The
What’s Next!?
playbookA WORKBOOK FOR PARENTS AND TEENS TO NAVIGATE LIFE AFTER HIGH SCHOOL, TOGETHER.
✓ Written by a Psychologist
✓ Backed by Parents and Educators in Canada and the United States
✓ Instant Download
What’s Inside
The What's Next!? Playbook walks parents and teens through six steps, together, built around one simple idea: growth happens through Clarity, Change, and Comfort.
It starts with understanding who your teen is right now, moves through naming the fear that shows up around big decisions, and ends with the everyday habits and consistency that make follow-through possible — with a song for every step.
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Finding clarity on who you are, before deciding what's next.
Reflection exercises that help your teen name their strengths, challenges, and how they see themselves — separate from what they think they're supposed to become. -
Naming expectations and easing the transition.
Where pressure really comes from (self, family, school, social media) and how to move from the "fishbowl" of high school into the "great big sea" of what's next, without it feeling like free fall. -
Understanding fear instead of avoiding it.
A section built around naming fear directly, so it loses its grip instead of quietly running the decision. -
Building the real-world skills that make change possible.
Executive functioning, responsibility, and daily habits — the practical follow-through that turns intention into action. -
Setting goals and staying consistent when motivation dips.
Turning direction into a plan your teen can actually stick with, built on discipline and small repeated steps rather than one big decision.
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A "Listening Moment" in every section.
Each step opens with a song and lyric tied to the theme — the same music-as-reflection approach from E.L.'s Mood & Music workshop, built into a guide your teen can work through at home.
MEET E.L.
M.A., Ed.S., C.Psych.
Before becoming a psychologist, I was a graduating senior facing uncertainty — excited about finishing high school, but unsure about what came next. I stood at the same fork in the road many of you are at now: surrounded by advice and expectations, but without a clear roadmap.
I felt the duality many of you feel — the excitement of possibility and the fear of not wanting to make the wrong move. Through both lived experience and professional training, I understand that major transitions naturally activate both excitement and fear.
This program is built at the intersection of both. I am not guiding you from a distance. I am guiding you as someone who has asked myself, many times, the same question What’s Next!?
IMPORTANT NOTE
The "What’s Next!?" program, its accompanying playbook, interactive multimedia, online group cohorts, workshops, and webinars are strictly educational and developmental in nature, not clinical.
While this curriculum is designed and facilitated by an educational and clinical psychologist to enhance student resilience, decision-making, and well-being, participation in this program does not constitute or establish a clinical psychologist-patient relationship, medical treatment, or formal therapeutic services.
The relationship between the facilitator and the participant (or their family) is strictly an educational and consultant relationship centred on skill development and transition strategy, not clinical.
If you or your student are experiencing a severe mental health crisis or require clinical diagnosis and psychological treatment, please consult a licensed healthcare professional or local clinical mental health services in your area. Or Dial 988 in both Canada or the United States for 24/7 support.
PREVIEW
Take a look inside before you decide.
This preview includes the opening pages of What's Next!? — a personal note to both you and your teen, E.L.'s own story of not having it figured out either, and the moments that shaped why this workbook exists.
It's a glimpse at the tone of the whole playbook: honest, personal, and built for the two of you to sit with together, not something dropped on your teen to figure out alone.
WHO’S IT FOR
A downloadable workbook to navigate life after high school, together.
Leaving high school is a massive milestone, but figuring out what comes next does not have to feel overwhelming. The What's Next!? Playbook is your practical, real talk blueprint for navigating life after graduation without the clinical jargon or preachy lectures.
Built around the 3C's Framework (Clarity, Courage, Confidence), this interactive guide takes you through 6 core steps designed to help youth build a life on their own terms:
Step 1: Identity (Unpack outside influences and define your true values)
Step 2: Expectations and Transitions (Shift from high school structure to real world independence)
Step 3: Uncertainty (Tackle fear and turn overthinking into clear direction)
Step 4: Action (Focus on the immediate next move right in front of you)
Step 5: Consistency (Set meaningful goals and build habits that stick)
Step 6: Failure (Reframe missteps into valuable stories and resilience)
What Makes It Unique:
The Music Minute: Every step connects with a curated track and QR code leading to video breakdowns, using music as a mirror to make mindset concepts stick.
Built for Both Grads and Parents: Contains grounded guidance for youth stepping into adulthood, plus practical strategies for parents shifting into a supporting role.
Interactive Experience: Complete with fillable reflection spaces, clickable links, and direct video content accessible on any phone, tablet, or computer.
The What's Next!? Playbook$49 CDN
Step 1: Identity (Unpack outside influences and define your true values)
Step 2: Expectations and Transitions (Shift from high school structure to real world independence)
Step 3: Uncertainty (Tackle fear and turn overthinking into clear direction)
Step 4: Action (Focus on the immediate next move right in front of you)
Step 5: Consistency (Set meaningful goals and build habits that stick)
Step 6: Failure (Reframe missteps into valuable stories and resilience)
WHAT MAKES THIS UNIQUE?
The Music Minute: Every step connects with a curated track and QR code leading to video breakdowns, using music as a mirror to make mindset concepts stick.
Built for Both Grads and Parents: Contains grounded guidance for youth stepping into adulthood, plus practical strategies for parents shifting into a supporting role.
Interactive Experience: Complete with fillable reflection spaces, clickable links, and direct video content accessible on any phone, tablet, or computer.
OUR APPROACH BEGINS WITH THE 3C’S
I believe that growth can be achieved through the 3 C’s which include clarity, change and comfort.
Clarity helps us to better understand ourselves and how our cognitions, behaviours and emotions are impacting our daily activities.
Change comes about once we have that clarity to then make healthy modifications to improve those cognitions, behaviours and emotions.
Comfort is usually what we are all searching for in our actions, relationships and ideas. Comfort is very important so that individuals can follow through with these new changes that may be initially uncomfortable, but with time, can become easier to perform as daily personal practices.
THE INSPIRATION BEHIND THE LOGO
The E.L.A. logo consists of the mind and a plant. The mind is where many of our barriers rest which then creates challenges for optimal functioning. The plant represents a holistic approach and the idea of growth. My aim is to help clients better manage their mental health overall and achieve growth.
Contact Form
Contact Information
Phone
(613) 817-9722
Locations
OTTAWA LOCATION
Kanata Office Centre
430 Hazeldean Road
Office 228
Kanata, ON K2L 1T9
KINGSTON LOCATION
Operating out of JD Physiotherapy
802 John Marks Avenue, Suite 1
Kingston, ON, K7K 0J7