Welcome Parents!

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Parenting is one of the hardest and most important jobs we have in life, but unlike most jobs it doesn't come with a training manual. As soon as we start feeling confident in our parenting role, a new challenge arises and the uncertainty returns. The good thing is that there is no such thing as a 'perfect parent'. We are all struggling to figure it out as we go. Having said that, the research indicates that some parenting approaches work better than others.  I educate parents about effective parenting strategies that can make family life less chaotic and that will benefit the long-term mental health of all family members.  I offer services to equip parents to:

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• meet their children's physical, emotional and psychological needs

• to practice & model good mental health for their children

• to build strong connected families.

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 Counselling for Parents 

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50 min session - $160 plus GST

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I developed a professional interest in attending to the mental health needs of parents while conducting research for my MA thesis on the impact of parental mental illness on children.  The current research indicates that when parents suffer from mental health issues, their children can also suffer academically, socially and emotionally and are at higher risk of developing their own mental health difficulties. Providing support to parents is critical to the health of the entire family. I provide parents with emotional support, coping strategies, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) skills and parent coaching to optimize their personal health and the health of their children & family.

 

Counselling can benefit those parents that are feeling 'overwhelmed' and 'stressed out' as well as those parents struggling with anxiety, depression and other diagnosable mental health issues (refer to the "Adults" section to get a full list of mental health issues that I treat).  Also new parents who are having mental health complications such as post-partum depression & anxiety can benefit from counselling support.  

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CBT/DBT/Mindfulness Skills Training for Parents

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Parents can inadvertently play a critical role in the development and maintenance of some mental health issues in children.  For instance, an anxious parent may unintentionally model anxious behaviour which their children learn to imitate.  An over-protective parent (eg. not allowing your child to make mistakes or do for themselves, enabling your child to avoid feared situations) may not realize that they are perpetuating anxiety in their children.  Raising parental awareness and the development of new CBT parenting skills enables parents to be part of the solution.

 

In addition, parents spend the most time with their children and know their children best.  While a 50 minute counselling session can be very helpful, it is much more effective if parents are reinforcing these new skills at home with their children.  Whenever children are learning new habits and skills, consistency and practice is essential.  I find that  when parents are trained in the use of CBT/DBT/Mindfulness skills at home, the mental health of all family members tends to improve as these skills are transferable to many different life situations.

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• CBT Skills Training - Individual Sessions 

  • both parents /caregivers  in attendance if possible 

  • 50 min session   $160 plus GST

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•  CBT Skills Training - Group Program

  • a group workshop is currently in development

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Parent Coaching

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50 min session $160 plus GST

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Sometimes the focus in counselling is on common parenting challenges as opposed to specific mental health concerns.   Parents of toddlers, children and teens often seek coaching ​to address the following:

• temper tantrums / emotional meltdowns

• refusal to comply with requests

• effective discipline

• tools to stop yelling

• parent-child conflict

• sibling rivalry

• building emotional connection with their child/teen

• healthy routines related to sleep, eating, exercise, chores & homework

• screen time

• and more...

 

 

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