We’ll start our work together with a phone consultation to ensure you’re being matched to the right clinician for your concern. Prior to booking our first session, you’ll be asked to fill out an intake form for your child, so that we can gain a better understanding of your specific treatment needs. Following that, caregivers can schedule an online or in-person intake session (without children) allowing you some time to cover any pertinent history and gain a clear understanding for treatment planning. Lastly, once the parent intake session is complete, you may book your child’s first session.

Absolutely. Whether we help you to support your child(ren), yourself or offer guidance and education for separations/divorce or co-parenting skills, we’re here for you. To best suit your needs, we have two specialized clinicians:
Laura Roth - parent collaboration and communication skills, separation and divorce support, and education
Sarah MacDonell - child and youth behavioural concerns and support

Evidence shows that play, expressive and synergetic play therapy:
~ Improves coping strategies & communication skills
~ Changes self-defeating behaviours and teaches children to resolve conflict more effectively
~ Helps children gain a better understanding of regulation and emotions
~ Strengthens relationships and attachment
~ Increases self-confidence, helps to work through fears
~ Promotes co- and self-regulation through modelling and mirroring of a trained clinician.

Depending on your child’s age, counselling sessions may be play, expressive arts or talk-therapy centred. Play therapy allows children to express themselves and process their experiences through a variety of creative means, in an indirect and non-threatening way. Child and youth clients learn new ways of coping, communicating and healthy redirection of problematic behaviours through expressive techniques. This may be done through art, toys, or words. For initial sessions, we encourage the caregivers’ attendance for the first few minutes.

Growing research shows that children who receive therapeutic support as early as possible: decrease their risk of mental illness, heart disease, addiction, and future health concerns. If we foster resiliency and self-esteem now, evidence shows that social systems save money, are less strained to help people, and reduce medical visits.

We can’t find solutions to current problems by using the same methods or thinking that created the problems in the first place. Therapy aims to support and empower individuals to effectively achieve personal growth through the process of not only being seen, but being accepted as we are.

There is no one-size fits all approach to counselling. Treatment times depend on the concerns and goals a client brings to sessions, as well as the length of time that they’ve been coping with these challenges.

Children need consistency and regular therapy will bring the most effective change. Since developmental change is gradual and incremental, having counselling be part of a child’s weekly routine can be extremely beneficial. Some children find that specific skills can be learned and integrated in 12-15 sessions, while others with more complex mental health challenges depend on the regularity of therapy as they grow and develop each month.

Family relationships hold strong biological and relational roles in our life. Like a mobile above a baby’s crib, when one part of the mobile is out of position, the entire mobile is affected and imbalance occurs. Family counselling can help achieve a peaceful home life. While individual therapy focuses on one person’s internal challenges, family therapy focuses on the entire family unit and its struggles as the client. Family counselling assists with skills to de-escalate outbursts, set boundaries, show respect, and how individuals in the family can understand their own needs and communicate them well with one another.

During a session, our therapist helps the client identify a point(s) in their visual field that, when focused on, triggers a specific emotional or physical sensation related to a traumatic experience or other difficult issue. The client is then guided to focus their attention on this ‘brainspot’, while also being mindful of any bodily sensations or emotions that arise. This activates the central and parasympathetic nervous systems and prompts consolidation of uncomfortable memories . Brainspotting can be used to treat anxiety, depression, addiction, chronic pain, complex trauma and more.

We offer direct billing for services provided by CPCA & BCACC clinical counsellors: CanadaLife, Desjardins, Manulife Financial, Beneva, Equitable, First Canadian and more.

It is possible that counselling is covered by your benefit plan; it is best to ask your provider about which services and designations are covered. Typically, services provided by CPCA & BCACC counsellors are covered by most insurers that allow work with a clinical counsellor: Pacific Blue Cross, Sunlife Financial, Manulife, Morneau Shepell, GreenShield, Aspiria, Great West Life & more.