FAQs - Teen Coaching
Below are the questions I hear most often from parents before they decide whether to get in touch. If something isn't covered here, please don't hesitate to reach out.
What is teen coaching?
Teen coaching is a structured, goal-focused process that helps young people identify what's holding them back and develop practical tools to move forward. It's future-focused. Rather than looking back at how a teenager ended up here, we work towards where they want to be and what's getting in the way. In practice, that means exploring the thoughts, beliefs, and patterns keeping your teenager stuck, and helping them build a different relationship with those patterns. There are no worksheets to fill in, no scripts. Just real work, done at their pace.
How is Coaching different from therapy or counselling?
Therapy tends to focus on processing past experiences and treating diagnosed mental health conditions. It's often the right choice when a teenager has a clinical diagnosis, has experienced trauma, or needs clinical intervention. Counselling also focuses on strategies to move forward, however services are over-stretched and not all teenagers are ready to try counselling, even though it would help them.
Coaching is better suited to teenagers who are fundamentally okay but struggling. Anxious, low in confidence, overwhelmed by pressure, but not requiring clinical treatment. It builds skills, shifts mindsets, and develops emotional resilience in a way that's practical and forward-looking.
Coaching is not a substitute for therapy, and I would never position it as such. If it becomes clear during our work together that a teenager needs a higher level of clinical support, I'll say so.
IS Coaching Right for my teenager?
Coaching works best for teenagers who have some willingness to engage, even if they arrive sceptical or reluctant. What doesn't work is coaching a teenager who categorically refuses to participate, because the process requires at least some openness.
That said, many of the young people I work with arrive unconvinced. Part of my skill is building trust in a way that makes them feel safe enough to actually engage, and once that happens, progress tends to follow quickly. If you're genuinely unsure, a conversation is the right place to talk that through honestly.
What Age Group Do You work with?
I work with young people aged 15 to 19. This covers GCSE years, A-levels, and the transition into university or employment, a period in which patterns of anxiety and low confidence, if left unaddressed, can become significantly more entrenched.
How many sessions will my teenager need?
This varies, and I'd be cautious of any coach who gives a definitive answer without knowing your teenager. A 3-session package suits teenagers with a clear, contained focus. A 6-session package gives us time to do deeper, more sustainable work and is the most commonly chosen option. A 10-session package is for teenagers with more significant or long-standing challenges.
I'll give you my honest recommendation when we speak rather than default to the largest package.
what happens in a coaching session?
Each session is 60 minutes, in person in or around Henley on Thames or online via video call. We begin by checking in on how things have been and what your teenager wants to focus on, then work through conversation, reflection, and practical exercises on the agreed area. We close with your teenager leaving with something concrete to apply before we next meet.
I believe sessions should feel useful in the moment and produce results outside it. If your teenager is attending regularly but nothing is changing in their daily life, something in the approach needs to shift and I'll say so.
Do Sessions take place in person or online?
Both. In-person sessions take place outside, which can work particularly well for teenagers who find sitting face-to-face uncomfortable, with easy access for families across Oxfordshire and Berkshire. I also offer indoor sessions for some clients which can take place in an agreed neutral space, or if appropriate - at your home.
Online sessions are available throughout the UK. Many teenagers actually prefer them. Being in their own space tends to make them more comfortable and more willing to open up, however getting away from their screen will always be my preferred approach.
are sessions confidential?
Yes. At the outset, I'll have an open conversation with both you and your teenager about what confidentiality means in practice, what information if any might be shared with parents and in what circumstances. The goal is for your teenager to feel genuinely safe in sessions, while giving you appropriate reassurance about how things are progressing.
do you work with neurodivergent teenagers?
What if my teenager is reluctant or resistant?
how much does teen coaching cost?
Yes. I work in close collaboration with specialist practitioner Judith Katz to support teenagers with neurodivergent profiles including ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and related presentations. Neurodivergent teenagers often experience anxiety and confidence challenges in ways shaped by their neurotype. The approach needs to genuinely reflect that. Please mention this when we speak so I can ensure the right support is in place from the beginning.
This is one of the most common concerns I hear. Many teenagers arrive sceptical, going through the motions to keep their parents happy, unconvinced that anything will help. I don't need them to arrive converted to the idea of coaching. I just need them to arrive.
From there, my job is to build enough trust that their scepticism starts to give way. For most young people, that shift happens faster than either they or their parents expect. What coaching can't do is reach someone who categorically refuses to engage. If your teenager is at that point, it may be worth waiting until there's some degree of openness.
A single, 90 minute session is £120. A series of 60 minute sessions are available in the following packages: 4 sessions (£295), 6 sessions (£432), or 10 sessions (£695). The initial discovery call is free.
I want families to feel clear about what they're committing to before they begin. Our initial conversation is partly there to help you make that decision carefully.