Services
Therapy for children, adolescents and families
can help with many issues, including the following:
parent-child relationships
peer relationships
bullying
social difficulties
adoption & foster care
conflict resolution
life cycle transitions
difficulty adjusting to change (moving, new school, new sibling)
death of a family member, pet or friend
serious illness of a family member or friend
frightening or traumatic experience
abuse (emotional, physical, sexual)
domestic violence
anxiety
low moods & depression
anger management
parental separation and divorce
parental re-marriage, new step-parents, new step-siblings
parenting strategies
self esteem and self-confidence issues
risky behaviour
Play Therapy
I provide play-based assessment and treatment for children ages 4-12. Play is an age-appropriate alternative to traditional "talk therapy". Play therapy is a proven therapeutic modality that can help children overcome struggles and heal emotional wounds.
Play therapy can help children:
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express themselves & improve their emotional vocabulary
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learn healthy coping skills
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modify challenging behaviour
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explore emotional difficulties
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improve communication with others
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practise pro-social skills
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build self-esteem
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develop problem-solving skills
I engage the family in the therapeutic process thus encouraging growth of individual family members and fostering long-term change within the home.
I use a variety of techniques that are playfully engaging and emotionally/developmentally appropriate including therapeutic games, toys, free play, art activities, mindfulness exercises, puppetry, storytelling, role-playing, sandplay, worksheets, conversation, bibliotherapy and family homework.
Therapy Process:
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Parent/Caregiver interview - to understand the concerns and goals (1 session)
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Assessment - meeting the child individually (2-3 sessions) and with the family (1 session)
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Feedback with parent/caregiver - therapist to share clinical thoughts, and provide a treatment plan with therapeutic recommendations (1 session)
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Treatment - can be short term or long term depending on concerns and goals; sessions are typically once-a-week
For more information on Play Therapy, please visit:
www.cacpt.com
Adolescent Therapy
The teenage years can be both thrilling and challenging.
Teenagers can find themselves under a lot of pressure searching for an "original" voice and identity, managing peer and family relationships, juggling academic demands, and steering social media challenges.
Teenagers may struggle with some of the following:
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anxious thoughts
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low moods
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insecurities and self-doubt
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confusion
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risky experimentation
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impulsiveness
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difficulty dealing with anger and frustration
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difficulties expressing their emotional "world"
Therapy can help teenagers:
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explore their life situation
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focus on what is important to them (past, present, future)
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engage in problem solving and critical thinking
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challenge unhelpful thoughts/behaviour
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explore motivation and the creation of goals
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develop a stronger sense of self
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explore the power of choice, and how these choices affect themselves and others
My ultimate goal is to create a supportive and judgement-free therapeutic environment where I can help highlight a teenager's inner strengths, resilience and capacity for growth and healing.
Family Therapy
Family therapy can help the family "heal" and "grow" together. It focuses less on individual blame and more on the role that everyone plays in creating the challenging situations and problematic behaviour. When conducted in a safe, nurturing, judgement-free and supportive environment, family therapy gives members an opportunity to actively listen to each other, express honest feelings, and promotes empathy.
I am fond of using family therapy sessions in partnership with individual child play therapy sessions. In addition to many other benefits, family therapy can help the family learn to "play" together. Playing together through the use of fun and engaging activities, often leads to family members laughing and delighting in each other's presence.
Benefits of Family Therapy include the following:
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allows family members to understand their role in family dynamics
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helps family members explore the perspectives of other family members
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family learns together about healthy coping mechanisms
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improved communication skills
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improved conflict resolution skills
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provides opportunity for family members to address present and past issues, thus hopefully leading to personal and group healing
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greater understanding of how personal actions/choices affect others in the family
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skills/knowledge gained can be transferred to relationships outside of the family
Parent Support
Parents/caregivers across the globe share something VERY important in common ... at certain times we all feel lost, confused, guilty, frustrated, overwhelmed and fed up.
My goal is to work one-on-one with parents/caregivers to help them become the type of parents/caregivers they hope to be.
I will help you explore your situation and work in partnership with you to navigate complicated relationships and situations, build upon your strengths, highlight your past and current parenting successes, introduce you to new skills and knowledge, and ultimately stand by your side as you strive towards emotional and mental growth and well-being.
With effort and persistence, parents and caregivers can achieve some of the following goals:
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learn healthy ways to help your family solve problems
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learn tools to build a strong foundation for healthy relationships (familial and otherwise)
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increase effective communication (with family and others)
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better understand your child's feelings, behaviours and emotional/developmental "world"
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learn to navigate the challenging moments with less stress and less frustration
I am happy to work with parents/caregivers who are married, separated, divorced, blended, fostering, co-parenting or cohabiting.