BreakThrough Counselling
Teen Counselling in Montreal
In-person in Montreal and online across Quebec and Ontario
BUILD EMOTIONAL AWARENESS
Help teens recognize and name their feelings, developing the self-awareness needed to manage emotions with confidence.
STRENGTHEN COPING AND RESILIENCE
Support your teen in building healthy tools to handle stress, anxiety, and life’s challenges — one step at a time.
IMPROVE COMMUNICATION AND CONNECTION
Encourage more open conversations and mutual understanding between teens and parents, creating stronger relationships at home and beyond.
A Safe Space for Teens to Be Heard
Adolescence can be both exciting and overwhelming. Between academic stress, social pressure, family dynamics, and questions of identity, many teens feel anxious, lost, or unsure how to cope.
At Breakthrough Counselling, we offer a supportive space where teens can slow down, express themselves freely, and develop tools to manage stress, emotions, and change. Our counsellors meet teens with empathy, honesty, and curiosity, creating a space where they can feel seen, not judged.
When to Look for Teen Counselling
Counselling can help teens struggling with:
- Constant worry, tension, or overthinking about school, friendships, or the future
- Emotional highs and lows that feel hard to manage
- Withdrawal or disconnection
- Changes in sleep, appetite, or energy without a clear reason
- Difficulty focusing or staying motivated, even for things that usually matter
- Ongoing conflict or tension in relationships with family or friends
- A sense of being misunderstood or alone, despite having people around
- Working through trauma, including experiences of violence or abuse
With Teen Counselling, Breakthrough Counselling helps teens and their parents build emotional awareness, resilience, and connection. Together, we create a space for healing, growth, and understanding.
teen counselling montreal
What Is Teen Counselling?
Teen counselling provides a confidential and supportive environment for adolescents to explore their thoughts, feelings, and experiences with a trained therapist.
Our approach helps teens understand what’s happening inside them — emotionally and physically — and find ways to navigate it with greater self-awareness and confidence.
Sessions may focus on emotional regulation, identity development, relationships, or managing stress and anxiety.
We also support parents and caregivers to better understand and connect with their teens, creating stronger communication and family harmony.
Who can benefit from teen counselling?
Teen counselling can be helpful for adolescents who are:
Feeling anxious, withdrawn, or overwhelmed
Struggling with self-esteem or confidence
Having trouble managing stress, anger, or sadness
Navigating friendship challenges or social pressures
Experiencing family conflict or communication issues
Adjusting to change, loss, or transitions
Exploring questions of identity or belonging
- Healing from all forms of violence or abuse (sexual, physical or verbal)
Teen counselling can also support parents who are unsure how to help or are feeling overwhelmed themselves. It can help families move from frustration and confusion toward empathy and connection.
teen counselling montreal
What Can Teen Counselling Help With
Anxiety and Stress
Teens today face intense academic, social, and future pressures. Counselling helps them identify the thoughts and triggers that heighten anxiety, and learn grounding and coping skills to bring more calm into their daily lives.
Depression and Low Mood
When sadness, fatigue, or loss of motivation persist, therapy provides space to unpack underlying emotions and build hope. Teens learn to reconnect with what gives them meaning and develop tools to manage difficult feelings.
Self-Esteem and Identity
Adolescence is a time of self-discovery, but also self-doubt. Counselling supports teens in understanding who they are, strengthening self-worth, and navigating identity-related questions with compassion and curiosity.
Family and Relationship Challenges
Conflict or communication breakdowns at home can leave everyone feeling misunderstood. Counselling helps teens express themselves safely, while also giving families tools to listen and connect with more empathy.
Peer Pressure and Social Dynamics
Friendship changes, social media, and belonging can be complicated. Therapy helps teens navigate boundaries, assert themselves, and build confidence in how they relate to others.
Emotional Regulation
Many teens struggle to manage big emotions like anger, frustration, or sadness. Counselling helps them notice what’s happening inside their bodies and minds — and learn ways to stay grounded when emotions run high.
