Struggling To Support Your Teen?

Or Want To Do More For The Young People You Work With?

If things feel difficult, confusing or stuck right now, you're not alone.

I work with parents, youth professionals and organisations to help young people build confidence, manage stress, and find a clearer sense of direction - using an approach grounded in coaching and positive psychology and shaped by what young people themselves say they now need.

BOOK an exploratory chat now

This might feel familiar...

Many of the young people I work with are:

Struggling with their confidence, motivation or self-belief.
Feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or disengaged.
Unsure and worried about the future, often feeling like they are being left behind.
Finding relationships and communication difficult.

And the adults supporting them often feel...

As a parent alone and unsure how best to get the right help along with the concern they're failing and getting it wrong.
Frustrated or shut out and worrying about what lies ahead, wanting support to cope better now and in the future.
As a youth professional or organisation, you desire to upgrade your skills to the next level for outstanding results.

For many families, youth professionals and organisations, concerns about supporting wellbeing, confidence and future career direction can sit at the heart of the challenges young people face.

What is important to understand is this:

These challenges don't happen in isolation. They tend to follow a pattern.

Take a look at something I see time and time again. If it feels familiar, it's not a sign that there isn't hope. It's a pattern and patterns can be changed with the right support.

WATCH THE NEGATIVE CYCLE VIDEO

The difficulty is that many approaches focus on trying to fix behaviour on the surface. But lasting change doesn't come from reacting to what we see. It comes from understanding what's driving it underneath and knowing what creates a positive shift.

WATCH THE POSITIVE CYCLE VIDEO

So how do we get from one to the other?

The 7Q TeenReconnect approach is designed to bridge this gap so young people don't need to try and figure it out alone.

WATCH THE MAGIC BRIDGE VIDEO

BOOK an exploratory chat now

THE 6 KEY AREAS THAT MATTER

Through years of working with young people there are six key areas that, when understood and addressed, consistently shape their wellbeing, behaviour, and development. These are also the areas in my research young people say they want help with in their lives today.

KNOWING ME

Building self-awareness, identity, and a stronger sense of who they are.

CONFIDENCE

Developing belief in themselves and their abilities.

LEARNING

Understanding how they think, engage, and grow.

STRESS

Recognising triggers, unhelpful beliefs, and managing emotions and pressure in healthy ways.

PEOPLE

Improving relationships, communication, finding their voice and meaningful connection.

CAREERS

Future clarity, motivation, and the ability to make informed decisions about their next steps.

When these areas are understood and supported young people begin to:

Feel more confident
Communicate more openly
Make better decisions
Re-engage with learning and life
Be more positive about their future

BOOK an exploratory chat now

EMER O'DONNELL

FOUNDER OF TEENRECONNECT

HOW I WORK

Grounded in both scientific rigor and real-world experience, I keep things practical, supportive, and focused on meaningful change.

Typically, the process involves:

Understanding what's really going on — by creating a trusted space to

look beneath the surface to identify patterns and needs.
Identifying strengths, we all have these, and areas for development and support.
Applying practical, easily understood coaching strategies that can be used straight away.
The focus is first to deliver psychological safety and then behavioural flexibility to manage challenges and be able to make quality decisions.
Support lasting change over time — then progress is sustained, not short-lived.

With the 7Q Practitioner Training — parents, teachers, coaches and youth professionals are empowered to build confidence, understanding, and gain practical skills to support themselves and young people more effectively in everyday situations.

WHO I SUPPORT

FOR PARENTS:

One-to-one coaching for your child - and for you, if needed. Together, we make sense of what's really going on, rebuild connection, and create the conditions for confidence and clarity to grow - supporting more positive decisions about their future wellbeing, education and career direction.

FOR YOUTH PROFESSIONALS:

Providing practical tools, insights, and training — including the 7Q Practitioner approach, so you can better support the young people you work with in a holistic way, including those who feel stuck, disengaged, stressed, or uncertain about their future pathways.

FOR ORGANISATIONS:

Delivering structured training that builds the capability of your staff, improves wellbeing, and supports young people to engage more positively with learning, progression, and future career pathways.

A TRUSTED VOICE IN

YOUTH DEVELOPMENT

AND WELLBEING

I bring over 20 years of international experience working in the fields of global business, psychology, coaching, and youth development.

