For Parents
Friendships are everything to a teenage girl. And when they go wrong, it can feel like the whole world has collapsed.
Maybe your daughter comes home from school in tears and will not tell you why. Maybe she used to have a close group of friends and now she is eating lunch alone. Maybe there is a situation unfolding in a group chat that you have glimpsed and it has kept you up at night. Maybe she says nobody likes her, and no matter what you say, you cannot convince her otherwise.
Social difficulties in adolescence are not just a normal part of growing up that she will get through on her own. For many girls, the pain of exclusion, conflict or not fitting in runs deep and has real consequences for self-esteem, mental health and her willingness to engage with school and the world around her.
Support is available now with no waitlist, and no referral is required for private fee appointments.
For Girls and Young Women Aged 12 to 25
Maybe you feel like you are always on the outside looking in. Maybe you have been dropped by a friend group without explanation. Maybe you are navigating a friendship that has become complicated, painful or confusing and you do not know how to handle it. Maybe you find social situations exhausting and you are not sure why connecting with people feels so much harder for you than it seems to for everyone else.
Friendships are one of the most significant parts of life at your age, and struggling with them does not mean something is wrong with you. It means you deserve support from someone who understands how complicated and painful this territory can be.
Private fee sessions are available directly with no referral and no GP visit required. Send an email to info@nvpsychology.com.au to get started.
How Friendship and Social Difficulties Show Up
Social difficulties in girls and young women can present in many ways. Common experiences include:
- Feeling excluded, left out or on the periphery of a friend group
- Conflict, falling out or loyalty issues within friendships
- Cyberbullying, online exclusion or group chat harassment
- Difficulty making or keeping friends despite genuinely wanting to connect
- Intense anxiety around social situations and fear of judgement from peers
- People-pleasing and losing a sense of self in order to fit in
- A persistent sense of not belonging, even when surrounded by others
- Difficulty reading social cues or navigating the unspoken rules of peer relationships
- Rumination and overthinking about social interactions long after they have happened
- Withdrawal from social situations to avoid the pain of rejection
How Friendship and Social Difficulties Show Up
For neurodivergent girls and young women, navigating friendships and social relationships can be one of the more challenging aspects of daily life. The unspoken social rules that many neurotypical peers pick up naturally can feel inconsistent or difficult to read for those with ADHD or autism.
Many neurodivergent girls develop protective masking strategies to appear socially typical, and the ongoing effort of this can be tiring and can sometimes lead to burnout or withdrawal over time.
Common experiences for neurodivergent girls include:
- Difficulty understanding unspoken social rules and expectations
- Intense but short-lived friendships that end without clear explanation
- Being perceived as too much, too intense or too direct by peers
- Tiredness from the effort of navigating social situations
- Feeling connected to others while also feeling alone
- Vulnerability to unkind treatment due to a genuine desire to connect
Support at our practice is neuroaffirming and individually tailored to each young person's experience.
For more information, visit our Neurodiversity Support page.
What to Expect
The first session is focused on understanding each young person's specific social situation, what has been happening and how it has been affecting her. There is no pressure to share more than feels comfortable.
From there, sessions draw on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). CBT helps identify and work with the unhelpful thought patterns that drive social anxiety, avoidance and rumination following difficult social experiences. DBT builds interpersonal effectiveness skills, practical tools for navigating conflict, communicating needs and maintaining relationships in a way that feels authentic and sustainable. ACT supports each young person in clarifying her values around connection and building a sense of self that is not contingent on peer approval or social acceptance.
For neurodivergent clients, the approach is adapted to account for the specific social challenges of ADHD and autism, including masking, rejection sensitivity and the exhaustion of navigating neurotypical social environments.
Every approach is individually tailored. Sessions are available weekly, fortnightly or monthly, with after-school and evening times offered to fit around school, university and work commitments. All sessions are delivered via secure telehealth video call across all of Australia.
Accessing Support
Private Fee Sessions
Private fee sessions are available at $260 per session with no referral required and no annual session limits. The most direct way to get started.
Medicare Rebates
Available with a Mental Health Care Plan from your GP, providing up to 10 rebated sessions per calendar year.
Bulk Billing
Available for eligible clients. Please reach out to discuss eligibility.
NDIS Funding
Accepted for self-managed and plan-managed participants under Improved Daily Living. Direct liaison with plan managers and support coordinators is available to make the process as seamless as possible.
For a full breakdown of all funding options, visit our Fees and Funding page.
Ready to get started?
Support for friendship and social difficulties is available now, with no waitlist. Whether you are ready to book or simply have a question, send an email to info@nvpsychology.com.au — we are always more than happy to help.