Home For Teens For Parents CVAP Funding Services & Fees About Resources Book Appointment

For Parents

You know something is wrong.
You're not imagining it.

Sarah Larson is a Registered Clinical Counsellor, Vice President of the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors, and a parent of teenagers herself. She specialises in teens and young adults — and she's helped a lot of parents navigate exactly what you're going through right now.

Book a free 15-min consult Check CVAP funding eligibility
Journal, crafting tools and dried flowers

What you might be noticing

These are the signs parents bring to Sarah's office.

The closed door

They're home but completely absent. One-word answers. Meals skipped. You knock and get silence, or a version of "I'm fine" that clearly isn't true.

Anxiety that won't ease

Refusing school, avoiding friends, catastrophising about ordinary things. Or the opposite — a kind of flat, switched-off quality that feels unlike them.

Something happened

A break-up, a friendship falling apart, a traumatic experience, a difficult period at school. You know there's a "before" and "after" but they won't talk about what changed.

Identity and questions you're not sure how to hold

Gender, sexuality, belonging, religion — questions that feel big and where you want to support them well but aren't sure how.

Worrying behaviours

Eating patterns that concern you, self-harm, substance use, or other ways of coping that are getting harder to ignore.

They won't talk to you

Not because of anything you've done — but sometimes teenagers need someone outside the family who has no stake in the outcome. That's what therapy offers.

Practical answers for parents

Questions parents ask before the first appointment.

Here are the things parents most often want to know — answered plainly.

Don't frame it as "you need help" or "something is wrong with you." Try: "I thought it might be useful to have someone to talk to who isn't in the middle of everything." Offer it as an option, not a verdict. One conversation with Sarah first — just a 15-minute call — can make it feel a lot less daunting for both of you.
Sessions are confidential. Sarah won't share what your teenager discusses with you — and this is actually what makes therapy work. Your teenager needs to know the space is genuinely safe before they'll use it. Sarah will always communicate with you if there's a serious safety concern.
Before Sarah begins working with a teenager under 18, she requires a full session with the parent or guardian alone. This is your chance to share your version of the story — what you've been observing, what you're worried about, and what you're hoping therapy might help with. It helps Sarah understand the goals for treatment, which matters when you're the one investing in it. After that first session, your teenager becomes the priority and sessions are private. Sarah won't share what they discuss with you — and that confidentiality is actually what makes the work effective.
Many extended health benefit plans cover RCC sessions — the amount varies by plan, so check with your insurer. You pay upfront and Sarah provides a receipt to submit for reimbursement. If your teenager has experienced crime or a traumatic event, the Crime Victim Assistance Program (CVAP) may fully fund their sessions. Sarah is an approved CVAP provider and offers direct billing for CVAP and ICBC — meaning no out-of-pocket cost for eligible clients.
Sarah is currently accepting new clients. Start with a free 15-minute phone consultation — it's a no-pressure way to ask questions and see if it feels like a good fit before booking a full session.
"Sarah Larson deserves recommendation and recognition. Her warm, collaborative style, rooted in EFT and Attachment Theory, creates real safety for teens, young adults, and anyone exploring their identity or healing trauma."
Timothy Harrison Lamont, CCC, MACP — Colleague Endorsement

The first step is a 15-minute conversation.

No pressure, no commitment. Just a chance to speak with Sarah directly, ask what you need to ask, and decide together if this is the right fit for your teenager.

Book the free consult