Child Counselling
Are you struggling to manage your child’s difficult behaviour?
Does your child refuse to do things with others or avoid activities they used to love?
Are you worried about your child’s future?
Children and teens suffer with mental health problems too. When your child’s behaviour is difficult to manage, it may be a sign that they are struggling with anxiety, depression, or another mental health challenge.
Our therapists can help your child increase their confidence, learn new skills to manage their emotions, communicate more effectively, and build a connected relationship with you.
What Does Child Counselling Involve?
Child counselling provides a safe and supportive space where children can explore their emotions, develop coping skills, and work through challenges with the guidance of a trained therapist. At Still Waters Psychology, we tailor therapy to each child’s unique needs using evidence-based approaches like play therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR).
Sessions may involve talking, creative activities, role-playing, or games, depending on the child’s age and comfort level. We also collaborate with parents to provide insights and strategies to support their child’s progress at home. Our goal is to help children feel empowered, build resilience, and develop healthy emotional regulation skills.
Signs Your Child May Need Psychological Support
Children express distress differently than adults, and recognizing when they need support can be challenging. If your child is experiencing any of the following, counselling may be beneficial:
- Emotional struggles: Frequent anxiety, excessive sadness, anger outbursts, or mood swings.
- Behavioral changes: Increased defiance, withdrawal, aggression, or difficulty concentrating.
- Social difficulties: Trouble making or keeping friends, avoiding social interactions, or experiencing bullying.
- Academic concerns: A sudden decline in school performance, reluctance to attend school, or difficulty focusing.
- Changes in sleep or appetite: Persistent nightmares, difficulty sleeping, or significant changes in eating habits.
- Major life transitions: Struggles with family changes such as divorce, moving, or loss of a loved one.
- Trauma or stressful experiences: If your child has experienced a distressing event, early support can prevent long-term emotional difficulties.
If you’re unsure whether therapy is needed, a consultation with one of our clinicians can help determine the best path forward for your child.
Preparing for Your Child’s First Counselling Session
Starting therapy can feel unfamiliar for both children and parents. Here’s how you can prepare:
- For Parents: The first session is typically with you alone to discuss your child’s developmental history, concerns, and goals for therapy. Be prepared to share relevant details about their emotional, social, and academic experiences.
- For Children: Before their first session, reassure them that therapy is a safe and supportive space where they can talk about their thoughts and feelings. Avoid framing therapy as a punishment or something to “fix” them—explain that it’s a place to learn new skills to handle big emotions and feel better.
- What to Bring: Younger children may feel more comfortable bringing a favorite toy, stuffed animal, or drawing to help them settle into the session.
We take a child-led approach to make sessions engaging and comfortable, ensuring your child feels safe and understood.
What Are the Different Types of Therapies for Children at Still Waters Psychology?
At Still Waters Psychology, we use a variety of therapeutic approaches tailored to meet each child’s needs:
- Play Therapy: Ideal for younger children, play therapy allows kids to express emotions and process experiences through toys, art, and storytelling.
- Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Helps children recognize negative thinking patterns and develop healthier coping strategies for managing anxiety, depression, and behavioral challenges.
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): Teaches emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and mindfulness skills, often beneficial for children with intense emotions or difficulty managing frustration.
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): Encourages children to understand their emotions and develop resilience by focusing on personal values and actions.
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR): A specialized therapy for children who have experienced trauma, helping them process distressing memories in a safe and structured way.
Each child receives a customized approach, ensuring they receive the most effective support based on their unique needs.
What Problems Can Be Addressed in Child Counselling at Still Waters Psychology?
We provide therapy for children dealing with a variety of emotional, behavioral, and developmental concerns, including:
- Anxiety & Worries: Generalized anxiety, separation anxiety, social anxiety, and excessive fears.
- Emotional Regulation: Difficulty managing big emotions like anger, sadness, or frustration.
- ADHD & Attention Challenges: Helping children improve focus, impulse control, and coping strategies.
- Friendship & Social Skills: Support for making friends, handling conflicts, and improving communication skills.
- Trauma & PTSD: Helping children recover from distressing experiences in a safe and supportive environment.
- Family Changes & Transitions: Coping with divorce, moving, new siblings, or loss of a loved one.
Our goal is to help children understand and express their emotions in healthy ways, build confidence, and develop lasting skills to navigate life’s challenges.
What Makes Still Waters Psychology the Best Option for Calgary Families?
At Still Waters Psychology, we understand that finding the right therapist for your child is an important decision. Here’s what sets us apart:
✅ Specialized Child & Family Therapists: Our clinicians have extensive experience working with children and use age-appropriate, evidence-based therapies tailored to each child’s needs.
✅ Comprehensive Family Support: We don’t just focus on the child—we equip parents and caregivers with the tools and strategies to reinforce progress at home.
✅ Flexible & Convenient Care: We offer support for all family members under one roof, making it easier for families to access care in a single, trusted environment.
✅ Warm & Child-Friendly Environment: Our therapy spaces are designed to be welcoming and engaging, helping children feel comfortable and supported.
✅ Commitment to Normalizing Mental Health: We believe therapy should be a positive and empowering experience that supports children in growing into resilient and emotionally healthy individuals.
We are dedicated to helping Calgary families find balance, strength, and healing together in a supportive and compassionate setting.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most effective therapy for children?
