difficulties.

Limitations: This is a population monitoring framework, not a study of counselling. It does not show that any particular approach will produce a specific result.

Attention to Family, School, and Community Context

What it helps with: Understanding a young person's concerns within the places where they live, learn, and connect with others.

Evidence summary: PHAC reporting on youth and young adults aged 12 to 25 looks at both positive mental health and self-reported mental illness. It notes that findings can differ across demographic and socioeconomic groups (PHAC, n.d.-a). This fits with counselling that considers each young person's circumstances rather than assuming one approach suits everyone.

Limitations: These are population-level findings. They do not describe any one person, predict an individual outcome, or measure how well counselling works.

What Results to Expect

Change in counselling is rarely a straight line. Some weeks feel lighter and others feel harder, especially when school or home gets busy. That is common, and it does not mean counselling has stopped working.

Some young people notice shifts within a few months. Others benefit from longer-term work. How things go can depend on what the young person is dealing with, what is happening at home and at school right now, and how well they connect with their clinician.

No therapy can guarantee a particular outcome. Fit matters a great deal. If a clinician or approach does not feel right, changing to a different clinician or trying a different approach is always an option.

Confidentiality and Privacy

What a young person shares in counselling is kept confidential. Our psychologists are regulated by the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP) and follow its Standards of Practice, along with the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) Canadian Code of Ethics for Psychologists. Other clinicians follow the standards of their own professional bodies, such as the Alberta College of Social Workers (ACSW) for Registered Social Workers.

Two Alberta privacy laws are relevant. The Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) generally governs how private clinics like ours collect, use, and disclose personal information. Under PIPA, personal information is generally collected, used, and shared with consent, and you have the right to ask to see the information held about you. The Health Information Act (HIA) applies to health information held by custodians in the public health system, such as Alberta Health Services, and can apply to clinicians who work with or for those custodians.

There are some situations where a clinician may have to share information without consent. The most common examples are:

• A risk of serious harm to the young person or to someone else
• Suspected abuse or neglect of a child, which must be reported under Alberta law
• A court order

For clients under 18, who gives consent, and what a parent or guardian can be told, depends on the young person's age and maturity and on Alberta law and professional standards. In some cases a young person can consent on their own. The clinician will explain how this works for your family before counselling begins.

Your clinician explains these limits clearly in the first session. You are welcome to ask questions about privacy before sharing anything personal, including by calling our admin team first.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to explain everything that is going on in detail?

No. You decide what to share and when. Many young people start with what is happening day to day, like school, sleep routines, or friendships, rather than going into everything at once. If a topic feels like too much, you can say so, and your clinician will follow your lead.

Is what I share kept private, even from my parents?

For the most part, yes, but there are limits. How much a parent or guardian is told is discussed openly at the start, and it depends on your age, your maturity, and Alberta law. A clinician may have to share information without consent if someone is at risk of serious harm, if a child may be experiencing abuse or neglect, or if a court orders it. The confidentiality section above explains this in more detail.

How many sessions will I need?

There is no set number. Some young people find a shorter stretch of counselling is enough to sort through a specific problem. Others prefer longer-term support. Your clinician will review progress with you regularly, and you can decide together whether to continue, change the pace, or pause.

What if the therapist is not the right fit?

Fit matters, and it is fine to say a clinician is not the right match. You can mention it to your clinician or contact our admin team at 780-904-4880, and they can help you find someone else. The Match Tool can also help you compare options. New clients may access their first session at 50% off to help find the right therapeutic fit.

Can I access counselling online?

Yes. Virtual sessions are available anywhere in Alberta, and the same confidentiality standards apply as in person. A quiet room and a pair of headphones can make it easier to talk freely at home. Availability depends on the clinician. You can learn more on our online counselling page.

Can a parent or caregiver be involved?

When appropriate, the role of a parent or caregiver can be discussed with the young person and the clinician. Involvement looks different for every family. Some caregivers join part of a session, while others stay in touch only about scheduling. What is shared, and with whom, is agreed on at the start and can be revisited.

Does youth counselling include a diagnosis or assessment?

No. This page describes counselling, which focuses on talking through concerns and building practical ways forward. Psychological assessments are a separate service with their own process and fees. If an assessment might be useful, your clinician or our admin team can explain the options.

What if my teen does not want to go?

That is a common worry. Counselling is something a young person takes part in, not something done to them, so their agreement matters. Some families start with a single conversation to see what it is like. Parents can also book support for themselves, and our parenting support page describes what that can look like.

Meet Your Clinicians

Our team includes Registered Psychologists, Registered Provisional Psychologists, Registered Social Workers, Canadian Certified Counsellors, Mental Health Therapists, and Student Therapists. All psychologists at the clinic are registered with the College of Alberta Psychologists. Registered Provisional Psychologists practise under the supervision of a senior registered psychologist while completing their registration. Registered Social Workers are regulated by the Alberta College of Social Workers.

Canadian Certified Counsellors hold a national counselling certification. Mental Health Therapists and Student Therapists offer reduced-rate counselling, and Student Therapists are master's-level practicum students who see clients as part of supervised training.

Not every clinician works with younger clients, and availability changes. You can read individual profiles on our Our Therapists page, use the Match Tool for help choosing, or call our admin team at 780-904-4880 for guidance.

Support for Children, Teens, and Families

Wholesome Psychology offers counselling for children, adolescents, and young adults. Clinicians who work with younger clients adapt their language, pace, and activities to the young person's age and comfort.

When appropriate, and with the young person's agreement where possible, clinicians also work with parents and caregivers. The aim is for what happens in sessions and what happens at home to support each other.

You may also find these pages useful:

• Teen mental health counselling
• Teen therapy for youth aged 13 to 15
• Supporting 2SLGBTQ+ youth
• Life transitions and adjustment challenges

If You Would Like to Talk With Someone

If you would like to learn more, or you already know you would like to book, here are the ways to reach us:

• Book a session through our online booking system
• Find a clinician with the Match Tool
• Call 780-904-4880
• Email info@wholesomepsychology.ca
• Read Getting Started with Therapy to see what the first steps look like

Starting the conversation is enough.

New clients may access their first session at 50% off to help find the right therapeutic fit.

References

• Government of Alberta. (n.d.). Get help and support. https://www.alberta.ca/get-help-and-support
• Public Health Agency of Canada. (n.d.-a). Overview: Mental health of youth and young adults. Health Infobase. https://health-infobase.canada.ca/mental-health/youth-young-adults/
• Public Health Agency of Canada. (n.d.-b). Positive Mental Health Surveillance Indicator Framework. Health Infobase. https://health-infobase.canada.ca/positive-mental-health/