Compassionate Support for Growing Minds
Welcome to Next Step Counselling Group. Growing up has never been more complex than it is today. Children, teenagers, and young adults are navigating a rapidly changing world filled with intense social pressures, academic demands, and heavy emotional burdens. Whether your child is dealing with sudden behavioral changes, intense anxiety, social withdrawal, or the difficult aftermath of a traumatic event, watching them struggle can leave parents feeling helpless and overwhelmed.
We are here to help. Our clinic provides specialized child and youth counselling services in Kelowna, BC. We believe that therapy should be a safe, confidential space where young people can be entirely themselves without any fear of judgment. Our dedicated therapists work collaboratively with children, youth, and their families to untangle complex emotions, build profound resilience, and develop the lifelong skills necessary to navigate life’s inevitable challenges.
Common Challenges We Help Children and Teens Navigate
Children and adolescents experience and express distress very differently than adults. A child who is anxious might not have the vocabulary to say, “I am feeling overwhelmed.” Instead, their anxiety might manifest as angry outbursts at school, physical stomach aches, or extreme school avoidance. At Next Step, we frequently work with youth experiencing a wide range of challenges:
Anxiety, Bullying, and School Pressures
Many of the teens we see are struggling under the heavy weight of social pressures, peer pressure, and academic expectations. Some of our youth clients have had to take time away from school due to severe bullying, while others experience intense school performance and test anxiety. A common theme among our adolescent clients is the profound feeling of “cracking under pressure”.
Neurodivergence (Autism and ADHD)
For youth navigating life with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or ADHD, the world can feel incredibly overstimulating and invalidating. We have a particular passion for supporting neurodivergent young people. Rather than trying to change who they are, we focus on helping youth with ASD and ADHD learn the critical life skills they need to grow into confident, independent, and self-advocating adults.
Trauma and Emotional Regulation
When a young person experiences a traumatic event—whether it is a medical trauma, a motor vehicle accident, or complex family conflict—their developing nervous system can easily become dysregulated. We specialize in treating trauma for kids and teens (ages 3 to 18) using gentle, developmentally appropriate, and heavily researched modalities.
The Transition to Young Adulthood
As older teens transition into young adulthood, they often face a turbulent period characterized by feelings of being entirely lost. Young adults frequently come to us grappling with heavy, existential questions like “Who am I?” and “What should I do with my life?”. We help them separate their own authentic desires from the expectations of others, empowering them to go after the life they truly want.
Our Approach: Beyond Traditional Talk Therapy
We deeply understand that counselling younger clients must look fundamentally different than traditional talk therapy designed for adults. Sitting on a couch and talking for an hour is often intimidating, ineffective, or simply impossible for a child or young teen.
To bridge this gap, our child and youth therapists utilize creative, highly engaging, and developmentally appropriate approaches to build genuine trust and connection. Depending on the age and comfort level of the client, sessions may incorporate flowing conversation, interactive games, creative activities, movement, and play therapy. We work to create a warm, inviting environment where children and youth feel entirely comfortable sharing their internal experiences at their own unique pace.
Specialized Therapeutic Modalities for Youth
Our team of Registered Clinical Counsellors (RCCs), Registered Social Workers (RSWs), and Student Therapists draw upon a variety of specialized, evidence-based frameworks to support growing minds:
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT): We frequently use CBT to help teenage clients tackle their stressors head-on. By helping them identify unhelpful negative thought patterns, we can assist them in rewriting their internal story, gaining lasting confidence, and learning healthier strategies for coping with difficult moments.
Trauma-Focused CBT (TF-CBT): This is a highly structured, evidence-based modality specifically designed to help children and teenagers (ages 3-18) safely process traumatic events and overcome painful triggers.
Somatic Experiencing (SE): Somatic Experiencing is a body-focused therapy developed to help heal trauma by safely releasing stored stress from the nervous system. Instead of forcing a child to revisit traumatic memories in excruciating detail, SE gently guides them to track and regulate their bodily sensations, effectively restoring balance to their nervous system.
