Family Counselling Services in Stouffville, ON.

Family dynamics hold the key to many life experiences, both wonderful and terrible. We are deeply cellularly drawn to "work out" our family struggles. Some voices get heard and some get lost. There is often an "identified" difficult person who may be holding the tension for the whole family. Improving communication can be transformative in improving feeling of safety and connection. A family therapy session can reveal and relieve difficult dynamics that may be adding to daily stress and unhappiness. These sessions can take place in your own home as well as in my office.

We will work together to achieve more harmony & less conflict in your family. We may need to work through helping you & your family members adjust to difficulties or transitions you are going through or have gone through. Each family member's opinions (including children) will be valued. All family members will be validated & each person will be given a voice & time to share their thoughts on what is & isn't working in family life. I have years of experience helping clients with: parent-child conflict; parent disagreements; blended family issues; coping with a sick or mentally ill family member; dealing with trauma and loss; grief. We will work to achieve compromise.

As a Registered Marriage and Family Therapist, I can create a safe atmosphere where you and your family can work on difficult issues. Even though the work can be tough at times, the reward of family connections outweight the cost. My expertise can guide you and your family in building meaningful relationships that will last a life time. You will feel more understood and validated as a result of family therapy.

Therapy can provide a safe environment for families that seek to repair their relationships. The problems generally stem from a much earlier time, when it was hard for family members to understand the nature of their conflict. Each person often has felt hurt and misunderstood, and these feelings have perpetuated over time. My approach is to encourage dialogue between them to help them understand the dynamics that have prevented a fulfilling relationship. I also try to establish the positive intentions of the work they are about to do. Therapy is intended to give them insight into what went wrong and how to repair the relationship while working through the difficult feelings and mistrust.

I am passionate about working with perinatal mood disorders and parenting issues. I feel this is an under-served population that needs more recognition and resources. Parenting can be an incredibly rewarding yet challenging journey. Starting from the challenges of pregnancy and the postpartum period to the teenage years, parents often feel adrift in navigating the terrain. I work with parents to help uncover their values, while providing them with skills and resources to feel more in control.

As a Registered Marriage and Family Therapist, Shyamala specializes in working with families. She practices from a family systems perspective in order to bring about long term, sustainable change for all members of the family. She has an approach that is sensitive and down-to-earth, allowing her to join with family members across generations and cultures.