Support for your teen. Space for their story. Without missing a day of school.
You might have noticed your teenager spending more time alone. Perhaps school feels harder, friendships have become complicated, or conversations at home keep ending in frustration. They may have asked to speak with someone. Or you may be wondering how to suggest it.
Finding support means finding someone your teen can connect with—and an appointment that fits into family life.
At In Health – Byron Bay Psychology, our new Saturday Adolescent Clinic makes that step more accessible. With a particular focus on supporting teenagers, Jaclyn Cunningham and James McArthur-Appleby bring different therapeutic strengths to our Byron Bay team.
Support that takes your teenager seriously
Adolescence brings changing relationships, growing independence and questions about identity and belonging. Alongside school expectations and social pressures, these experiences can become difficult to manage.
Teen counselling offers space to explore what is happening, understand difficult feelings and develop ways of responding that suit the young person’s needs.
For some teenagers, the starting point is anxiety or low mood. For others, it is distress around eating and body image, relationship difficulties, grief, trauma or feeling overwhelmed.
Their own perspective matters. What concerns a parent may feel different from the teenager’s experience. Making room for both is an important starting point.
Our Saturday clinic offers support for young people navigating a range of challenges, including:
• Anxiety and depression
• Eating disorders and difficulties with body image
• Neurodiversity, including ADHD-related challenges
• School avoidance and school-related anxiety
• Trauma and difficult life experiences
• Self-harm and suicidal thoughts
• Relationship and family difficulties
• Emotional regulation and overwhelming feelings
• Low self-esteem and challenges with identity
Why Saturday appointments matter
Accessing adolescent mental health support can involve practical obstacles: leaving school early, missing lessons, rearranging work and fitting appointments around an already full week.
Our Saturday Adolescent Clinic offers another option.
For families looking for Saturday counselling appointments in Byron Bay, it creates an opportunity to access support outside school hours. That can make ongoing attendance easier to fit into everyday life.
Meet Jaclyn Cunningham: adolescent mental health and eating disorder care
Jaclyn Cunningham is an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker and Credentialed Eating Disorder Clinician with ANZAED. She works with adolescents aged 13 and over, as well as adults, supporting concerns including eating disorders, anxiety, depression and trauma. Meet Jaclyn on our team page.
Jaclyn brings more than a decade of experience, with a background spanning schools, community mental health, adventure therapy and rites of passage programs. Her work reflects an understanding of the relationships, environments and transitions that shape young people’s lives.
She places particular importance on a collaborative therapeutic relationship: understanding the person, recognising their existing strengths and exploring what meaningful change would look like for them.
For families seeking teen eating disorder and body image support in Byron Bay, Jaclyn brings specific credentials and experience in this area. Where appropriate, her work includes collaboration with families and other treating professionals.
Meet James McArthur-Appleby: a listening space and practical support
James McArthur-Appleby is a psychotherapist and social worker who supports young people and adults experiencing anxiety, depression, relationship difficulties, grief, trauma and low self-esteem.
His approach combines space to speak openly with practical strategies for managing difficulties. He draws on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy and Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy, tailoring the work to the person’s concerns and goals. Meet James on our team page.
James’s background includes working at headspace with young people aged 12–25 years old. That experience is particularly relevant to teenagers navigating emotional distress, changing relationships and the transition towards adulthood.
For a young person who wants someone to listen—and help them work out what to do next—James offers a warm, practical and non-judgemental approach.
The strength of a diverse Byron Bay psychology practice
Choosing support for your teenager is a personal decision. Professional experience matters, and so does how comfortable your teen feels with the clinician.
In Health brings together psychologists, counsellors and social workers with different areas of expertise. This breadth allows families to explore care that fits their circumstances, with support available across childhood, adolescence and adult life.
Our practice is based at Habitat Byron Bay, with sound-insulated consulting rooms and free on-site parking. We welcome people from Byron Bay and the wider Northern Rivers. Explore In Health.
Questions about adolescent counselling
Do I need to know which clinician to book?
You can begin by telling us your teenager’s age, what you are concerned about and what support you are seeking. Our team can help you explore a suitable option.
What ages does the clinic support?
In Health – Byron Bay Psychology supports children and teens. Our dedicated Saturday clinic supports teens 12 years and up and their families.
What if my teenager feels unsure about therapy?
Start by listening to their concerns. They may want to know what happens in a session, what they can talk about or how privacy works. These are useful questions to raise before booking. Often, a parent session alone can help with getting things back on track.
Enquire about Saturday teen counselling in Byron Bay
Whether your teenager has asked for help or you are exploring options together, we welcome your enquiry.
Contact In Health – Byron Bay Psychology to ask about our Saturday Adolescent Clinic, Jaclyn’s and James’s services, current availability and fees.
Call 02 6699 1444 or make an enquiry online.
Visit: Unit 23, 5 Easy Street, Habitat Byron Bay.
Support for your teen. Space for their story.
