People go to see a psychologist for all sorts of reasons. You might be going to see one because you’ve been having a difficult time with feelings such as sadness, anger, or worry. It might be because there’s been some really tough stuff going on with family or friends, or things haven’t been going well at school. Or maybe something big has happened like your parents have separated, or someone you care about has died.

Whatever it is, these sorts of problems can make life much harder than it should be, and can really get in the way of you doing the stuff you care about.

A psychologist’s job is to help you (and maybe some other people in your life) figure out why things have been tough and then come up with a plan to make life a bit easier and more fun.

Our psychologists have worked with a lot of young people which means we know a lot about how to help. Whatever you’re going through, chances are we’ve helped someone going through a similar thing.

Sometimes, just having someone to talk to (who isn’t a friend or parent) can make a difference so that you can get things off your chest.

Often, we help people learn different ways of coping with emotions or stressful situations.

We always try to make sure you learn something more about yourself – either understanding why you’ve been feeling the way you have or learning to recognise some of the things about you that are awesome.

Often, we can see that other people in your life need a hand understanding what is going on or learning how to do things differently (hint: parent/s). Parents (almost) always try their best to help. Sometimes they just need a hand figuring out what is really helpful and what really doesn’t help.

We try to spend the first appointment getting to know each other so we can understand what’s going on and talk to you about what might help.

It’s up to you whether you chat to us by yourself or with your parents in the room. Whatever you’ll feel more comfortable with is fine by us.

You might have different things that you want to talk to us about compared to what your parent/s think is important. Totally fine. You won’t have to talk about anything you don’t want to.

If you decide you want to try out some more sessions, we’ll figure out what is going to make your life a bit easier and come up with a plan to make it happen.

Short answer: No. Slightly longer answer: No!!!!

At least one in four people your age will go through a time when they need to speak to a psychologist (and the real number is probably higher).

Getting help is both a really smart and really brave decision. You’d probably get some help if you had a broken leg or asthma. If the internet wasn’t working at home, you’d want someone to come and get it working again. Why should you have to deal with feeling [sad, angry, anxious, overwhelmed or insert other unpleasant feeling] without getting some support?

It’s really ok. Heaps of young people have sat in our offices and really not wanted to be there at first. We promise that we don’t take it personally. Those that give it a go can usually look around in a few months and see that life is a lot better, and they’re glad they took a chance.

We get it – no-one does cartwheels through our door because they’re so excited to talk about all the tough stuff that is going on. It takes a lot of bravery and strength, but we’re pretty sure you’ve got buckets of that (even if you don’t know it yet).

We really believe that talking to a psychologist can make a big difference. It does come down to a really important question (and it’s one only you can answer): do I want things to get better?

If the answer is ‘yes’ (even just a tiny bit), then we think we can help.

This is a really important question, and your psychologist will talk to about it at the first appointment. Your psychologist is required to keep everything you tell them private.

Usually, the only reason we can break this rule is if we are worried about whether you or someone else is safe. The other reason is if you’re involved in a court case, and a judge tells us to share information about you. If any of these happen, we’ll talk to you about it first and come up with a plan together.

What you tell us is completely up to you. We can help with the stuff that you do tell us about. Helping with stuff that we don’t know about – not so much.