Family and Community Counselling
Counselling services for families of young children with social, emotional, behavioural and/or developmental issues. Services include family therapy, parent counselling, parent-child interaction (relationship-building), individual child play therapy, behaviour management and parenting groups.
Parents develop an understanding of their child’s needs and how to meet them. They learn to understand family dynamics and stressors affecting the child, and how to shift them in a way that is more helpful to the child. Parents develop helpful coping skills, learn how to make changes in the family or in their parenting style, and how to work more successfully with school or daycare. They also learn how to connect with helpful community resources.
Child Development Institute staff work in close partnership with parents. Parents’ opinions and beliefs are respected in setting goals, and parents are involved in all aspects of service planning and decision-making. The professional skills of staff complement, but do not replace, a parent’s special knowledge of his or her child.
For children 0-6 and their families. Services are provided at no cost to parents. (Funding is provided by the Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services and Ministry of Child and Youth Services.) Referrals are accepted from parents, schools, doctors, daycares and other community sources.