Family Counselling Services in St Marys, ON.

Families can experience stress, conflict and fall apart at any stages of the life cycle. Blended families also pose a great deal of stress no matter what the age is of the children involved. I meet with families as a group to explore areas which are causes distress. I offer support to immediate and extended family to regain balanced family ties. Through offering everyone a chance to express themselves and reflect on problems that interfere with family relationships we will work through issues to offer resolutions and peace of mind.

Families are constantly growing and changing. Just when parents feel they have a handle on a stage, something changes and the rules change. Communication, empathy, and compassion are needed in order to navigate family dynamics effectively. Especially tough times are supporting the independance of teenagers while maintaining safety and a positive relationship. Together we will create a safe environment where everyone feels heard and respected so that we can explore relationship patterns, reactions, and resilience. We will focus on what's working and build on your family's unique strengths.

As a parent or caregiver it may be confusing about meeting the needs and children and youth with mental health difficulties. Children and youth may function well at home, but struggle in school or peer situations. Some may struggle with depression or anxiety, while others struggle with issues of anger management, substance use, or defiance. I will work with your family to develop healthy communication skills, set appropriate boundaries, and if necessary create a behaviour management plan.

If you drive with a flat tire the whole system is affected. Your car will not go smoothly nor straight. You use lots of effort trying to get to where you want to go; and the passengers are stressed! The same happens in families. If there is a problem with one or more family members, we tend to point at him/ her/ them. We want to "fix" them. However, I believe there are more than one way to look at the same situation: it is usually a systemic problem. Join the whole family in therapy. In a safe and friendly environment, you can each be heard and seen as you really are, and together arrive at a solution. This can be a very rewarding, educational, FUN and loving experience for all.

I am a Family therapist with experience in a children's mental health setting. I do parental coaching, helping parents find effective strategies, and I help blended families find a way to integrate those big changes smoothly. I will help you understand each other, we will identify the behavioural patterns that no longer work for you and develop new strategies for effective communication.

Is your family struggling? Are arguments frequent and hurtful? Perhaps you are facing the challenge of a blended family. Professional counselling can help you sort out what is happening, why it is happening, and how to best address it. As your therapist, I help you work towards happier, more harmonious interactions --interactions that are respectful, healthy and as constructive as possible.

Gestalt therapy is a systems‐oriented, immediate‐experience‐oriented, and affect‐oriented therapy that is highly effective for families. Unlike other therapies, gestalt regards the client system's emergent processes as the central focus, and it emphasizes that growth occurs as the family and its members are helped to greater self‐awareness and responsibility for their own functioning. Dynamic forces within your family may need some the maintenance. How can a sense of peace and equilibrium be brought back into your home? I am not afraid to work with intense emotional outbreaks. I can help support family unity with strength and care! Develop better ways of communicating with each other!

I work with adults, teen or adult children including when their are issues between siblings, parent/child, in-laws, extended family, etc, to repair damage in relationships and reduce estrangement in families. I work from a model that aims to deepen understanding of the other's perspective to foster healthy communication to reduce judgement, blame and resentment.

I believe that families should be a place where love, respect, value, care, support and encouragement are received consistently. Where children honour and obey their parents and parents are considerate and understanding towards their children as they strategically and intentionally raise their children. Through counseling, I can help to develop healthy relationships between family members in general and between parents and children specifically. It is possible to have a healthy and happy family.

The ‘secret’ to successful help for distressed families is clear-eyed application of what we commonly know: although linked by blood, generations and/or commitment alone, we are much more different from one another than alike. But it can be very hard to appreciate some differences at such close range. Like when our child, partner, parent, sibling, or combinations (and with moods/ other changes, do we ever stay the same?) seem out to hurt instead of love or even like us. Some differences make that hard to attain, even impossible. Yet making sense and discovering how to ‘navigate’ these complex primary relationships is essential to our wellbeing. My experience as family therapist is reliable.

Are you a parent challenged by the illness of a child? Do you feel exhausted & sad at times? Has your partnership or marriage become strained? Is your family unit having trouble staying positive and enjoying one another due to stress and anxiety? I can help you develop coping strategies, restore balance, and manage the day to day challenges using brief solution focused therapy.

I would use the Systems Theory and Narrative approach to help families communicate what they view as the concerns within their family. Also using Middle Path, from DBT, as an approach to bridge the dialectical views between the individuals in the family which is causing conflict. Validating the different perspectives as individuals and looking for the kernal of truth, allows them to see the bigger picture through the lens of other members within the family.

Do you want to improve communication, strengthen your relationship, or work through a challenging time? I work with families to provide the opportunity to address concerns and conflicts that you have been unable to work through on your own. Additionally, skill-building exercises and communication supports are available to strengthen bonds, learn new skills to address everyday concerns, and overcome troubling times.

Family counselling with me uses a Family Systems and circle approach. This means we will discuss family dynamics and each family member’s role in it, what need this meets and how to relate in a healthier way. I also use a circle approach to ensure all family members have a voice and can share in a safe, caring space that we will create together.

Family therapy is a wonderful way to tackle family issues. It usually means learning to communicate differently and more effectively. Each family has its spoken and unspoken family rules. Helping these unspoken rules to become more visible or to revise current ones, can clarify misconceptions and assumptions. Since every family has unique problems, they also have unique solutions as well! Therapy can help a family to "see themselves in a whole new light" and realize they have everything they need to make their lives even better.