Children & Youth Counselling
Helping young people feel like themselves again
Warm, evidence-based counselling for children and teens — and the families around them. You don't need a diagnosis or a crisis to reach out.
Trust what you’re noticing
Parents are usually the first to sense that something has shifted — long before anyone can put a name to it. You don’t need a diagnosis, or a crisis, to ask for help.
I'm here for
In a younger child, you might notice…
In a teen, you might notice…
Whatever your child is carrying, we start where they are.
Start with what sounds most like your child — or let our Intake Specialists help you find the fit.
Anxiety & low mood
Behaviour, regulation & outbursts
School challenges & learning
Family changes & life transitions
Friendships, identity & self-worth
Trauma, safety & neurodiversity
Children & Attachment Children & Sexualized Behaviour Sensory Processing Disorder
Not sure which fits? Talk to our Intake Specialists
Is this the right place for your family?
Counselling here is for children and teens and the families around them — whether or not anything has a name yet.
A good fit if…
- Your child or teen is struggling and you are not sure what is going on.
- Something has shifted — at home, at school, with friends — and it is not settling on its own.
- You want to be part of the work, not handed a diagnosis and sent away.
- Nothing has a name yet. There is no diagnosis and no referral needed to start.
Another kind of support may fit better if…
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Your child is in immediate danger, or is talking about ending their life — that needs faster help than a scheduled appointment.
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Your child is in an acute mental-health crisis that needs urgent or hospital-based care.
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The person who needs support is 18 or older — adult counselling is the better place to begin.
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What you really need first is testing and a formal answer — start with an assessment.
Neural Pathway Integration program
A cross-fitness circuit for the brain.
A 6-week training programme, two sessions a week, that builds the neurological pathways behind focus, attention, relaxation and de-escalation — using technology, mindfulness, bio-feedback and therapeutic rehearsal rather than conversation. Families come to us because homework is a battle, transitions cause meltdowns, or a bright child isn't showing what they can do at school.
- Ages 4–17Who it is for
- 6 wksTwo sessions a week
- 4 circuitsEvery session
- In personBurlington office
Our children and youth team
Each therapist on our children and youth team is matched by age group and presenting concern, whether your child is four or your teen is seventeen.
Dr. Cathryn Harris
Registered Psychologist
PhD, C.Psych.
Couples, Families, Individuals
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Cathy Penny
Registered Social Worker
BA, BSW, MSW, RRP, RSW
Couples, Families, Individuals
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Rev. Chad Tomlinson
Registered Psychotherapist
MTS, MEd, MA, OCT, RP
Couples, Families, Individuals
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Dan Watterworth
Registered Psychotherapist
BTh, MDiv, RP
Couples, Families, Individuals
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Gretchen Savery
Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying)
MA, BA, RP (Qualifying)
Families, Individuals
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Hanah Dimitrijevic
Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying)
MA, RP (Qualifying)
Individuals, Families
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Joel Roberts
Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying)
BA, MA, RP (Qualifying)
Individuals, Couples
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Lisa Bynoe-Stevens
Registered Psychotherapist
BASc, MDiv, CSFT, RP
Couples, Families, Individuals
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Michelle Hodgson
Registered Social Worker
SSW, BA, BSW, MSW, RSW
Couples, Families, Individuals
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Dr. Sharon Verniero
Registered Psychologist
PhD, C.Psych.
Families, Individuals, Couples
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Veesta Mavandadi
Registered Psychological Associate
MA, BSc, C.Psych.Assoc.
Individuals, Families
View profileA sample of clinicians who work with children and youth, alongside a broader team of specialists.
Therapy looks different at six and sixteen
Same care, two very different rooms. Here is roughly what to expect, so nothing about the first session is a surprise.
Ages 4–12
They show you, more than they tell you
Younger children rarely have the words for what is going on, and being asked to explain it can make things worse. So the work happens through play, drawing and games — which is how a child of this age shows you what they are carrying.
- Play-based and creative sessions, not an interview
- Parents are part of the work, with regular check-ins
- Practical strategies you can use at home and at school
Ages 13–18
They need the room to be theirs
Teens usually can name what is happening, but will only get into it if the space feels genuinely their own. Sessions are talk-based, and the ground rules about what stays private are set out clearly at the start, with everyone in the room.
- Talk-based sessions your teen can steer
- Privacy explained up front — to them and to you
- Parents kept in the loop, without reporting back on every word
What the first few weeks look like
Nothing is decided on the first call, and there is no paperwork to get through before it. Here is the whole path, start to finish.
You reach out
Your child's journey starts with a conversation with you. Our Intake Specialists usually reply within one business day.
We listen first
A free 20-minute call: we'll learn what you're noticing at home, and you can ask whatever you need to before deciding anything.
Matched to a specialist
We match your child with a therapist who works with their age group and their specific concerns.
Sessions at your child's pace
50-minute sessions, in person or online, paced to what your child needs — with parents kept in the loop.
50-minute sessions are paced to what your child needs — in person at our offices in Ontario or securely online across Ontario and Alberta.
Experience your family can lean on
Handing your child's care to someone else is a big step. It helps to know you're not starting from scratch — you're joining a practice that has walked alongside families for more than two decades.
Questions parents ask
Most parents arrive with the same handful of questions. If the one you are carrying is not here, ask us — it is the kind of thing our Intake Specialists answer every day.
It depends on your child's age and what helps most. For younger children, parents are usually more involved, joining parts of sessions and getting regular updates. For teens, sessions are often more private to build trust, with family check-ins as agreed. Your therapist will work out the right balance with you at the start.
We don't start from the idea that a child needs to be “fixed.” Behaviour is usually a signal — a young person telling us, in the only way they can, that something feels too big to manage. So we pay as much attention to what's happening around your child as to the behaviour itself, and we help them learn to notice those big feelings early and settle themselves back down. Parents aren't blamed here; you're part of the team that helps the change hold at home.
There's no firm lower limit. We work with children as young as four or five using play-based and expressive approaches. If you're unsure whether your child is ready, our Intake Specialists can help you think it through, no commitment needed.
Yes, secure virtual sessions are available across Ontario and Alberta. Online works especially well for many teens, and for families where getting to an office is a barrier. We'll tell you if in-person would be a better fit for your child's age or approach.
Counselling with our registered therapists is covered by most extended health benefit plans. We provide receipts for direct submission and can help you check your child's coverage before you start.
When you reach out
Our Intake Specialists usually reply within one business day. Nothing is committed to at that point — it is a conversation, and you can stop there.
When something feels off, trust that instinct
Tell us what you're noticing and we'll match your child with the right specialist for their age.