Brookhaven Psychotherapy
Child Therapy
The building blocks for a brilliant life.
Are you finding it difficult to help your child through stressful moments?
Is your child blowing up or having meltdowns more than what you’d expect from their age?
Is your child struggling to make and keep friendships?
Is your child particularly shy and reserved?
Is your child stuck in rigid patterns that affect the whole family?
Children are at a very vulnerable age to be negatively affected by mental health. In fact, 70 percent of mental health disorders have their onset in childhood or adolescence (Government of Canada, 2006). The big shifts at home and school that our children have endured because of the pandemic are now having a lasting impact on them socially and developmentally. We are seeing more anxiety, low mood, difficulty regulating emotions, and a delay in social skills across all ages.
At Brookhaven, we love using creativity, imagination and play to work with children. We understand that kids are under enormous stressors. The ability to be resilient is time and time again shown to be related to having access to positive supports and emotional outlets in one’s life. Children need to learn it is okay to feel, acceptable to hurt, and feel safe in their worlds.
Child therapy, provided by a registered therapist, can help the child accumulate coping strategies that can enhance their wellbeing for life. Our therapists believe it’s a privilege to understand the inner worlds of the children we work with and we strive to incorporate all aspects of wellbeing into their treatment.
Common problems we address in child therapy:
Preschoolers and Early Years
Our clinicians provide parenting consultation around common struggles in preschool and kindergarten-aged children. Through a psychosocial assessment, our clinician can make recommendations around a behavioural approach to helping your little one thrive. This may include improving consistency, routines, working towards a rewards-based behavior plan as opposed to overusing punishment-based approaches, increasing validation-based techniques and improving co-parenting. Emphasis is put on increasing self-regulation.
Rigidity
Poor self-regulation
Low self-esteem
Bullying
Self-harm / suicidal ideation
Low-frustration tolerance
Physical aggression
Isolating / Avoidance
Family conflict
Video-game addiction
Substance use
ADHD, difficulty focusing
Perfectionism
Common problems we address:
Poor social skills
Low frustration tolerance
Separation Anxiety
Shyness
Tantrums/Meltdowns
Poor Eating
Sleep issues
Hitting/Biting
Anxiety Therapy for Children
One of the most pressing and common mental health struggles for children is anxiety. Anxiety can present itself as chronic stomach aches, anger outbursts, difficulty separating from parents, difficulty sleeping, and much more. As loving parents, we tend to swoop in and try to make our children feel better when they are having an anxious moment, however, it might be the case that we actually accommodate the anxiety (inadvertently reinforce it) because we encourage avoidance. Children in anxiety treatment learn to tackle their worries and fears by learning more helpful thinking patterns and then gradually facing their fears with their new coping strategies. As therapists, we find it best when parents are involved in anxiety therapy to help learn how to encourage brave behaviours at home as well.
Our Child Therapy Services:
Brookhaven therapists are highly trained in working with children, holding positions on Child/Adolescent mental health units in GTA hospital settings and as mental health workers for the school board. Traditional cognitive behavioural and dialectical behavioural therapy modalities are adapted to be user friendly for younger age groups. Our therapists believe that it is of the utmost importance that your child feel safe and secure during the process of therapy, and therefore the child/therapist relationship is held centre to our approach. Often times, it is helpful to have the parents join sessions for psycho-education, reinforcing the use of skills between sessions, and discharge planning.
Some of our Child Therapists
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Emma Ganton
Registered Social Worker / Psychotherapist
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Chrissy McLean
Registered Social Worker / Psychotherapist
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Julia Harrington
Registered Psychotherapist
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Vanessa Maharaj
Registered Social Worker / Psychotherapist
Start Child Therapy with us Today!
Check out these resources:
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The Power of Validation
Child/youth not coming to you with problems? Try this.
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Why Kids with ADHD Fib More
Children and youth with ADHD may fib more than others. Here’s a look at why this happens and what you can do about it.
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Social Anxiety: More than Just Shyness
Many parents shrug social anxiety off as their child ‘just being shy’. Here is why this may be problematic.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sometimes it's difficult to distinguish between a normal developmental stage and one that requires a little extra help. If your child is experiencing frequent meltdowns, difficulty making or maintaining friendships, appears unusually shy or withdrawn, or is trapped in rigid patterns that affect the entire family, it might be time to reach out. Counselling for kids provides your child with a safe environment to develop coping skills with a trained professional.
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Therapy can be beneficial for children at a young age, but it is always tailored to their developmental stage. Support for preschool and early-years children often begins with a parenting consultation and psychosocial assessment, focusing on routines, consistency, and the development of self-regulation. Sessions for slightly older children are based on creativity, imagination, and play rather than sitting and talking. Play-based therapy for children meets them where they are, so it is not intimidating.
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We use creativity, imagination and play to engage children and help them feel comfortable at Brookhaven. Traditional cognitive and dialectical behavioural approaches are adapted to be accessible to younger age groups and integrated into activities rather than formal exercises. Above all, your therapist works to help your child feel safe and secure, as the child–therapist relationship is central to the work. Children should be taught that it is okay to feel and that they are safe to do so.
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Parents are an integral part of the process, not observers on the outside. Parents are often encouraged to attend psychoeducation sessions, practice new skills between sessions, and assist with discharge planning as your child becomes more confident. This collaboration ensures that the strategies your child learns carry over into home life. If you're seeking help with your child's emotional regulation, your involvement is often what makes those gains stick.
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Anxiety is one of the most common struggles we see in children, and it often shows up as stomachaches, anger outbursts, clinginess, or difficulty separating from parents. Therapy for an anxious child helps them learn more helpful thinking patterns and gradually face their fears with new coping strategies. When school avoidance is the concern, a child therapist for school refusal can help uncover what's driving it and build a gentle, step-by-step path back. As therapists, we find it works best when parents are involved in encouraging brave behaviours at home.
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Both options are available — you can bring your child to our Burlington, Milton, or Oakville offices, or meet virtually from the comfort of home. Online child therapy in Ontario can work well for some children, particularly those who feel most secure in their own space, while others do better face-to-face. Your therapist can help you decide which setting best suits your child. Either way, the care and approach are tailored to your child.
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If you're searching for a child therapist in Burlington, we have warm, experienced clinicians there as well as in Milton, Oakville, and London, plus virtual options across Ontario. Our therapists are highly trained to work with children, with experience on child and adolescent mental health units in GTA hospitals and as mental health workers for the school board. You're welcome to read their bios and choose a good fit, or reach out and we'll help you get matched.