Child Psychologists and Child Therapists in Madoc, ON.

Working with children is one of the most rewarding areas of my career. Parents often come to me asking me to help their children find their way in life, get along better with peers, focus/pay attention better, do better in school, and ensure their future success. There are a number of interventions that can help your child succeed; starting from a comprehensive psychoeducational assessment to brain development/training to life coaching. Utilizing the Bayridge Method we can make the aspirations you have for your children a reality!

Counselling for young children can address challenges with behaviour and emotions, trauma, stress, self-expression and problem-solving. Children can face many stressors including bullying and other school stressors, as well as family-related changes such as divorce, a move, illness and death. I include many modalities in therapy with young children, including music, art, play and role-playing.

We have worked with children as young as 3 years of age. We have helped client deal with parenting issues as well as with trauma issues. Often, parents need help understanding why their children are behaving in the manner in which they are and how to help their children cope. Parents need coping skills too, especially when dealing with childhood trauma. With the children I have used therapeutic play as well as social stories. Children are very resilient and can give us all hope for healing.

There are a wide range of issues that affect children - they are vulnerable to many kinds of maltreatment and increasing stressors in our culture. However children often find it difficult to express their feelings and fears, which means that problems can be left undetected and unresolved. It is helpful then, to seek professional help if a child seems unhappy or distressed. With children, the construction of a trusting relationship between counsellor and client is especially important. Sometimes the counsellor will use puppets or sandboxes or play therapy to allow the child to tell their own story. In a safe trusting environment, the child can find their way towards emotional health.

In my practice I work with children in conjunction with the parents and sometimes the whole family. Children are often the 'canary in the coal mine' of the family dynamic and become mirrors of challenges individual members or the family as a whole is experiencing. As it takes a whole village to raise a child, it takes a whole family to help a child in distress heal. That is where my working with children begins, addressing the issues of the family.The family is the garden in which they grow, lets make your 'family garden' as healthy as possible so your children will thrive.

I work with young children through an Emotion-Focused Family Therapy (EFFT) lens, supporting both children and parents in understanding and responding to emotional needs in a more connected way. Many child challenges are rooted in unmet emotional needs or difficulties in co-regulation, and therapy focuses on strengthening the parent-child relationship as the primary source of healing. I support parents in learning how to stay emotionally present, respond effectively to big feelings, and reduce patterns of conflict or disconnection. Sessions often involve coaching parents in real-time strategies to better understand their child’s emotional world, repair ruptures, and foster a sense of safety, trust, and secure attachment at home.

A variety of approaches can be tailored to young children, such as Dialectical Behavioral Therapy. This approach involves individual counselling as well as teaching young children skills such as managing and coping with emotions, interpersonal skills (dealing with others), tolerating emotional distress and managing attention.

Although I don't work directly with children, I do parent/parenting coaching, which I believe is the foundation in helping our kids grow well and healthy, with good self- esteem and confidence to handle this life. Children learn. They are watching and listening, even when we don't think they are. Ultimately, they will be mad at themselves before they'll be mad at you. Validation is the key to healthy, content, and confident children. I can help you get better at that.

The Family Enhancement Centre has highly experienced and professionally trained child counsellors who help children cope with problems related to domestic violence, sexual abuse, parent's divorce, death of a loved one, among other emotional issues. We make use of therapeutic interventions like play therapy, art therapy and sand therapy to help children heal through imagination. The approach involves using different kinds of activities & techniques to engage children in therapy through role playing and games. Call us today to know more about how we can help you!

A number of associates at New Leaf Psychology Centre provide services to young children and youth. Dr. Brunet offers attachment based play therapy for parents and their children (ages 0 through 6). This approach facilitates connection between parent and child, and is ideal for parents who are frustrated and/or children who have behavioral difficulties. Dr. Saliba offers dialectical behavior therapy for school age children and teens. She works with children and youth who are anxious, depressed, and/or engage is self-harm behaviors.

I began my career working in the field of weight loss in 2002, and joined Wellspring Camps, a U.S. based organization focused on tackling the epidemic of adolescent obesity. In my role as clinical director, I was responsible for completing diagnostic assessments, designing and managing parent initiatives, managing and training the clinical team, and providing mental health treatment at the individual and group level. I work with adolescents ranging from fourteen years of age to twenty-one on a variety of issues, including stress, anxiety, and depression using the principles of psychotherapy and cognitive-behavioural therapy.