Child, Youth & Families • River District Counselling and Wellness

River District Counselling & Wellness

Child (Ages 4-12)

From the moment a child is born, their senses are taking in everything around them. Children are building their understanding of the world, often times asking questions, testing boundaries and shaping their sense of self. Parents and caregivers compare their child's development to other children and begin seeing behaviours such as:

Inability to sit still and focus

Frequent temper tantrums

Short fused frustration

Receiving a call from the school is a parent's worst nightmare and beneath the surface your child may have an internal tornado of thoughts and feelings that come out as misbehaving. Your child will learn how to organize their world, place labels on physical emotions and calm that internal tornado. They will be able to learn these skills through Therapeutic Play, Sand Tray and other creative, age appropriate techniques.

Melissa Landscape

Melissa Chan, RCC

Melissa specializes in working with children, youth and families. She practices in Emotionally Focused Family Therapy, Therapeutic Play and Sand Tray, combined with traditional therapeutic techniques.

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Youth & Teenagers (Ages 13-19)

Teenage years can be difficult to get through and life is filled with experiences that challenge them every day. Finding the right group of friends, balancing the demands of school, figuring out how to be independent, all while trying to be heard and understood is tough to manage. Our counsellors will use creative techniques to help the teen manage the internal and external transition from child to young adult. This space will allow for your teenager to communicate their thoughts, behaviours and feelings. We are open to discussing important issues from drug use to sexuality.

Family & Parenting Support

Kid and Dad Playing

Navigating through the family dynamic is difficult. Parents and Caregivers become wrapped up in the every day routines and are unaware the children in front of them have grown and aged before their eyes. As these little ones change, so should your parenting style. We recognize that you are the expert of your own family, however sometimes you need the extra support to help get you through the "I'm 13 going on 19" phase, or help bring an understanding of what is happening in their world.

You will learn practical evidence-based strategies that you can use to restore a sense of balance to your family life. We will work on identifying relationship fractures and rebuild the attachment bonds within your family. Create a safe and healthy space to communicate with your children and build the relationship you've been wanting.

Family Counselling

Hands

Families are complicated structures with different personalities, belief systems, hopes and dreams. In today's evolving world, it can be difficult to understand the expectations within the family. Through our counselling process we will open up communication between each person so they feel heard and understood. Work towards enhancing your family dynamics, learning how to cope with feelings of anxiousness or stress.

Mediation can help both sides come to agreements that work for everyone. As a neutral mediator, our RDC Counsellors will step into the role and help bring all sides closer together. We will work with you to create realistic expectations for each family member, all while building an environment that allows independence. Being able to resolve differences and settle family matters is important in making decisions that are in the best interests of the children.