Family Counselling Services in Toronto, ON.

Depression is not something to be ashamed of , nor is it a character flaw or a sign of a weak personality. No one with depression can just "snap out of it". You wouldn't ask someone to "snap out of diabetes or some other illness, and you cannot expect it of a person with depression. Everyone gets sad sometimes - a brief blue mood, feelings of disappointment or loss. The great news is that up to 80% of people who recieve proper treatment improve as a result. There are two principle modes of treatment for depression - Psychotherapy and medication. Your not alone, millions of families and friends have felt exactly like you. Your one step closer to change

I have counseled thousands of parents in the past 35 years. My book "Raise Your Kids without Raising Your Voice" outlines my philosophy of family life: harmony is of utmost importance to the well-being of every family member. I will show you how you can attain this harmony in your own home as we explore and address the specific issues and challenges that your family faces.

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.

The bonds in the family are interconnected, and Family Therapy is a great way to strengthen those bonds and also understand how old patterns of being actually cover up some of the most important feelings and needs that have never been expressed. I approach Family Therapy through working closely with each relationship in order to shed light on both how they functions together, but also to make room for growth and acceptance. Families are crucial for our survival, and understanding how much we need each other goes a long way to building and re-building close and secure ties.

We have excellent therapists at our clinic that work with both relationships and couples, and family therapy. Family dynamics can be tricky, and having a skilled therapist who can help you understand those dynamics is key. But understanding is not enough, a key to success in the family is knowing how to live happily with the challenges and create new ways of being a family that bring you closer together and support a peaceful and loving environment. Give us a call for a chat, and lets see if we can help?

Our families can benefit from family therapy when they experience any stressful event that puts pressure on family relationships, such as financial hardship, family fractures or break ups, or the death of a loved one. Some issues we would focus on in family sessions are improving communication and solving conflicts, exploring ways we can support a family member who is experiencing difficulties, and how to grow stronger moving forward. It can seem like a monumental task. However with hope, optimism and commitment families can get better.

Each family has its own unique personality that impacts the functioning of its members. I am trained in a variety of therapeutic models and the approach I take will be catered to your family dynamics and the special challenges that brought you here today. When working with the family, I help improve their ability communicate openly to challenging issues and work through ups and downs in their relationships.

Sometimes it is valuable to have a parent(s) and their teenager together work towards healing the rifts that tear their relationship apart. The same applies to parents and their young adult children. Through the family work people note they are able to understand and get 'heard' by their family members.

We are connected in relationship to those around us. With family this connection can be nurturing or life giving at times in life, however it can also be draining at other times. The emotional well being of each family member can impact the well being of all the other family members. I do family counselling using Emotionally Focused Family Therapy, and so by understanding the emotional dance within a family it's possible to heal the impact which a negative emotional cycle is having on the family as a whole and on each member.

Traveling life’s journey’s together. Family crisis, changes and emotional distress can affect the entire family system. With short and long-term options, family counselling is designed to identify immediate needs and support stability. We work to support family members to deepen their connection and understanding of other family members. We create a supportive environment for families to express needs, develop plans and grow as an abundant unit.

Communication.empathy and forgiveness work are a primary focus in family therapy with me. We work with many modalities including Traditional talk therapy: Giving space for the family to explore and express feelings, own awareness’s, transform thoughts, grieve, vent, and neutralize guilt, anger and fear. New understandings and thus new neural pathways and patterns begin to form. This is a profoundly transformational set of tools that can bring families to stronger places of connection and union.

Family therapy is an effective treatment and can be complementary to individual therapy. The aim of family therapy is to develop insight and understanding into relationship dynamics and family structures that may be contributing to dysfunction for one or several family members and ultimately identify and develop healthier and adaptive ways to resolve conflict in the family.

Clients come to see me in my practice in downtown Toronto in order to help them focus on problems and conflicts between family members. In some cases, this includes parent-child conflicts. And in others, this may include conflicts between the adults in home, who may have differing approaches to parenting. Finally, excessive conflicts between siblings may also be a reason for family therapy.

Most family therapists inadvertently create more chaos through their well-intentioned efforts to assist a family move through a change process. Why? Brains are inherently deregulated (all of us, may I add) and most talking and dialoguing misses brain-centric problems that need more intensive help. Many times the emotional trauma created by years of solving problems ineffectively can wreak havoc on the brain's parasympathetic nervous system, not ever giving the family a break from flight or fight thinking. Contact us for an innovative neuroscience solution to family dysfunction. Kevin@kevinflemingphd.com or 877-606-6161.

Working with families requires tact and understanding. Creating change requires intent and determination. a willingness to deepen the understanding of the needs of the individual and the common goals of the family can be an obstacle course which may lead to conflict and misunderstanding. Resolving conflicts (Re-)integrating a family member Creating new harmony through understanding Are you feeling left out? Is your family suffering the behaviours of one (or more) of its members? Is the burden / tasks distribution uneven, or even unfair? Through Strategic Intervention talk and techniques, you will create a greater understanding and harmony within the family you love.

When a family member is struggling with alcohol or drug addiction, the entire family is affected negatively. Communication barriers within families of addicts may cause the addict to withdraw into isolation, leaving their family members feeling frustrated, ashamed, lonely, fearful, depressed, hopeless and angry. The sources of addiction are mental, emotional and psychological in nature, and the addict, as well as their family, need to heal under the care of professionals. At Valiant Recovery, we offer counseling to the families of addicts to help them process the difficult emotions they have confronted, and to create a healthy, supportive environment for the addict to return home to.

Family therapy is a process for everyone to feel heard, understood and that their needs matter. From the youngest to the eldest all our needs matter. Through a process of growing empathy for each other, we can explore creative ways where everyone can get their needs met and everyone can have space to be themselves. Sometimes we all get confused about what we are really wanting. So often conflict and misunderstandings create isolation in even the most loving families. Our work together is to make the time and space to understand each other and find the way back from conflict to connection.

Family counselling takes into account all members of the family, because you all affect each other. In addition, blended families have special challenges that stem from two styles and two sets of rules. It's tough to get the balance just right, but it can be done. I also have experience with kids and teens with oppositional defiant disorder. Let me help you improve the functioning of your family. Your long term happiness is at stake.