Our clinical team is made up of Clinical Psychologists, Mental Health Counsellors, Play Therapists, Marriage and Family Therapists and Behavioural Specialists. We work collaboratively using a model of evidence based reflective practice.
This type of model means that we are regularly taking into consideration four key aspects of client treatment;
The first step in seeking services at The Wellness Centre is to attend an intake appointment. The intake appointment is an opportunity to share the details of what has led you to seek support. It’s an opportunity to explore what goals you might have for counselling and what preferences you have in terms of the type of approach you would like to take. The intake appointment is your opportunity to ask questions to ensure you are making the best decision for you and/or your family. Research suggests that a good fit between the client and the clinician will impact therapy outcomes, so be honest about how you feel and what you need to be comfortable.
Individual therapy is a joint process between a therapist and the client, or person in therapy. People seek therapy for many different reasons, so the therapeutic models or techniques used will vary. What should be consistent is a trusting, open and confidential relationship that allows the client to explore experiences, gain insights or make changes in line with their goals. Individual therapy can be helpful in addressing a wide range of mental health problems, but also phases of life or significant changes or experiences. As a clinic, we also have clinicians on staff trained in different modalities such as Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR) Rapid Resolution Therapy (RRT).
Marriage & Family therapy involves the couple or the family unit as the primary client. The goals of the family or couple are determined by exploring past patterns, family roles and rules, inter-family relationships, coping strategies of the family and of course challenges and strengths. A family therapist is a mental health professional with additional training in understanding how family systems impact everyone. Family therapy will work with the whole family to improve the relationships, communication, trust and how conflicts are handled. Family therapy can be a powerful way to address relationship discord, parenting conflicts, childhood mental illness, grief or other conflicts.
Individual therapy can assist children and adolescents who are experiencing a range of family, school & emotional adjustments. The impact of divorce, blended families, grief, anxiety, depression, bullying, issues of adjustment, learning & behavioural difficulties, family violence, sexual abuse and substance use can be greatly mitigated by therapeutic interventions. We have multiple therapy spaces specifically designed to provide a safe and engaging therapeutic experience for children, adolescents and their families. Our clinical staff possess experience and expertise in a diverse range of psychological, mental health and behavioural interventions. The involvement of parents and guardians is critical, and parents will be regularly involved in discussions around setting goals, implementing strategies or gaining awareness of the child or teens needs.
Play therapy is a structured, theoretically based approach to therapy with young children that builds on the normal communicative and learning processes of children. The curative powers inherent in play are used in many ways. Therapists strategically utilize play therapy to help children express what is troubling them when they do not have the verbal language to express their thoughts and feelings. In play therapy, toys are like the child’s words and play is the child’s language. Through play, therapists may help children learn more adaptive behaviors when there are emotional or social skills deficits. The positive relationship that develops between therapist and child during play therapy sessions can provide a corrective emotional experience necessary for healing from trauma. Play therapy may also be used to promote cognitive development and provide insight about and resolution of inner conflicts or dysfunctional thinking in the child. Through play therapy, children learn to communicate with others, express feelings, regulate emotions, modify behavior, develop problem-solving skills, and learn a variety of ways of relating to others. Play provides a safe psychological distance from their problems and allows expression of thoughts and feelings appropriate to their developmental age. Attachment-based TheraPlay sessions are now also available through our clinic.
Our psychological assessments are conducted by a team of doctoral and masters level psychologists, who work collaboratively using over 30 years of clinical experience. A psychological assessment can help identify your child’s unique learning style as well as increase understanding of their social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. The purpose of an assessment should be to develop a plan forward, with the goal to assist and support. Psychological assessments should be conducted in the context of a clinical team with many years of experience in the assessment of a wide range of learning, developmental, clinical and behavioural disorders. Assessment results will guide parenting plans, medical treatment decisions, and behavioural interventions, as well as the development of an Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) to ensure access to special teaching strategies in school and important accommodations on standardized board exams, including I/GCSE, CXC, SAT, and PSAT.
Adult assessments can help properly identify and diagnose problems that may have puzzled you for some time. An assessment can be extremely helpful in determining treatment goals and providing individuals and families with a better understanding of one another. A psychological assessment can help gain access to appropriate accommodations for learning and success at university and in the workplace.
Social & emotional skills are critically important to children’s development. Social & emotional skills are needed to successfully develop peer relationships, manage emotions, problem solve, and to appropriately regulate social behaviour. Our Social & Emotional Skills Groups are fun, interactive opportunities for modeling and skill development in the context of playing, friendship and fun. Our groups are available for children or adolescents and offer real community-based opportunities to develop these important skills.