Child and Family Counselling

As a parent or caregiver it may sometimes be difficult to meet the needs of children and youth with mental health difficulties. Children and youth may function well at home, but struggle in school or peer situations. Some may struggle with depression or anxiety, while others struggle with issues of anger management, substance abuse, or defiance. Child and family counselling is an opportunity for learning better strategies and help find methods of managing the different situations.

How do I know if my child needs counselling?

There are many indications to suggest that your child may need therapy. For example, major life events can lead to emotional turbulence. Death of a family member, friend or pet, major illness of a family member, a move to a new city, province or country,  parents' divorce, changing schools, to name a few could cause some withdrawal, stress, mood changes, isolation, poor school performance and other emotional distress. Sometimes it is difficult to determine why there has been a sudden change of behavior in your child, and counselling can help discover the reason.

In our practice, we have clients visit us for many different reasons. The following are common signs that your child may need to a see counselling therapist:

• Behavioural problems at home or school
• Sadness, tearfulness, possible depression
• Isolation
• Bullying or being bullied
• Change in eating habits
• Change in sleep patterns
• Mood swings
• Not wanting to go to school
• Substance abuse

At Eugenio Counselling we will work with your child and the family to help them function better at home, school and in the community. Treatment could include individual work with the child or youth, family work, and/or parenting tips. In working with children and youth it is important to not blame them for their struggles. We want to remove the problematic behaviour from the person, and see the problem as a problem and the person as a person. It is important for self-esteem to separate the two.

We are more than happy to talk with you about your concerns and discuss family counselling options with you. Finding the right therapist requires you to meet and have a first session. To help you take the first step, the initial 30 minutes counselling session is absolutely free of charge.

Book your free initial session