Mental Health

For Youth and Young Adults

Psychology

Counselling

Yoga & meditation

Tutoring

The Talking Couch is the only private mental health practice dedicated to helping youth and young adults (12-24 years) in the Shoalhaven.

We pride ourselves on being different. For us, being client-centred and using an evidence-informed approach to treatment are not nice-to-haves but are at the core of our practice philosophy. Working together with you is a collaborative commitment, and while our practitioners are very knowledgeable in the various areas of mental health, you are and always will be the expert of your own life.

We welcome with open arms anyone who is within the age range of 10-24 years. We embrace diversity, and while we are neither colour- nor otherwise blind, we also strongly reject putting labels on people. In the end, we are all but human.

One in seven young people aged 4 to 17 years experience a mental health condition in any given year.

Lawrence D, Johnson S, Hafekost J, Boterhoven De Haan K, Sawyer M, Ainley J, Zubrick SR. (2015).

The Mental Health of Children and Adolescents. Report on the second Australian Child and Adolescent Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing. Canberra: Department of Health

Psychology

Counselling

Yoga & meditation

Tutoring

Only 31% of young women and 13% of young men with mental health problems had sought any professional help.

Slade T, Johnston A, Teesson M, Whiteford H, Burgess P, Pirkis J, et al. (2009)

The Mental Health of Australians 2: Report on the 2007 National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing. Canberra: Department of Health and Ageing

Life is seldom straightforward, and it hardly ever turns out exactly as planned. Sometimes, the obstacles in our way seem insurmountable, and sometimes we simply get lost somewhere. These and many other factors can lead to psychological disorders, ranging from mild anxiety to much more serious problems.

The goal of our practitioners is to lend you a helping hand in working things through, empower you to make decisions that are right for you, and ultimately provide you with a skill set that will increase your judgment and decision-making in the future.

No problem is too small or too big for us, so call us today or book yourself in to find out how we can work together.

Latest articles

Educating young people about social media would be far more effective than a ban – Finland can show us how

By integrating digital literacy into the education system from the preschool years, Finland shows how to keep young people safe online without resorting to a ban.

Fit kids have better mental and physical health. What’s the best way to get them active?

While the benefits of fitness for children are clear, physical activities should be done in a safe and fun way.

I think my child is having panic attacks. What should we do?

A panic attack is a sudden, intense feeling of fear or discomfort. Here’s what it looks like in children – and how to respond.

Diagnostic labels may increase our empathy for people in distress. But there are downsides too

In a new study, we looked at how the presence of diagnostic labels – such as ‘major depressive disorder’ or ‘PTSD’ – affected the way people perceived others experiencing mental distress.

Calls to ban ‘harmful pornography’ are rife. Here’s what teens actually think about porn

Adults have blamed porn for many things recently, including harming teenagers. We asked teens what they thought and their opinions paint a complex picture.

Study shows video games can improve mental wellbeing – but you can have too much of a good thing

A large survey showed links between gaming and wellbeing and found a way to show cause and effect – that even owning a gaming console improved wellbeing.

Just 8 minutes of TikTok ‘thinspiration’ content is enough to affect body image

Our new study found watching just eight minutes of TikTok content focused on dieting, weight loss and exercise had an immediate negative effect on body image satisfaction for young women.

Too many Year 9 students are missing school. What can parents and teachers do to keep them engaged?

Year 9 is often seen as a ‘lost year’, where a young person has left junior high school but is not yet a senior student.

Young Australians feel they are ‘missing out’ on being young: new research

Should “being young” be enshrined as a human right?

New research shows 1 in 5 Australians have perpetrated sexual violence in their adult lives. The true rate might be even worse

Data from the Australian Institute of Criminology shows alarmingly high rates of sexual violence perpetration. Here’s what is shows.

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When we are open to new possibilities, we find them. Be open and skeptical of everything.

Todd Kashdan