Individual Therapy for Children and Parents
Develop confidence in parenting your child.
Support your child in learning how to manage their emotions.
Access professional mental health guidance to thrive as a family once again.
At FFEW, we provide comprehensive individual therapy services tailored to meet the unique needs of children, adolescents, and parents. Our experienced professionals create a supportive and effective therapeutic environment, helping families navigate mental health challenges and achieve lasting well-being.
Individual Therapy for Children and Parents Services
Children Ages 4-10 years of age
When should I consider therapy for my child?
Children may struggle with a range of emotional and behavioural issues, from anxiety and emotion regulation to difficulties with attention and social interactions. When these issues interfere with daily life, it’s recommended to seek professional help.
Our team works closely with you to understand your child’s specific needs, strengths, and goals. Our resident Child Psychologist and Clinic Founder, Dr. Zia is an expert in children’s mental health.
Parent involvement is a must
Generally, for children under the age of 10, we recommend parent intervention (at times, in combination with individual child therapy) to treat child concerns. Using a parent-centred approach is consistent with the scientific research and our clinical experience, suggesting parents are instrumental in their child’s regulation and long-term emotional health. We work with parents to better understand their child’s specific concerns, provide clear psychoeducation on the identified concerns, and help parents use evidence-based strategies that will help them feel more effective in their daily lives.
Therapy for children
At times, working with children is also beneficial. We use a warm, empathetic approach to make children feel safe and supported. Through evidence-based practices and play therapy, we help them develop emotional regulation skills, build strong relationships, and feel more comfortable and in control of their emotions. Importantly, we cultivate a safe space where children can express their emotions. Younger kids respond well to therapy in the right environment.
Families who engage in individual therapy with us can expect their children to gain better control over their emotions, improve their interpersonal skills, and enhance their overall well-being.
Adolescents Ages 11-19 years of age
Therapy for adolescents
Adolescence can be a challenging time, marked by emotional upheaval, identity formation, and increased stress. Our team understands the unique pressures faced by teens and provides targeted support to address their mental health concerns. In individual therapy, adolescents will learn to manage their emotions more effectively, develop healthier relationships, and build resilience to cope with life’s challenges. You can look forward to positive changes in school, social life, and at home.
In addition, we strongly believe that parents are critical in supporting and building their adolescents’ regulation. For this reason, we often recommend additional support for parents to understand the concerns their child is experiencing, learn the latest research and theory related to those concerns, and apply evidence-based strategies that are proven to be effective.
Therapy for Parents
Parents play a crucial role in their children’s emotional development and well-being. At FFEW we believe that parents are instrumental in their child’s or adolescents’ treatment journey. Together, you will understand your patterns of communication and learn healthy behaviours to handle tough times.
Different therapeutic approaches we employ at FFEW:
We offer evidence-based services which include frameworks such as Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE), Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Circle of Security, and various others. These interventions are offered in both individual and group modalities and provide parents with the tools and strategies to support their children more effectively.
Parents will feel more confident in their parenting abilities, better equipped to handle their children’s emotional needs and foster a more positive family environment. This approach to family therapy helps all members of the family move forward.
Our approach to individual therapy for children and parents:
Assessment and Treatment Planning:
When starting treatment at FFEW we conduct a thorough assessment via a parent intake session and child intake session. Our goal is to get a good understanding of both your and your child’s presenting concerns, and also screen for other co-occurring concerns that we can address in therapy. After a comprehensive clinical interview and data collection, we will create a tailored treatment plan for you and your child and begin working towards feeling better and taking action to address your goals.
Building a relationship:
Research suggests that the relationship established between client and therapist predicts the success of treatment. This accurately reflects our core values and approach when working with your family. It is critical that children and adolescents feel seen, accepted and understood. It is only under these conditions that children feel the safety and security needed to disclose personal information and take brave steps toward improving their lives.
When working with your family we take the time needed to genuinely connect with you and your child—rather than just applying techniques and interventions. Our therapists offer an authentic, consistent, attuned presence with the families in our practice, and are there to support change at every step of the process.
The treatment we use in individual therapy for children and parents:
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is an evidence-based treatment which helps individuals understand how their thoughts influence their feelings and behaviour. Through age-appropriate techniques and engaging activities, we teach clients to identify unhelpful thought patterns and develop more positive ways of thinking about themselves and their experiences. CBT for youth emphasizes collaboration with parents and often incorporates rewards and behavioural activation strategies to help children practice new skills and build confidence.
What CBT helps with:
This approach has proven especially successful in treating childhood anxiety, depression, trauma, ADHD, and behavioural problems, with research consistently showing it to be one of the most effective interventions for young people. Therapists work closely with both children and their families, tailoring techniques to each child’s developmental level and using concrete examples from their daily lives at home and school to make the concepts accessible and relevant.
