Child, Adolescent and Family Therapy

Child & Adolescent Therapy

Children and teens grow and move through developmental stages at what can feel like lightning speed. There can often be struggles throughout these stages and they can impact how they think, feel and behave. At Over the Hill with Gill, I will provide tools to help children cope, talk about their thoughts, feelings and behaviours and work past the struggles they may be experiencing.

Common struggles that I often work with include (but are not limited to): anxiety, depression, suicidality, relationship struggles, self-esteem, grief/loss, parent-child relationship, etc. Children and teens deserve access to therapy when they can't cope with their stress by themselves. Support is so incredibly important when problems affect their mood, interactions with others and thoughts about themselves.

In therapy, there is no cut and dried way to work with kids and teens. What works for one may not work with another. It is my role to figure out the best way to help your child/teen. With younger children, therapy typically looks like drawing, playing, creating and talking. For older kids and teens, therapists share tips, tricks and ideas that focus on learning the skills they need to thrive in their every day life. Talking through feelings and understanding problems is also used. It is also important not to assume that after a couple of sessions, your child/teen will implement all of the strategies introduced right away or that they will even work. Sometimes it is a trial and error process.

My work focuses on providing praise and support for the work that they do and ongoing empathy and validation for the struggles they may be facing. I work to support children to establish and build with a growth mindset, to believe in themselves, find their strengths, build helpful thinking patterns and healthy behavioural habits.

When I meet with children, I also like to meet with the parent(s)/guardian(s) to gain their perspective on the situation. Depending on the situation, I may choose to meet with the parent(s)/guardian(s) separately or with the child. As they get older and as they have the ability to provide consent to parents attendance, this can change. I also provide space for parent(s)/guardian(s) to meet individually with the therapist to explore issues from their perspective and to provide support and education on child development and parenting skills.