Child Therapy

No. Some children come to therapy with a diagnosis, while others come because a parent has noticed something feels different, their child is struggling, or the family is going through a difficult time. Your child does not need a diagnosis to receive support.

Our therapists do not provide formal psychological assessments or diagnoses. If questions come up about whether an assessment might be helpful, we can talk that through with you and help you understand what kind of additional support or assessment you may want to explore.

Before we meet with your child, we begin with a 90-minute parent or caregiver session. This gives us time to understand your child’s story from the beginning, including pregnancy and postpartum experiences, early development, temperament, relationships, family history, school experiences, strengths, and the changes or challenges you are noticing now.

We also want to understand what parenting has been like for you. We will talk about where you feel confident, where you may feel stuck or unsure, and what kind of support would help you feel better equipped to understand and respond to your child.

We also use this time to talk through the practical pieces of child therapy, including consent and working with minors, confidentiality, how we communicate with you, and how parents and caregivers will be involved as therapy moves forward. There is plenty of time for your questions too.

We see parents and caregivers as an important part of the therapeutic process and, whenever possible, encourage you to stay involved in your child’s therapy. What that involvement looks like can vary depending on your child’s age, needs, the goals for therapy, and what works for your family.

Parent involvement might include check-ins with the therapist, parent sessions, joining your child for part of a session, or working together to better understand and respond to what is happening at home. We will talk with you about what involvement could look like and what feels manageable for your family.

Your child needs to know that therapy is a place where they can talk openly, so we take their privacy seriously. At the same time, we know you are an important part of their life and their therapy. We will help you understand themes that may be important for supporting your child without necessarily sharing the details of everything they tell us. If we are concerned about your child’s safety or there is information we are required to disclose, we will follow our professional and legal responsibilities and involve you when appropriate.

We know this can add another layer to beginning therapy. As part of our consent process, we will talk with you about parenting arrangements, consent to treatment, and how communication about your child’s therapy will be handled. We use a communication plan to create clear expectations about how information is shared with parents and caregivers. Depending on your circumstances, we may also ask to review relevant parenting agreements or documentation before therapy begins.

In Ontario, consent to treatment is based on capacity rather than a specific age. This means a young person may be able to consent to their own therapy if they can understand the information relevant to the decision and appreciate the reasonably foreseeable consequences of making or not making that decision. Your child’s therapist will consider their individual capacity and circumstances when discussing consent and confidentiality.

Our child therapists generally work with children ages 5 and up. Child therapy through our Affordable Therapy Program begins at age 7. At Counselling & Co., we generally consider child therapy to be for children up to age 12, with youth ages 13 and older falling under Teen Therapy.

Each therapist works with different ages and areas of focus, so their individual profile will tell you more about who they work with and whether they may be a good fit for your child.

No. Our child therapy sessions are offered in person at our village hub, Therapeutic Collective Oakville. Being together in person gives children more freedom to play, create, move, and engage naturally during therapy.

Sometimes. In-home child therapy may be available on a case-by-case basis depending on your child’s needs, your family’s circumstances, therapist availability, and location. If you are interested in in-home support, you can ask about it during your Meet & Greet.

We know the cost of therapy can be a real consideration for families. Our Affordable Therapy Program offers lower-cost counselling with our intern therapists, including child therapy for children ages 7 and up.

If cost is getting in the way of accessing support for your child, connect with our Client Care team. We can talk with you about what is affordable and whether one of our Affordable Therapy Program therapists might be a good fit for your child and family.