Life Transitions and School Stress
Changes such as moving schools, preparing for exams, or stepping into adulthood can feel overwhelming. Therapy provides a steady space to adjust, reflect, and build confidence during times of transition.
Trauma and Sexual Violence
Some teens have experienced violence, abuse (sexual, physical or verbal), or other traumatic events. Our therapists are trained in trauma-informed care and specialize in supporting survivors.
Perfectionism and Pressure to Succeed
Many teens feel the need to achieve or “get it right.” Counselling helps them release unrealistic expectations, develop self-compassion, and reconnect with intrinsic motivation rather than fear of failure.
Social Media and Self-Image
Online spaces can amplify comparison and self-criticism. Therapy offers perspective, helping teens navigate social media more mindfully and strengthen a positive sense of self offline.
Teen counselling montreal
Modalities We Use
Every session is tailored to the teen’s age, needs, and pace. Our counsellors use evidence-based, trauma-informed approaches such as:
Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Helps teens recognize patterns between thoughts, emotions, and actions. CBT builds practical tools to manage anxiety, stress, and self-critical thinking.
Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT)
Supports teens in identifying, naming, and expressing emotions in healthy ways. This helps reduce emotional overwhelm and fosters self-acceptance.
parts work
Helps teens explore the different sides of themselves — such as the part that wants to fit in and the part that wants independence — promoting deeper self-awareness and harmony.
Drama therapy
Drama therapy gives teens a different way to explore their thoughts, emotions, and experiences when words alone don’t feel like enough. Using movement, storytelling, imagination, and role-play, it helps teens better understand themselves, build confidence, and work through life’s challenges. No acting or artistic experience is required.
Art therapy
Art therapy helps teens express thoughts and feelings that may be difficult to put into words. Through creative expression, teens can process emotions, reduce stress, gain insight, and build healthy coping skills in a safe and supportive environment. No artistic ability is needed!
Creative and experiential tools
Encourages self-expression through art, writing, or visualization. These hands-on approaches can help teens explore emotions that may be hard to put into words.
Mindfulness and somatic awareness
Teaches teens to notice body cues like tension, breath, or restlessness, building tools for calm and grounding in moments of stress or anxiety
Breathwork
Breathwork helps teens calm their nervous systems, manage stress, and reconnect with their bodies. By learning simple breathing techniques, teens can improve emotional regulation, reduce anxiety, and feel more grounded in everyday life. Learn more.
Groups
Our teen groups provide a safe and supportive space to connect with peers, build confidence, and develop practical tools for navigating life’s challenges. Teens often discover that they’re not alone in what they’re experiencing and can learn from one another while feeling supported.
teen counselling montreal
What Progress Can Look Like
Growth often unfolds gradually. Over time, many teens begin to notice subtle but meaningful shifts feeling more grounded, confident, and connected, both with themselves and with others.
You might notice:
- Improved self-awareness: recognizing emotions and patterns more easily
- Greater emotional regulation: fewer intense reactions, more calm and clarity
- Increased confidence and self-acceptance: a stronger sense of identity and worth
- Healthier communication: being able to express needs and boundaries clearly
- Reduced anxiety and stress: more space to breathe, focus, and enjoy daily life
- Stronger relationships: more openness and understanding with family and peers
Counselling helps teens and families build lifelong emotional tools — the kind that support understanding, resilience, and wellbeing well beyond adolescence.
Step into a life of possibility.
Start your journey to healing with a free 15-minute consultation. Book online or contact us.
Audrey Elkeslassy, MSW, RSW
Founder and Clinical Director
Why Us
BreakThrough Counselling
We believe that true safety starts from within.
When you feel secure in yourself, that sense of safety goes with you wherever you are. But how do you find that inner safety?
You can’t always control your environment, but you can build a solid foundation within yourself. We help you develop a toolkit of resources to strengthen your confidence, self-awareness, and emotional resilience so you can navigate your world with more calm and security.
Every member of our team works from a trauma-informed place and uses what we call a “trauma lens.” This means that we understand how trauma or stress can impact the mind, body, and soul. A trauma lens helps us see how your experiences might influence how you feel, think, and respond today, even if you don’t identify your past as “traumatic.”
