There are various life events that impact us. The strategies used in therapy vary depending on what your goals are and what tools work for you. Together we will come up with a plan that best fits your needs. It is important that you are committed to trying strategies outside the counselling session in order to find the ones that will work for you.

Some of the areas that I have helped adults navigate include:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Boundary setting
• Life transitions
• Conflict resolution
• Self confidence
• Stress reduction
• Parenting support
• Spirituality
• Loss

Tweens/Teens are in a unique phase of life where they are influenced by various people and activities that they are a part of. They start to try and evaluate what fits for them as they turn into young adults. At the same time, they start to experience several hormonal changes that also impact mood. Youth typically express the desire for independence, yet may need direction in the choices that they are making to ensure it fits in their value system and the direction they want to go as a young person.

Youth need a safe way to express emotion without feeling judged. Different ways of doing this are explored. Some youth do not like talking, so more expressive therapies can be used. Values are usually a key component to youth understanding ways to approach problems in their life.

If available, and youth are willing, the inclusion of parent/guardians can be beneficial. This is based on the youth’s comfort level and consent. However, youth do have the right to confidentiality if they choose, as long as they do not report wanting to harm themselves or others and no one is harming them. 

Areas that I have helped youth include:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Parent child conflict
• Peer conflict
• Self-exploration
• Value exploration
• Self-harming behaviors
• Anger
• Self-confidence
• Resilience
• Goal setting

Younger children sometimes have difficulties expressing how they feel in a positive way. Sessions for younger children are typically shorter due to their attention span. The focus in sessions is typically on identifying feelings and teaching them positive ways to express themselves. Sessions usually include expressive arts such as play, drawing and reading stories.

For younger children, it is preferred to have one session with the parent(s) or guardian to understand background history of the child. In many cases parents are an important part of therapy so that they can help que their child on the use of various strategies at home. Additionally, caregivers need to understand what they can do to help aid in their child’s healing process.

In some cases, children may have experienced some type of developmental trauma, which requires caregivers to have an active role in helping regain a sense of security, trust and communication, even if the trauma did not include the caregiver. 

Areas that I have helped children navigate include:

• Anxiety
• Communication
• Loss
• Emotion regulation
• Emotion expression
• Anger
• Parent separation
• Behavioral difficulties

Different therapeutic approaches may and can be used based on the client’s goals. In some cases an eclectic approach is used to meet various goals.

Here are some of the therapeutic strategies that could be used:

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
• Expressive Arts (play, drawing, photography, art
• Mindfulness
• Relaxation Tools
• Talk Therapy
• Dialectical Behavior Therapy
• Narrative Therapy
• Person Centered Approach
• Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy