Children

Treatment Modalities

Play therapy techniques are typically used with children ages 4 to 11 who have social, emotional, or behavioral difficulties. It occurs in a large and comfortable playroom. The therapist pays attention to the child’s choice of play objects and the types of play exhibited. Play therapy techniques may be directive or non-directive, depending on the needs of the child. Since children do not typically just sit and talk through their concerns, movement is made through play. Children learn to express their thoughts and feelings in appropriate ways and learn ways of controlling their own behavior. They also may work through things such as grief, anxiety, or other concerns in play therapy.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR) is an eight-phase treatment method that has been proven highly effective for trauma, but can also be used for other concerns, such as depression, anxiety, and attachment concerns between parent and child. EMDR involves both the body and the mind, and uses eye movements, tones or buzzers that are bilateral in nature to move a memory that has been stored incorrectly to a better place in the brain. This allows the client to proceed forward, instead of remaining stuck. EMDR can be used for children ages 4 and up (while using play therapy principles), as well as adolescents and adults. Please note except for young children, EMDR is usually not a short term therapy and requires some commitment to proceed through all eight phases. 

EMDR Parent-Child Attachment is a long term therapy that requires the participation of the child and the parent(s)/guardian(s). It is a combination of attachment work and EMDR for past trauma/or attachment wounds. This work may be helpful for adoptive or kinship families. It may also be helpful for biological families where past trauma may have caused ruptures in the attachment with a child. This work requires parent(s)/guardian(s) to see their own therapist to address their own background trauma or generational patterns. It then involves joint sessions with the child therapist to build attachment and address the child's own trauma in a safe space for all (while building on attachment theory and practice).

Attachment Based Therapy is a process-oriented therapy that focuses on rebuilding trust and a supportive relationship between a child and their caregivers.

Systemic-Attachment-Informed EMDR works with parents and children and includes four different levels of parental involvement: Level 1-psychoeducation & safety, Level 2- emotion regulation and mentalization work, Level 3- processing, and Level 4-dyadic work. 

Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) is a brief therapy used for trauma, as well as other concerns such as anxiety, depression, and grief. It pulls from other therapies such as Gestalt, CBT, Exposure and Brief Psycho-Dynamic therapy. It uses bilateral eye movements with a rescripting process called voluntary image replacement. Clients are asked to replace negative images with positive ones to lead to resolution. Right now ART is available to adolescents and adults. It must be done in-person and requires a 90 minute session for all adults.

Solution-focused brief therapy is a goal-oriented therapy that focuses on helping a client identify what is bothering them right now and helps the client come up with solutions that can make life better for them in the future. The psychologist helps the client find tools they can use immediately to manage their symptoms and cope with their challenges. Oftentimes, the psychologist will need to help the client develop specific skills that are needed for the client to achieve their goals. Research shows that solution-focused brief therapy can bring positive results after an average of three to five sessions.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is an evidence-based treatment approach that can be used with children, adolescents, and adults to treat a range of mental health concerns such as anxiety, depression, anger management, self-harming behaviours, among others. During CBT, an individual learns to identify and replace harmful/negative thought patterns with more realistic, positive thoughts, and learns various coping strategies to help manage their emotions and put things in perspective. 

Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is a therapy that encourages you to face your fears and let obsessive thoughts occur without neutralizing them with compulsions. ERP is the first line of therapy for treating Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) is an evidence-based approach that can be used with children, adolescents, and adults who experience significant difficulties managing their emotions, thoughts and behaviors. During DBT, an individual learns mindfulness, distress tolerance skills, emotional regulation skills, and interpersonal effectiveness skills

Clinical hypnosis is an approach used to help treat psychological or physical problems. This approach involves accessing the subconscious mind in a natural, altered state of consciousness called trance. During therapeutic trance, the subconscious mind is open to suggestions to promote insight, ego strengthening, and retrieve skills and abilities that are otherwise unavailable to the conscious mind. 

Strength Based Approach recognizes that everyone has strengths and abilities to help change their own circumstances and emphases that the person is not the problem, the problem is the problem.

Collaborative & Proactive Solutions (CPS) is a trauma-informed, neurodiversity affirming model of care that helps caregivers focus on identifying the problems that are causing concerning behaviors in kids and solving those problems collaboratively and proactively.