Is your child struggling, and you're not sure what is underneath it all?

Children experience and process the world very differently from adults. Often, they do not yet have the language, emotional awareness, or nervous system regulation skills to explain what they are feeling inside fully. Instead, emotions and stress tend to show up through behaviour, play, relationships, physical symptoms, withdrawal, worries, meltdowns, or difficulties at school and home.

How this looks in session

I use developmentally appropriate approaches, including play therapy and art therapy, to help children communicate, process emotions, and explore experiences in ways that align with how children naturally learn and express themselves. Through play, creativity, storytelling, movement, games, and connection, children are often able to show what they cannot yet fully put into words. Therapy is always adapted to the individual child, their developmental stage, and their unique strengths and needs.

What else to expect

Alongside play and creative approaches, there is often a gentle weaving in of psycho education and skill-building when appropriate. This may include helping children better understand emotions, body cues, executive functioning skills, social situations, friendships, problem-solving, or coping strategies in ways that are concrete, supportive, and engaging for them. Parent support and collaboration are also an important part of the process. Children thrive in the context of relationships, and therapy works best when caregivers feel supported and included in understanding their child’s emotional world.

How I Work with Children

Different children need different approaches

Play Therapy

Art Therapy

CBT

Solution-Focused Therapy

Reasons to Reach Out for Child Therapy

Big emotions, meltdowns, or difficulty with emotional regulation
Anxiety, worries, fears, or separation difficulties
Behaviour changes at home or school
Social struggles, friendship difficulties, or feeling left out
Perfectionism, self-criticism, or low self-esteem
Difficulty expressing emotions or communicating needs
Neurodiversity, sensory sensitivities, or executive functioning challenges
School stress, avoidance, or difficulty coping in the classroom
Family transitions such as separation, divorce, moves, or new siblings
Grief, loss, or overwhelming life experiences
Shutdowns, withdrawal, or changes in mood
Support with confidence, coping skills, and emotional understanding
Adverse childhood experiences (abuse, neglect, major accident, witness to violence, etc.)

Blogs

Frequently Asked Questions

What does counselling with children look like?

Children often communicate through play, creativity, movement, and relationships rather than through long conversations. Sessions may include play, art, games, storytelling, outdoor walks, and other developmentally appropriate activities.

The goal is to create a safe and supportive space where children can express themselves, build skills, and work through challenges in ways that feel natural to them.

Will parents be involved in their child's counselling?

Parents play an important role in a child's wellbeing. Depending on your child's age and needs, parent involvement may include consultations, check-ins, collaborative goal setting, and parent coaching.

At the same time, children also benefit from having a space where they can build trust and develop their own relationship with the counsellor.

How long are counselling sessions?

Child sessions are 45 minutes with a 5-minute caregiver check-in (if needed).

How often should we attend counselling?

For children working on goals related to executive functioning, school challenges, anxiety, emotional regulation, attention and focus, social skills, self-esteem, or behavioural concerns, consistent support is often most effective. Weekly or biweekly sessions are typically recommended to begin, as this allows for steady skill-building, emotional processing, and continuity in the therapeutic relationship.

As progress is made and goals are met, sessions often transition into a maintenance phase. During this time, meetings may shift to every two weeks or monthly to support ongoing growth, reinforce skills, and help children apply what they’ve learned across home, school, and social settings.

The frequency of sessions is always flexible and can be adjusted based on the child’s needs, family circumstances, and overall progress.

For children who have experienced an acute stressful event or have been exposed to ongoing adversity or high-conflict environments, therapy is most effective when there is a baseline level of safety and stability in the home and caregiving context. In these situations, consistency is especially important, and weekly sessions are typically recommended.

In child and play therapy literature, short-term therapeutic work is commonly structured over approximately 20 sessions, depending on the nature of the concerns, the child’s developmental stage, and treatment goals. This timeframe is often used in evidence-informed, goal-directed play therapy to support emotional processing, skill-building, and integration of experiences.

Examples of situations where this kind of structured support may be helpful include: