Orla McHugh author of Celtic Cubs: Inside the Mind of the Irish Teenager has many years of experience counselling adolescents, helping them through difficult times which are often particular to this stage of development in the life cycle. Identity formation is the main task of adolescence, allowing the teenager to take on their own individual character. This is a daunting process, and takes place concurrently with huge neurological change. As a result many teenagers need help and support with worries about body image, self-consciousness, self assertion etc.
Orla has put together an expert team of therapists to form the adolescent and youth team at Rathgar Consultancy Centre. The team works with teens of all ages who are experiencing different types of issues including anxiety, depression, relationship difficulties, parental separation/conflict, identity formation issues, social anxiety/self esteem, school refusal etc. Adolescents benefit greatly from therapy and often find the experience educative. While their difficulties might seem overwhelming at the start of therapy often they start feeling better very quickly. This is attributed to the fact that their problems are relatively recent in experience and are not deeply ingrained. Research shows that with each bout of depression etc the problem becomes deeper and more complex, and therefore harder to shift. That is why it is advised to get help quickly, the earlier the better.
