Adolescence is defined as the period in one's life where we transition from the confluence of childhood into the self-reliance of adulthood. The point at which adolescence begins and ends is ambiguous; however, adolescence is now being recognised as a longer process than what we once thought, starting in the preeteens and continuing well into our mid twenties, if not longer.

The transition from childhood into adulthood is massive. The defining theme of adolescence is change. Everything is in a state of flux for the adolescent, including their body, brains, hormonal balance, life space, perceptions, understandings, likes, dislikes and world view. Adolescence is literally an existential shift in the individual's sense of self and how they view and engage with their world. Such profound change naturally contains experiences of instability, insecurity and overwhelm

To understand the nature of adolescence, we have to understand the impacts of substantive change. We gain a sense of stability in our lives when there are things that feel solid or reliable to us. For an adult, creating a stable life might include: owning a home, having secure work which provides a secure wage, a good reliable car, trusted friends, a healthy relationship with a partner, marriage, and so forth. In contrast, change often causes us to have a sense of instability, for example when we unexpectedly have to move from our homes, lose a job, relationship breakdowns and the like. When we truly understand that adolescence is an embodied experience of continual and unpredictable change, we can easily recognise why adolescence is often a challenging time in life, and why adolescents need our understanding and support.

There is a paradox for the Adolescent, one where they are seeking independence, and yet need support. As such, some adolescents can be reluctant to engage in therapy. Thankfully, through greater awareness around such things as mental health wellness, adolescents seeing a therapist for support is becoming more normalised.

Adolescence does not herald bad news. Adolescence comes with emerging independence, the world becomes bigger and the adolescent’s perception and understanding of the world becomes broader. Adolescence can be full of vibrancy, big dreams, new opportunities and developing inner strengths. Friendships are more complex, offering more depth of contact and there can be immense joy in exploring the shifting nature of one's sense of self.read more... read less