Psychotherapy Services
Within psychotherapy, assessments will be completed as they relate to treatment goals. Starting with our intake form, information is shared with the psychotherapist regarding what area(s) you would like to address within therapy. Common examples include: reducing social anxiety, lessening feelings of depression, increasing adaptive behavior and coping skills development. Goals and treatment plans are determined by the client in conversation with the psychotherapist. It can sometimes take 2-3 sessions to determine a goal and establish a treatment plan. We may use standardized measures for depression, anxiety, or behaviour for example, which assist us in narrowing the goals for therapy as well as tracking progress and treatment efficacy. Some assessments have self-report components, others include parent or teacher report as well. Your psychotherapist will work with you to discuss which assessments may be applicable and ensure your questions are answered.
Formal assessments such as psychoeducational or diagnostic assessments are conducted by psychologists and referrals can be arranged.
Psychotherapy Sessions
Our psychotherapist will provide individual* and family therapy where indicated. The frequency and nature of the therapy is determined based on your child’s specific needs. Therapy sessions are generally 50 minutes in length; 75 minute sessions are sometimes used for family therapy sessions.
*for those under the age of 16 who are deemed not capable of providing consent to treatment, substitute decision-maker(s) will be engaged.
To ensure the highest quality of therapy, services are always accompanied by home practice programs to allow for optimal carry-over of skills learned in each session. We also make educating family members and caregivers an essential component of the intervention plan. ** Denitsa this may well be a component of my services but I want to be careful as it is not always so clear-cut that it is skills that people take away, sometimes for example it is a change in perception or awareness. Perhaps even changing the words “are always” to “may be”?**
Pediatric services include assistance with:
Mood
Depression Anxiety (generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety, specific phobia) Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Behaviour
- Aggression
- Self-harm
- Developing healthy routines
Other Areas of Expertise
- Self-awareness and self-esteem
- Social functioning
- Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (BMSR)
- Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)
- Behavior Therapy (BT)
- Dialectal Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Brief Narrative Therapy
- Brief Solution-Focused Therapy