The most effective therapy for children depends on their developmental level and what issues they are coming in for. In the early years, play therapy and parenting support are helpful as young children don’t communicate their feelings in the same way adults do. CBT and DBT can be effective for children who are 10 and older.
What therapy works best for behavioral problems in children?
- The best therapies for children with behavior problems include Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Behavioral Therapy, which focus on improving behavior through positive discipline, thought pattern changes, and reinforcement. Family therapy can also be effective by addressing family dynamics. Play Therapy and Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) are useful for younger children or those with autism, while Collaborative & Proactive Solutions (CPS) helps solve chronic behavior challenges through problem-solving. The choice of therapy depends on the child’s age, behavior severity, and family involvement.
- In some cases, behaviour problems can indicate an underlying developmental disorder. A behavioral assessment helps inform the therapeutic process by providing a clear understanding of a child's specific behaviors, their triggers, and the environmental or emotional factors influencing them. It allows the therapist to identify patterns in the child’s actions, thoughts, and emotions, which is crucial for tailoring the therapy to address underlying issues effectively. This detailed understanding enables the therapist to create targeted interventions that are specific to the child’s needs.
- Additionally, behavioral assessments help track progress throughout the therapeutic process. By establishing a baseline of the child's behavior at the start of therapy, therapists can measure improvements or changes over time, adjusting treatment strategies as necessary. This ensures that therapy remains responsive to the child's evolving needs, improving outcomes by focusing on practical, evidence-based solutions.
What is the best therapy for childhood neglect?
- For children who have experienced neglect, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) is highly effective. This therapy helps children process their traumatic experiences, including neglect, and teaches coping mechanisms to manage emotional and behavioral responses. TF-CBT often involves both the child and their caregivers, improving communication and fostering a supportive environment for healing.
- Attachment-Based Therapies are also beneficial, especially for younger children. These therapies focus on rebuilding trust and secure attachments between the child and their caregivers, addressing the emotional and relational impact of neglect. Approaches like Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) and Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP) help the child form healthy attachments and develop emotional regulation skills in the context of a safe, nurturing relationship.
What age is good for therapy?
Child therapy can be beneficial at various developmental stages, but the appropriate age for starting therapy depends on the child’s needs and emotional or behavioral concerns. Here’s a general guide:
- Early Childhood (Ages 3-5): Play therapy is often used for young children to help them express emotions and work through issues in a developmentally appropriate way. Therapy at this age is typically helpful for addressing behavioral problems, emotional regulation, and early signs of anxiety or trauma.
- Middle Childhood (Ages 6-12): This is a common age for therapy, as children can begin to engage in more structured therapeutic approaches, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), to address anxiety, depression, behavioral issues, and social challenges. Family therapy can also be useful at this stage to address family dynamics that contribute to behavioral problems.
- Adolescence (Ages 13-18): Therapy is particularly effective during adolescence for addressing mood disorders, anxiety, peer relationship issues, and identity development. Teens may benefit from more direct forms of therapy like CBT, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), or family therapy, depending on their needs.
There is no specific age that is "too early" or "too late" for therapy, as it depends on the individual child’s circumstances and developmental stage.
What therapy helps kids with anger?
Several types of therapy can help children manage anger effectively by teaching them emotional regulation, coping strategies, and improving family or peer dynamics. Here are some of the most commonly recommended therapies for children struggling with anger:
1. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBT is one of the most effective therapies for children with anger issues. It helps children identify and change negative thought patterns that contribute to their anger, teaching them coping strategies and problem-solving skills.
2. Anger Management Therapy
This specific form of therapy focuses on helping children understand their anger triggers, recognize the early signs of anger, and learn healthy ways to express and control it. Techniques include deep breathing, relaxation, and developing positive responses to frustration.
3. Play Therapy
For younger children, play therapy allows them to express and process their emotions, including anger, in a safe and non-verbal way. Through play, children can explore their feelings and learn to regulate their emotions.
4. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
DBT is especially useful for children who experience intense emotions, including anger. It teaches emotional regulation, distress tolerance, mindfulness, and interpersonal effectiveness to help manage anger in healthy ways.
5. Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT)
PCIT helps parents and children develop better communication and discipline techniques to address anger-related behavior issues. This therapy teaches parents how to respond positively to the child’s behavior while reinforcing emotional regulation.
6. Family Therapy
Family therapy can address how family dynamics contribute to a child's anger issues. By improving communication and resolving conflicts within the family, this therapy helps create a more supportive environment for the child to manage anger.
7. Art Therapy
Art therapy allows children to express their anger creatively, which can be particularly helpful for those who struggle with verbalizing their emotions. It provides a therapeutic outlet to explore emotions in a non-confrontational way.
8. Mindfulness-Based Therapy
Mindfulness-based therapies help children develop greater self-awareness and emotional control. Techniques like deep breathing, meditation, and mindfulness exercises help reduce impulsive reactions to anger.
Therapies are often tailored to the child’s developmental stage, the severity of their anger, and their individual needs, sometimes involving a combination of these approaches for better outcomes.
What happens when a child goes to a psychologist?
In the first session, parents will meet with the Psychologist to provide some developmental history and discuss their current concerns. This allows parents to discuss what is most concerning to them without having to worry about how their child will react to their concerns. When your child meets with the Psychologist, they will begin by building rapport using activities and games. It is important that your child develop a good relationship with their Psychologist so they feel comfortable engaging in interventions. Your therapist will provide you with recommendations on what type of therapy might be helpful for your child and develop a plan that works for you and your family.