Are you ready to shift from surviving to thriving? Book a free 15-minute consultation.
At BreakThrough Counselling, we practice:
Trauma-Informed Care
We use evidence-based methods like EMDR, IFS, and somatic techniques to address and heal the effects of trauma.
Collaboration
We work closely with clients and other professionals to provide holistic, coordinated care that supports effective healing.
Empowerment
Our approach equips clients with tools and strategies to confidently navigate their healing journey and challenges.
BreakThrough Counselling Montreal
Meet Our Teen Counselling Team
Our counsellors offer a compassionate and collaborative space for teens and families to feel heard, understood, and supported.
Our Approach
How Teen Counselling Works
Counselling is a safe space where teens can explore their thoughts, feelings, and experiences without judgment. At BreakThrough Counselling, we tailor each session to meet your teen’s unique needs, helping them build emotional awareness, coping skills, and confidence.
1. Getting Started
We begin with an initial consultation to understand your teen’s needs, goals, and challenges. This helps everyone feel comfortable and sets the foundation for counselling sessions.
2. Personalized Support
Counselling sessions are tailored to your teen, combining evidence-based approaches to build emotional awareness, coping skills, and confidence in a safe, non-judgmental space.
3. Ongoing Growth
Teens learn lifelong emotional tools while parents receive guidance to support progress at home. Together, we track growth and adjust the approach as needed.
teen counselling montreal
Questions About Teen Counselling
What is teen counselling?
Teen counselling provides a safe, supportive space for adolescents to explore their thoughts, emotions, and challenges. It helps them develop coping skills, build confidence, and navigate life’s transitions with guidance from a trained therapist.
What issues can teen counselling help with?
Counselling can support teens experiencing anxiety, stress, depression, low self-esteem, social challenges, family conflicts, grief, or difficulty managing emotions. It also helps teens develop lifelong emotional skills that support wellbeing beyond adolescence.
How long does teen counselling usually last?
Each teen’s journey is unique. Sessions are typically 45–60 minutes, and the number of sessions depends on your teen’s goals and progress. Some teens benefit from short-term support, while others may work with a therapist longer for deeper growth.
Do parents need to be involved?
Parents or guardians are often included in the process, especially at the beginning, to share context and learn ways to support their teen. Therapy also provides guidance for families to strengthen communication and understanding at home.
What if my teen is hesitant about counselling?
It’s normal for teens to feel uncertain. Our therapists create a welcoming, non-judgmental space where teens can go at their own pace. Even small steps toward opening up can lead to meaningful progress.
Is counselling confidential?
In Québec, teens 14 years and older can usually consent to counselling on their own, and their sessions are kept confidential. For youth under 14, parents or guardians generally need to provide consent and may have access to information about the sessions.
Confidentiality is an important part of therapy, and so are safety and trust. There are rare exceptions where information may need to be shared, such as when there is risk of harm to self or others.
At BreakThrough Counselling, our therapists take the time to explain confidentiality clearly so that both teens and parents understand what it means, what the limits are, and how we can all work together to create a supportive and safe environment for healing.
Can counselling be done online?
Absolutely. We offer both in-person sessions in Montreal and online counselling across Québec, making support accessible no matter where you are.
BreakThrough Counselling Montreal
How To Get Started
Get started with BreakThrough Counselling using the form below. We will schedule you in for a free consultation or answer any questions you have. Our services are available in Montreal with online sessions across Québec and Ontario.
We typically respond within 1 business day.*
*By providing my phone number to BreakThrough Counselling, I agree and acknowledge that BreakThrough Counselling may send text messages to my wireless phone number for any purpose. Message and data rates may apply. Message frequency will vary, and you will be able to Opt-out by replying “STOP”. For more information on how your data will be handled, please visit https://btcounselling.
Book Online
If you’re a new client, you can book a consultation directly online using the button below.
Note: You will be prompted to create a profile in order to book online.