Children and Youth

Children

Play therapy is a form of treatment that helps children and families to express their emotions, improve their communication, and solve problems. Play therapy capitalizes on children’s natural ability to express their feelings and resolve conflicts through play. Play therapists use various media, including storytelling, puppet play, drama, music, dance, sand play, painting and drawing, and board games. Play therapy is most appropriate for children ages 4-12 years of age, or with families with children that age.

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Youth

Any parent of a teenager knows, they have a lot of emotional ups and downs. What with the pressures of school, their social lives and the general confusion that comes with growing up, it’s no wonder they occasionally get a little overwhelmed.

Counselling can help with a whole range of issues, but some of the most common include:

• Divorce and separation: Have you and your partner split up recently? Teenagers often struggle when it comes to significant life changes and separation or divorce can trigger a whole range of emotions: sadness, anger, fear, regret – or even guilt.

• Bereavement: Has a member of the family died recently – or even within the past few years? If your son or daughter was particularly close to that person, they may benefit from having someone to help them process their feelings.

• Bullying: Bullying can be particularly damaging because it so often goes unnoticed. If you think your son or daughter is being bullied, try to talk to them about it - and contact their school.  Counselling can be an effective way of helping them re-build their self-esteem and resilience following problems with bullying.   

• Stress at school: School exams, college entrance exams, career choices, and relationship problems abound during the teen years. Identity exploration, self-esteem, and a sense of belonging all play important parts in the developing teenage brain. Many struggle to deal with this – and worry about the consequences of not fitting in or achieving academically.

• Family issues: Often, what your teen is going through may relate to what’s happening with the family as a whole. In these cases, Family Counselling can be a good option.