Child and Adolescent Therapy:

Childhood and adolescence is filled with wins, losses, lumps and bumps. These stages of life come with many transitions, challenges, and uncertainties that can lead many children/adolescents to experience difficulty coping and managing day-to-day stressors. Sometimes these challenges call for extra support. We take a client-centered approach to therapy to ensure our clients feel heard, validated and supported through a safe therapeutic relationship. Social, emotional, and behavioural concerns may be addressed through non-directive play therapy, structured activities, talk therapy, and/or other evidence-based approaches, such as cognitive-behaviour therapy (CBT), dialectical-behaviour therapy (DBT), emotion-focused therapy (EFT), solution-focused therapy (SFT), etc. Treatment goals are developed to improve the individual’s well-being, develop coping tools, strengthen their resilience and achieve their full potential.

Among other concerns, we commonly see children/adolescents presenting with various issues, with or without a formal diagnosis: 

  • difficulties regulating their emotions
  • behavioural issues, such as defiance, anger or aggression
  • social challenges, such as bullying or difficulties developing adaptive social skills
  • difficulty managing peer and family relationships
  • mood and anxiety concerns
  • obsessive-compulsive symptoms
  • body image and self-esteem challenges 
  • a history of trauma
  • grief and bereavement
  • learning and attention difficulties
  • executive function deficits
  • difficulty adjusting to life transitions, including divorce, moving homes, changing schools, starting high school or college/university 
  • sleep concerns, including nightmares or insomnia
  • toileting issues
  • some developmental concerns

What is the structure?

Initial Therapy Sessions:

For children up to (and including) 9 years old: the first session is booked for 1.5 hours, and is meant only for parent(s)/guardian(s).

For children 10 to 15 years old: the first session is booked for 1.5 hours and is meant for both parent(s)/guardian(s) and your child/adolescent. Your clinician will help you guide how to structure this initial session.

For clients 16 years and older: the first session is booked for 1.5 hours and is meant to be primarily for the adolescent. Parent(s)/guardian(s) are encouraged to join for the first few minutes. Your clinician will help you guide how to best structure this initial session.

Subsequent therapy sessions: 

Subsequent therapy sessions are typically booked for 1 hour.