Our Approach to Therapy

We provide empirically-supported intervention for children, adolescents, young adults, and parents experiencing challenges in the following areas:

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• Anxiety, including separation anxiety, selective mutism, phobias, social anxiety, generalized anxiety, panic disorder, perfectionism, school-related anxiety, sleep, and more

• OCD

• Hair-pulling, skin-picking, and other body-focused repetitive behaviours (BFRB)

• Behavioural difficulty (e.g., ADHD, non-compliance, aggression)

• Learning/school difficulties (e.g., executive function weaknesses, academic difficulty, learning disabilities, giftedness, bullying)

• Parenting skills

• More

 

One of our foremost priorities is to help young people improve their relationships with their thoughts and feelings to guide their actions toward living a healthy and fulfilling life. Our approach is engaging, straightforward, practical, and effective, and we intend to give our clients lifelong tools to use whenever needed. 

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Based on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) techniques, among other strategies, we use graded exposure to help youth manage anxiety and OCD along with exposure and response prevention (ERP). We also use Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT) to help individuals manage intense emotions that can result in impulsive and problematic behaviours.

 

We provide a parent-based treatment program for children and adolescents with anxiety, OCD, and related problems called SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions). SPACE focuses on changes parents can make to their own behaviour rather than making their children change.  

 

For behaviour problems, we often conduct a Functional Behaviour Assessment (FBA), work with parents using Parent Management Training (PMT) techniques, and more. In addition, we assist schools in developing Individual Education Plans (IEPs) and interventions to best support students experiencing a range of school difficulties.

    

HOW TO GET HELP?  ​

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Initial inquiry: Please complete the online form (contact link) or email contact@beaconpsychology.ca with your questions and a brief description of your concerns. 

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Scheduling a session/waitlist: We will reply to your email within two business days and indicate whether the services offered seem to be appropriate for your or your child's needs. Subsequently, depending on our availability, we will schedule an initial session, or your child's name will be placed on our clinic's waitlist. The approximate waiting time will be provided then. 

 

Initial assessment session: At this initial session, we will meet with you (if you are a young adult) or one or both parents/guardians and, if appropriate, the child. The duration of the initial session is 50 to 60 minutes. During the appointment, we will gather information about the developmental history, current areas of concern, your/your child's strengths, and the past strategies that have worked and not worked.

 

Based on this initial assessment, if we determine that our services are appropriate for you/your child, we will discuss the treatment goals and schedule future sessions. Additionally, we may ask you/your child to complete some questionnaires to help us better understand the current areas of concern.

 

If we deem that we are not the best fit for you/your child, we will provide you with a list of resources and names of professionals to better address your/your child's needs. Please note that the initial session does not guarantee long-term services.

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Subsequent sessions: In most cases, we meet with the client and, if relevant, one or both parents/guardians in the following appointments. The session's structure may vary according to your/your child's needs. For example, if the client is a teenager, we may only have the parent(s)/guardian(s) present for the first half of the appointment and conduct the rest of the session with only the teen. Alternatively, we may have a consultation session with only the parent(s)/guardian(s).

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Duration: Sessions usually are 50 minutes long and scheduled once per week or every other week.

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Number of sessions: The number of sessions will depend on the type and severity of the problem. 

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Setting: As part of the intervention and with your informed consent, we may conduct some sessions at your home, at your/your child's school, online, or in the community, as needed. We may also meet with the school to provide tips for supporting you/your child.

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Payment: As this is a private service, fees are paid at the end of each session by credit card, cash, cheque, or electronic transfer. You may be able to bill your extended health plan for psychological services. Please consult your provider for details and note that psychological fees not covered by insurance are tax-deductible medical expenses.

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