Play Therapy: For our younger clients, play is their natural language. Modalities like play therapy allow children to naturally express complex emotions, process difficult family transitions, and practice new social skills in a safe, imaginative setting.
Supporting the Whole Family Unit
Child therapy does not happen in a vacuum. A young person’s healing is deeply interconnected with their home environment and family dynamics. While teenagers require a high degree of privacy and autonomy in their sessions, we strongly value working collaboratively with parents and caregivers whenever appropriate.
Our therapists can help families better understand one another, improving cross-generational communication while ensuring the youth feels heard, respected, and empowered. Furthermore, we possess highly specific clinical experience in supporting families whose unique stories include neurodiversity, complex adoption, fostering, and deep emotional needs.
Counsellors That Provide This Service
Our Kelowna clinic is proud to host a diverse, compassionate team of professionals who specialize in child, youth, and teen mental health:
- Katelyn Schouten – Clinical Director & RCC: Works with children, teens, and youth using creative approaches like games, activities, and movement. She specializes in anxiety, trauma, and supporting neurodivergent youth.
- Shana K – Founder & RCC: Deeply passionate about helping children (ages 6+) and youth with ASD develop life skills, as well as treating trauma for kids (ages 3-18) using Trauma-Focused CBT.
- Chris Downey – RCC: Supports kids and youth (ages 10+), specializing in developmental trauma, neurodiversity, and the complex dynamics of foster and adoptive families.
- Sophia Mazza – RCC: Offers highly specialized therapy for children and youth of all ages navigating OCD, intrusive thoughts, and trauma, providing 2SLGBTQIA+ affirming care.
- Abi Hall – Student Therapist: Supports youth (ages 10+) with anxiety, perfectionism, and body image. As a competitive dance coach, she deeply understands the pressures of youth performance and self-talk.
- Laura Austin – RCC: Loves supporting young people as they figure out who they are, utilizing modalities like ERP and ART to manage intrusive thoughts and anxiety.
- Katherine Graydon – RCC: Specializes in play therapy and EMDR, helping children connect to parts of themselves they may have disconnected from due to early trauma.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
This heavily depends on the age of the child and the specific therapeutic goals. For very young children, caregiver involvement is often crucial. For teenagers, establishing a private, confidential space is necessary for them to build trust with their therapist. We will always discuss the most effective approach with both you and your child during the initial consultation.
It is incredibly common for teenagers to feel hesitant or defensive about starting counselling. We recommend framing therapy not as a punishment or a place to be “fixed,” but as an independent, neutral space where they can vent, learn about themselves, and get support without parental judgment. Our therapists are highly skilled at building rapport with reluctant teens through patience, shared interests, and creative activities.
In British Columbia, youth have a right to confidentiality in therapy. To build a trusting therapeutic relationship, teens need to know their words will not be immediately reported back to their parents. However, safety is always our ultimate priority. If a therapist ever assesses that your child is at imminent risk of harming themselves or someone else, or if there is a risk of abuse, confidentiality will be breached to ensure their immediate safety, and caregivers will be involved.
In most cases, yes. Our team is composed of Registered Clinical Counsellors (RCCs) and Registered Social Workers (RSWs), meaning our specialized youth services are widely recognized and covered by most extended health benefit plans. We also proudly accept approved funding through the Crime Victim Assistance Program (CVAP), the First Nations Health Authority (FNHA), and ICBC.
Take the Next Step Toward Healing
You do not have to watch your child or teenager navigate overwhelming stress, anxiety, or trauma alone. Equipping them with professional, compassionate support early in life can provide them with the resilient foundation they need to thrive well into adulthood.
If you are ready to explore how specialized child and youth counselling can support your family, our dedicated team at Next Step Counselling Group is here for you. Please contact us today to book a consultation and take the next step toward a healthier, happier future for your child.
