Child Counselling for Children Experiencing Anxiety, Big Emotions or Behavioural Challenges
Our child therapists meet each child where they are, helping them understand what they are feeling and develop healthier ways of coping, communicating and responding.
How Child Counselling Can Help Your Child
Child counselling is therapy adapted to a child’s age, development, needs and way of communicating. It helps children understand what they are experiencing and work toward goals related to emotions, behaviour, relationships or everyday functioning. Children do not always have the words to explain what they are feeling or why they are reacting the way they are. Counselling gives them a supportive space to express their feelings, better understand their emotions and experiences, and develop healthier ways of responding.
Their therapist takes time to understand the child as an individual — what they are experiencing, the patterns that may be contributing to the difficulty, and what they need to work toward. Parents are part of the process too, so the support your child receives in session connects with what is happening at home and at school.
The Family TLC Method for Child Counselling
Intake Phase
Getting started
The therapist helps you and your child understand what to expect from counselling and begins creating a comfortable foundation for the work ahead, so your child can feel safe and at ease.
Discovery Phase
Understanding your child
The therapist gets to know your child, understands what they are experiencing and hears the concerns and goals that brought your family to counselling. From that understanding, they develop a Care Plan with clear goals.
Working Phase
Working toward your child’s goals
The therapist and your child work directly on the goals in the Care Plan, adapting how they work to your child’s age, development and way of communicating, and adjusting when something is not helping.
Check-In Phase
Building on progress
As your child becomes more able to use what they have been working on outside counselling, appointments become less frequent. The therapist keeps checking how things are going and whether anything needs attention.
Follow-Up Phase
Staying connected
When regular counselling is no longer needed, active counselling ends. Your child remains connected to Family TLC and can return if counselling is needed again in the future.
Is Something Feeling Harder for Your Child?
Does your child seem more worried, overwhelmed or unlike themselves lately?
Are big emotions or behaviours leaving you wondering what is really going on for them?
Is your child struggling more with school, friendships, family changes or everyday situations that used to feel easier?
yes?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, child counselling can help your child make sense of what they are experiencing and begin working toward healthier ways of coping, communicating and responding.
Taking the Next Step for Your Child
Priya knew something was different with 8-year-old Riley. Mornings were becoming harder, small frustrations were turning into big reactions, and Riley had started saying they did not want to go to school. When Priya asked what was wrong, Riley often said, “I don’t know.” Reassurance, space and a new morning routine did not seem to change much.
Priya decided to look into child counselling and learned that extended health benefits could help cover the cost. Riley’s therapist did not focus only on stopping the behaviour. They took time to get to know Riley, understand what they were experiencing, and notice what might be connected to the changes at home and school.
As the therapist came to understand Riley more fully, counselling could focus on what Riley needed to make those difficult moments more manageable.
Frequently Asked Questions
A chance to share what you are noticing. The first meeting gives parents an opportunity to share what they have been seeing, what led them to seek counselling, and what they hope will be different for their child.
Learning about your child and family. The therapist learns about your child, your family and the concerns that brought you in. You can ask questions about the counselling process and how best to support your child while counselling is underway.
Your child’s own experience matters too. The therapist will also get to know your child directly so the counselling goals reflect both the concerns you are seeing and your child’s experience.
Parent involvement is personalized. It is not the same for every family. Your child’s age, development, needs, family circumstances and the counselling relationship all shape what involvement makes sense.
Clear communication from the start. The therapist will talk with you about your role and how communication will work, so your child can have a meaningful counselling relationship while you remain appropriately involved.
Support for the whole family. When family dynamics are part of what is happening, the therapist may recommend parent sessions or talk with you about family counselling as part of the plan.
Privacy helps children feel comfortable. It is an important part of helping a child feel comfortable enough to participate in counselling.
Clear agreements about sharing. The therapist will talk with you and your child about how communication will work, what can remain private, and when information may need to be shared.
Guided by professional responsibilities. These decisions are based on your child’s age, needs, family circumstances and the therapist’s professional responsibilities, including the duty to report when a child’s safety is a concern.
Children do not need to explain what is wrong. Some children say “I don’t know,” become quiet, change the subject, or communicate more through behaviour than words.
The relationship comes first. The therapist takes time to understand how your child expresses themselves and builds trust before expecting them to talk about difficult experiences. Younger children often find it easier to communicate through play, drawing or activities.
Counselling fits your child. The goal is to find a way of working that fits your child, rather than expecting your child to fit a particular way of doing therapy.
Emotional challenges and anxiety. Many children come to counselling for anxiety, worry, big emotions, low confidence or difficulty coping with stress and pressure at school or with friends.
Behavioural issues and family changes. Counselling for children can also help with behavioural issues, separation or divorce, a new sibling, moving, grief, or other changes that affect a child’s emotional well-being and development.
Difficult or frightening experiences. Children who have experienced abuse, violence, bullying or another frightening event need a safe, compassionate environment. The therapist focuses on safety, healing and helping your child feel confident again. If you have concerns about physical or sexual abuse, please share them when you contact us so we can guide you on the first step and on involving the right service providers.
Progress connects to your child’s goals. You and your child’s therapist look for changes linked to the specific goals of counselling.
What progress can look like. Your child may become better able to express what they are feeling, recover from difficult emotions, manage situations that used to overwhelm them, return to activities they had been avoiding, or use healthy coping strategies outside the counselling room.
Regular review. Progress does not look the same for every child. The therapist reviews what is changing and what is still difficult, and adjusts the approach or goals so counselling has clear direction.
There is no standard number of sessions. The length depends on what your child is experiencing, the goals they are working toward and how counselling progresses.
Early sessions build the foundation. The early part focuses on building the relationship, understanding what is happening and establishing clear goals. The therapist then reviews progress and recommends what makes sense next.
Sessions taper as your child improves. As your child uses what they are learning in everyday life, appointments may become less frequent until regular counselling is no longer needed.
In person and online. Family TLC provides child counselling for ages 5–12 in person, with virtual sessions available when online counselling is appropriate for your child’s age and needs.
Help choosing the right therapist. Our Matching Consultant will listen to your concerns and recommend a child therapist whose experience fits your child. You can reach us through the contact page on our website.
Costs and benefits. Our regulated professionals are covered by many extended health benefit plans. Ask your provider for details before your first appointment.