One-to-One Support
Individual Therapy
Individual counseling involves working on a one-to-one basis with a therapist to prepare a plan to create positive changes in one’s life. Individual sessions focus on learning new skills and strategies so as to decrease symptoms, improve functionality and enhance one’s quality of life, as well as relationships with others.
Individual therapy typically deals with mental and physical health problems including anxiety, depression, relationship problems, and addictions.
Areas that individual therapy with children and adolescents might include:
Mood and Emotions
depression, anxiety, panic attacks, obsessions, compulsions, the impact of trauma
Behavioral Difficulties
temper tantrums, anger outbursts, aggression, explosive behavior
Gender and sexual orientation
support with navigating the journey
Self-Harm and Risk Taking
head-banging, cutting, suicidal ideation, putting self in danger
Difficulties with Friendships
making and maintaining friends, isolation, withdrawal, being bullied, and bullying
Difficulties with Development
autism, ADHD, general and specific learning disabilities
School Issues
attendance, academic progress, motivation, behavior, relationships with teachers
Family Life
conflict between or with parents and/or siblings, separation, divorce, managing as a reconstituted family, illness, bereavement
Adaptation
transitioning to or from life in a new school or country or family circumstance
Social Skills
relationship conflict, off-target perspective-taking and conversation skills
We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.
Anaïs Nin
Family Therapy
Family counseling may have one or more objectives. It may help to promote better relationships and understanding within a family. It may be incident specific, for example family counseling during a divorce, separation, or the approaching death of a family member.
Alternatively, family counseling may address the needs of the family where one family member suffers from a mental or physical illness that alters his or her behavior or habits in negative ways. The experience of psychological difficulties by one member of the family affects the entire family dynamic. As a result, family intervention is often a necessary and important aspect of treatment.
Examples of topics that therapy with families might include:
Parent Support
Bonding, boundary setting, parenting effectively as a couple, relationship building, balancing work/life and family.
Family Support
Challenging family dynamics or specific child behavior
Psychoeducation
Anxious children, structuring home environment for ADHD, overcoming fixed mindset
Gender and/or sexual orientation
Navigating the journey, thoughts and feelings, avoiding unintentional hurt, managing with extended family
