Depression & Anxiety

Is your child experiencing depression or anxiety?

If your child or adolescent seems depressed, or unusually anxious or fearful, then our first step is to identify the cause of the problem. There are innumerable conditions and influences that can affect all facets of an adolescent’s thoughts, emotions, relationships and daily activities. Major depression and generalized anxiety disorder are two common – and often interconnected – afflictions among teens and youth. Perhaps he/she has experienced a major life event and is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Or your child might be affected by specific phobias, obsessive compulsive disorder, or a panic disorder. It’s extremely important to understand that there might be more than one issue present; your child or teenager could be experiencing a combination of multiple disorders or problematic influences.

What are our next steps?

We’ll begin with an immediate assessment to evaluate how your teenager thinks, feels and behaves through any combination of the following methods:

• clinical interviews
• observation
• questionnaires

Once completed, we’ll establish a treatment plan and outline goals for therapy. Treatment may include individual and/or family therapy based on a model of cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT). CBT is an evidence-based approach that has been shown in research to be highly effective at dealing with a range of mental health problems. In addition, our therapy sessions are designed to be emotionally supportive with a focus on strength and hope.

At The Oak Centre, we firmly believe that our success relies heavily on creating a therapeutic environment that fosters a warm acceptance of your son or daughter. Contact us if you would like to make an appointment for an initial consultation.