Our adult selves are reflections of how we were raised. For better or for worse, many of our lifelong habits, quirks, and mannerisms can be explained by the circumstances of our upbringing. Therefore, it is essential to enable parents, children, siblings and other relatives to partake in the development of skills and techniques to improve communication, foster respect, and nurture compassion among family members. Our family counsellors observe the many complex dynamics within families and provide helpful recommendations that aim to improve family relationships and nurture a loving and supportive home.
Our counsellors are able to work with many different types of families, including those that are navigating blended families, adoption, divorce/separation, parenting/co-parenting, boundary setting, differences in faith or opinions, and grief and loss.
In blended families, parenting decisions, relationships between the children, attachment and jealousy all have the potential to create tension in the household. Counselling helps blended families communicate their needs, build deep bonds, and foster a family dynamic based on kindness, respect and trust.
Adopting can be a family’s most enriching experience, but it can also present some difficulties. Feel supported during this important transition in your life. Counselling can help the family with attachment and bonding, communication, cultural differences, parenting, trust, grief, trauma and more.
Co-parenting adds another layer of complexity that families have to consider when navigating their relationships. With counselling support, families gain instructive and effective co-parenting techniques that promote open discussion, trust, compassion, and most of all, love.
Divorce can be a difficult process for parents and their children. Aside from grieving the loss of what was once familiar, the end of a relationship can feel scary and unprecedented, especially for the children. Counselling can help open up the discussion to enable everyone to feel heard, included, respected and loved.
Every family eventually faces the loss of a loved one, a home, a career or a lifestyle. Grief can affect individuals differently, so it is common for family members to have different experiences during this time. Family counselling helps grieving families process the loss, support each other, heal and move on together.
If you have a troubled child or teenager who has experienced a trauma, is being bullied, or struggles with a learning or developmental disability, the whole family can be affected. Counselling can help parents, children, and the whole family come together to help each other and the child thrive in a supportive and loving environment.
Families come through our doors in all shapes and sizes, and so do their problems. The types of issues affecting families can range from trivial to traumatic. However, family counsellors are trained to provide helpful recommendations and strategies to heal from old wounds and forge stronger bonds. Below are just some of the types of conflicts we can help your family solve.
Honest, open and truthful communication is a family’s most effective channel for conflict resolution and a medium for building strong connections. Our family therapists help families open up to each other in a safe space where every member is heard and respected.
Being able to trust your partner, children, and friends can give you a sense of comfort and security - and if you can't trust your family, who can you trust? Our family counsellors provide families with suggestions to help family members rebuild their trust in each other and heal.
Family counsellors are trained to provide helpful recommendations to help families move past their differing views while respect each other’s perspectives, and reconciling their differences in beliefs in such a way that both the family’s dynamic and the individuality are preserved.
The boundaries people set look different for everyone. In a family, these boundaries may even conflict. It is common for family members to protest when boundaries are set. During counselling, families are encouraged to discuss and respect each other's boundaries.
Not sure who can help you? You can either fill out the form to be matched to a therapist that specializes in your unique situation or give us a call at (403) 588-7639.