MSc in Coaching and Behavioural Change
BA (Hons) in Psychology
Certified NLP Practitioner
Accredited Psychometric Practitioner
Author: Understanding Teen Stress and Anxiety. A Parent's Guide to Building Love and Connection (Amazon)
Creator of the TeenReconnect approach
A thought leader, featured in articles and podcasts around the globe, focused on young people, their wellbeing, education, careers and development.
A parent of three who has walked the walk.

The world that young people are growing up in is very different from that experienced by previous generations.

Sustainable change therefore doesn't come from untrained conversations and well-meaning but ineffective interventions. It comes from equipping the adults around young people with new skills, now needed to provide the right understanding and approach.

Through my 7Q Practitioner Training, I share the same framework and strategies used in my direct coaching work — enabling adults to support young people in their families and communities with greater confidence, consistency, and impact.

Because when the adults change how they respond, everything begins to shift.

CREATING UP-SKILLED

'GOOD ADULTS'

WHO CAN SUPPORT

YOUNG PEOPLE

The world that young people are growing up in is very different from that experienced by previous generations. Sustainable change, therefore, doesn't magically happen with untrained conversations and well-meaning. It needs updated connecting interventions.

It comes from equipping the adults around young people with new skills, so they can in turn provide the right understanding and approach.

Through my 7Q Practitioner Training, I share the same framework and strategies used in my direct coaching work - enabling adults to support young people in their families and communities with greater confidence, consistency, and impact.

BOOK an exploratory chat now

TRANSFORMATIVE

The work you did was so insightful and transformational. It really helped me as a worried parent to understand who my child is and helped her with that too.

It supported my daughter to rebuild her self-belief and confidence again. The programme gave her a real sense of direction about what she could achieve in life, rather than feeling stressed and anxious about it all.

You really provided strategies to help us. You have been amazing, so helpful and full of brilliant wisdom. You have literally changed my daughter's life.

K. Deshmukh Hayes, Parent

A PRICELESS RESOURCE

You came into my life when I didn't even realise how much I needed you. I was an exhausted overworked professional, with two teenage boys struggling to keep my head above water. Too busy trying to help everyone else and forgetting about myself.

I now feel empowered to deal with the challenges ahead. Our sessions gave me a wealth of tools and resources to rebuild my life, my resilience and my career.

You truly have been a priceless resource and are most definitely exceptional. Thank you for your kindness, support and patience and for transforming my life.

S. Whitehead, Parent

GAME CHANGER

Providing our students with access to the TeenReconnect Hub has been a game changer for our mentoring programme. These resources have offered mentors countless opportunities to build connections and engage in meaningful dialogue with our mentees.

We've observed positive behavioural change in our mentees, reflected in a 90% increase in self-esteem according to our evaluation reports. Furthermore, teachers have noted students are better able to communicate their support needs, have developed stronger peer relationships, and have a clearer pathway for their future.

Leyton Orient Trust, Game Changer Mentor

REMARKABLE CHANGE

The change in my niece over the last few weeks has been truly remarkable. She was a dreadfully unhappy and depressed young woman, but since her coaching programme she has found a new vibrancy and genuine passion for life. It's a beautiful thing to witness and I can't thank Emer enough for the life-changing path she has guided my niece towards. It's just fantastic.

A. Sibley, Close Relative

ACHIEVED MY GOALS

I was unsure and anxious about what direction my life was going to go in after university. Emer helped provide me with the tools and information to discover my passions and how to get there. Her encouraging attitude really helped me believe I could achieve my goals which I had struggled with in the past. I now look at my life path in an encouraging way.

She helped me get my first job with amazing interview prep and motivational advice. If it wasn't for Emer I would have struggled to know myself and what job best aligned with my passions.

T. Daniels, Student

VERY COMPREHENSIVE

The training was very comprehensive, thought-provoking and quite emotional at times. Emer is a fountain of knowledge and wisdom and it felt like a great privilege to have this time with her to learn, plan and strategise.

L. Phillips, Steel Warriors

A Must-Read For Today's Parents of Teens And Youth Professionals

This is a brilliant book and one that I feel is essential reading for parents, caregivers, teachers and health professionals. It is easy to read and packed with science, case studies and practical exercises.

Dr. Jacqueline Brickley, BSc.MB.ChB.MRCGP.DipSEM.MDCH.