Taking your child to a psychologist

There are many reasons why parents seek the support of a psychologist to help their child. Children and parents may visit us to...
  • guide challenging behaviours
  • address toileting issues
  • learn play skills​
  • manage anxiety
  • deal with bullying
  • address school refusal
  • cope with grief & loss
  • improve self-esteem
  • adjust to family circumstance (e.g. parent separation)
  • process trauma
​Want to strengthen your child's resilience and capacity to cope? 
​
So do we! These skills will be taught to children and their parents so they can be practiced and become skills for life.  

All therapy with children takes place within the context of the most important relationships - those with their caregivers. It is within the parent/child relationship that improved well-being is truly possible, so parents or caregivers are encouraged to be involved. 

Grief, Loss & Trauma

A significant life event can impact a child greatly and you may notice changes in mood, behaviour, appetite, sleep and school performance. Such events may include:
  • Death of a family member, friend or pet 
  • Moving house
  • Parent separation/divorce
  • Trauma
  • Bullying

Anxiety and Worry

Is your child a worrier? We help children and adolescents who have heightened anxiety about separation from parents, social situations, specific phobias or fear of change such as starting school.

Sessions are based on the principles of cognitive behaviour therapy and focus on identifying and challenging children’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviours in relation to their anxiety. With young children, parents are encouraged to be involved in sessions and play based activities may be used in order to increase the child's awareness and to teach coping strategies.

Anger Management

Uncontrolled anger can affect relationships with parents, siblings, peers and teachers, and can have detrimental effects on learning. The goals of our anger management program are for children to learn:
  • what anger is as an emotion and its different functions, 
  • how to tune-in to their body and identify how it feels when angry, 
  • what triggers their anger, and 
  • appropriate ways of expressing anger