Child Therapy for Anxiety, Low Mood, Big Emotions, and Emotional Regulation

Compassionate support for children navigating anxiety, low mood, emotional overwhelm, behavioural challenges, school stress, self-esteem difficulties, and life transitions.

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Anxiety Can Feel Supporting Children Through Big Feelings and Life Challenges

Children experience emotions in powerful ways, but they may not yet have the words, coping skills, or emotional tools to fully express what they are feeling.

Sometimes emotional struggles can look like:

Therapy provides children with a safe, supportive, and developmentally appropriate space to better understand emotions, strengthen coping skills, improve emotional regulation, and build confidence.

What Child Therapy May Look Like

  • 1 Safety and Connection

    The first thing we do is ensure the child feels safe and comfortable. During this time, the therapist learns about the child’s situation, needs, and interests through games and shared activities.

  • 2 Create a plan, collaborating with parents and child

    The therapist, along with the parents/caregivers, and child (if age-appropriate), will determine a plan for therapy including goals. Therapy sessions are tailored to your child’s age, personality, emotional needs, and developmental stage.

  • 3 Psychotherapeutic Activites

    Sessions may include: play-based interventions, emotional identification activities, coping skills development, grounding tools, emotional regulation strategies, creative and interactive activities, problem-solving skills, and parent collaboration and support.

    See below for examples.

  • Optional Support

    Psychiatrist consultation for diagnosis and/or medication review

  • 4 Ongoing Maintenance

    Ongoing collaboration with parents/caregivers to support the child in practicing skills inside and outside of therapy.

Activities and Games in Child Therapy

Different games and activities are incorporated into sessions with kids, to make it enjoyable and relateable. Within the activities, different evidence based modalities are weaved in, including DBT, CBT, ACT, and more.

Below are a few activities that may be brought into session, and how they may be helpful.

Board Games

  • Builds rapport and safety with the therapist

  • Encourages cooperation

  • Utilize emotional regulation skills

  • Practices social interactions

  • Encourages focus and patience

Acting Activities
(ex., charades, etc.)

  • Can be used to recognize and name emotions

  • Encourages cooperation and practice emotional regulation skills

  • Encourages focus and patience

Stories and Books

  • Can be used to recognize and name emotions

  • Learn new coping strategies

  • Normalizes what they may be experiencing, “I’m not alone”

Art Activities
(ex., draw, crafts, clay, etc.)

  • Can be used to recognize and name emotions, even when they don’t have the words

  • Child can create supportive tools

  • Encourages creativity and self-expression

  • Supports grounding

Parent Support and Collaboration

Parents play an important role in a child’s emotional wellbeing and growth.

When appropriate, parent collaboration can be incorporated into therapy to help strengthen communication, emotional understanding, coping strategies, and support both inside and outside of sessions.

The goal is not only to support the child individually, but also to help create a more connected and supportive family environment.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Both! We offer in-person sessions in Ajax, and virtual therapy is available across Ontario through secure online sessions.

  • Child therapy may support anxiety, emotional regulation difficulties, behavioural challenges, school stress, self-esteem concerns, social difficulties, family stress, and life transitions.

  • This depends on the child’s age, needs, and goals. Parent collaboration is often incorporated, as supporting parents and caregivers is often an important part of the therapeutic process.

  • Child therapy often incorporates different hands-on activities, such as games, art, stories, to keep the child engaged and supporting skills development. Click here to read more on how these activities support kids.

  • Yes. A free 20-minute consultation is available to answer questions and determine whether we may be a good fit.

Support for Your Child Starts Here