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Counselling

To monitor your physical health or to address any illnesses or injuries, you likely reach out to professionals such as your family doctor, dentist, optometrist, physiotherapist and so on, to ask questions and inquire about possible treatment approaches. Given that our mental health is also vital to our overall health and well-being, it is similarly important to connect with a psychologist or counsellor from time-to-time.

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At Connections, we offer counselling services in support of the mental health of infants, children, teens, and their families. Counselling can help with:

  • anxiety (e.g., perinatal anxiety, separation anxiety, social anxiety, general worries)

  • emotional regulation (e.g., irritability, anger, ease of frustration, difficulty settling)

  • depression, low mood

  • intrusive thoughts, obsessions and compulsions

  • self-esteem, negative self-talk

  • peer relationships

  • parental separation/divorce, co-parenting

  • parent-child and family relationships

  • transitions (e.g., a family move, attending a new school, birth of a sibling)

  • grief and loss

  • school avoidance

Parent and Child
Texting
Image by Sarah Medina
What Counselling Involves
Counselling sessions are typically an hour in length, with 50 minutes in session and 10 minutes for the clinician to complete notes and plan for future sessions. During the first session, you can expect to go over your concerns, review relevant background information, and discuss your hopes and goals.  Our goal in this initial meeting, and those going forward, is for you to feel heard, safe, and empowered. To make sure you get the most out of counselling, it is important that you feel connected to the clinician you are working with. If you don't find this is the case, that's absolutely okay. Please let us know as we would be happy to help you connect with someone who may be a better 'fit'.

Sessions will look different depending on the concerns identified, the approaches used, and when working with children, their age and developmental level will also be considered. The individuals present during sessions may also vary. When working with children, it is not uncommon for most sessions to be conducted primarily with parents/caregivers, and when working with youth, it is not uncommon for most sessions to be conducted only with the youth, though it is our preference to include parents/caregivers as much as possible. For parents of newborns/infants, our office is stroller accessible, so you may of course bring your baby with you. Alternatively, if you would like to come to the session on your own, you may also choose to leave your baby in someone else's care; it's completely up to you.

With regard to the frequency and duration of counselling, this too will vary as a reflection of your needs. Depending on severity, you may wish to schedule sessions more or less regularly. This can also change over time as you examine your progress in relation to your goals. â€‹ 
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