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy
DBT therapy for children and adolescents focuses on helping young people manage intense emotions and improve their relationships. This approach teaches four essential skill sets: emotional regulation to help youth understand and manage their feelings; mindfulness to increase present-moment awareness and reduce impulsivity; distress tolerance to cope with difficult situations without making them worse; and interpersonal effectiveness to navigate social relationships and family dynamics more successfully.
What DBT helps with:
When using a DBT-informed approach, our work incorporates these key concepts through age-appropriate activities, games, and exercises that resonate with children and teens. This therapeutic approach has shown particular promise in helping young people who struggle with mood swings, anxiety, self-harm behaviours, family conflicts, and difficulty maintaining friendships. Parents are often included in the therapeutic process, learning alongside their children to create a supportive environment that reinforces these coping skills.
Unified Protocol
The Unified Protocol (UP) is a flexible, emotion-focused treatment that helps young people who struggle with managing multiple emotional challenges simultaneously. This is an evidence-based, transdiagnostic approach that is particularly valuable for youth who experience symptoms of anxiety, depression, and other emotional difficulties. The treatment helps children and teens understand their emotions, develop mindfulness skills, challenge rigid thinking patterns, and gradually face uncomfortable situations that they might typically avoid.
What UP therapy helps with:
Parents are actively involved in the therapeutic process, learning alongside their children and helping to reinforce these skills at home. This evidence-based approach has shown effectiveness for a wide range of youth concerns, including generalized anxiety, social anxiety, separation anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive behaviours, and anger management difficulties. The UP’s structure allows therapists to tailor the treatment to each young person’s specific needs while maintaining a consistent focus on building emotional awareness and coping skills. By teaching children and teens to understand and manage their emotions more effectively, the UP helps them develop resilience and confidence in handling life’s challenges, whether at home, school, or with peers.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) offers a unique approach that helps youth learn to accept difficult thoughts and feelings while moving toward what matters most to them in life. Through age-appropriate metaphors, stories, and experiential exercises, young clients learn to develop psychological flexibility – the ability to be present with their experiences while taking actions aligned with their values.
What ACT helps with:
Rather than trying to eliminate difficult emotions or thoughts, ACT teaches youth to respond to these experiences differently, using mindfulness skills and playful activities to help them notice their thoughts without getting caught up in them. This approach has shown effectiveness for youth struggling with anxiety, depression, chronic pain, behavioural problems, and academic difficulties. Parents are often included in treatment, learning alongside their children how to create an environment that supports psychological flexibility and values-based action, rather than getting caught in cycles of avoidance or control.
Motivational Interviewing
Motivational Interviewing (MI) with children, adolescents, and their families is a collaborative therapeutic approach that helps young people explore and strengthen their own motivation for change while reducing resistance and ambivalence. Through empathetic listening and strategic questioning, our therapists help young clients examine their current behaviors and future goals, while carefully avoiding confrontation or lectures that might push teens away. MI is particularly effective for addressing behavioural concerns, substance use, treatment adherence, health behaviours, and academic challenges, as it helps youth feel heard and empowered in their own change process.
Mindfulness-Based Approaches
Mindfulness-based approaches for children and adolescents adapt traditional mindfulness practices into age-appropriate, engaging activities that help young people develop present-moment awareness and emotional balance. Through playful exercises, movement-based practices, and brief guided meditations tailored to shorter attention spans, children learn to tune into their thoughts, feelings, and body sensations in a curious, non-judgmental way.
When mindfulness is useful:
The practices help young people manage stress, anxiety, and difficult emotions while improving attention, self-regulation, and social relationships. Research supports the effectiveness of mindfulness-based approaches for various youth concerns, including anxiety, depression, ADHD symptoms, behavioural challenges, and academic stress. Unlike adult mindfulness programs, child-focused approaches emphasize shorter, more dynamic practices that maintain engagement while building essential skills for emotional well-being and resilience.
Emotion-Focused Therapy & Emotion-Focused Family Therapy
EFT and EFFT help children, families, young people and their caregivers understand and transform their emotional experiences while strengthening secure attachment bonds. This approach recognizes that emotional struggles often stem from difficulties in expressing, understanding, or regulating core emotions within key relationships. Young clients learn to identify and express their primary emotions, understand their emotional needs, and develop healthier patterns of emotional interaction with family members.
How EFT works:
EFT places special emphasis on helping parents and children create corrective emotional experiences together, working through moments of disconnection to build stronger, more secure relationships. By focusing on emotional awareness and expression within the safety of the therapeutic relationship, children and teens learn to trust and process their emotions rather than avoid them. Parents learn to respond to their child’s emotional needs with greater attunement and empathy, creating a more emotionally supportive family environment that promotes healing and growth.