SERVICES
Building the skills kids need to cope with difficult emotions and situations
Child + Youth Therapy
Every stage of child development comes with its own set of unique challenges. Young children experience big feelings, without the skills or languages to manage them, and this can result in behaviour challenges, anxiety and mood changes. In the teen years the struggle between learning independence and a feeling of belonging can contribute to even more serious mental health concerns, including eating disorders, self-harm and suicidal thoughts. Every step along the way parents are the biggest influences in their children’s life to offer support for their children. I work with children ages 5 and up to regulate emotions, feel in control of their own actions and improve communication and relationships with family and peers.
Providing Guidance and Support with the Following:
-
ADHD
-
Autism
-
Anxiety
-
Behavioural Issues
-
Depression
-
Eating Disorders
-
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
-
Panic Attacks
-
PTSD
-
Self-Harm
Family Therapy
If one family member is struggling it has an impact on every member of the family. Family therapy can be an effective therapeutic approach to helping family members to understand each other and improve communication. When this happens the family can face difficulties together and solve challenges collectively. Family therapy can look different for every family- consisting of sessions with co-parents, joint parent-child sessions, individual sessions with children and/or sessions with all family members.
Working with the whole family to increase understanding, improve communication and build stronger relationships
A parent who is willing to make a 1% shift will create more change than the best of therapists
Parent Counselling
A therapist is with your child for an hour a week, while you are with them for the majority of their lives. A parent who is willing to make a 1% shift will create more change than the best of therapists.
Parenting is a complex emotional experience, filled with love, pride, joy, exhaustion, and frustration. In parent counselling I focus on the parent’s concerns for their child or children and explore different strategies for supporting their children through different emotional, behavioural and developmental concerns. This is also a chance for parents to seek support and validation as they may be struggling with burnout and working through their own family history.
Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
For members of the LGBTQ+ community, or youth questioning their sexuality of gender identity, reaching out for counselling and support can be a scary and vulnerable experience. I offer a positive and affirming space for individuals to explore their identity and develop resilience to challenge negative internalized messages. I offer therapeutic support for this journey for people of all ages- from childhood, through adolescence into adulthood.
For children and youth questioning their identity validation, support and parental involvement are the strongest protective factors against serious mental health concerns. I work with children and youth to explore their sense of self using age appropriate language, as well as working with parents to provide education, emotional support, and guidance on interacting with the wider world of school and extracurriculars throughout this transition period.
For adults in the LGBTQ+ community counselling can offer a chance to work through internalized beliefs, process trauma, and explore an ever changing sense of self throughout the lifespan. This is why I offer individual counselling to folks of any age seeking this support.
No child explores their identity in a vacuum. The whole family transitions with their child
The saying is it takes a village to raise a child, but our village is not always on the same page as parents
Consultation
Every stage of child development comes with its own set of unique challenges. Young children experience big feelings, without the skills or languages to manage them, and this can result in behaviour challenges, anxiety and mood changes. In the teen years the struggle between learning independence and a feeling of belonging can contribute to even more serious mental health concerns, including eating disorders, self-harm and suicidal thoughts. Every step along the way parents are the biggest influences in their children’s life to offer support for their children. I work with children ages 5 and up to regulate emotions, feel in control of their own actions and improve communication and relationships with family and peers.