Child and adolescent therapy provides a supportive, safe, and welcoming space for children and teens to navigate challenges, explore their emotions, build resilience, and develop the skills they need to thrive.
Our therapists draw on a range of evidence-based approaches and clinical experience, incorporating techniques such as art-based interventions, mindfulness, and cognitive reframing to meet each child’s unique needs.
Through a strong therapeutic connection and individualized support, we help children and adolescents build confidence, develop healthy coping strategies, and work toward their personal goals.
Child and Adolescent Therapy
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When working with children, a therapist may use art as a way to help a child or adolescent explore self-expression and, in doing so, find new ways to gain personal insight and develop new coping skills. The creation or appreciation of art is used to help people explore emotions, develop self-awareness, cope with stress, boost self-esteem, and work on social skills.
Types of art can include colouring, drawing, painting, sculpting, and more. As clients create art, they may analyze what they have made and how it makes them feel. Through exploring their art, people can look for themes and conflicts that may be affecting their thoughts, emotions, and behaviours.
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Therapy with children often involves play, as it provides a means for communicating stressful thoughts or uncomfortable feelings that may be difficult for some children to put into words.
Therapy with children attempts to recreate a child’s concerns in a safe and manageable way and to facilitate learning of healthy problem-solving and coping skills.
Through the use of play, in combination with an underlying evidence-based, cognitive-behaviour therapy framework, therapy can help children gain understanding, comfort, empowerment, and a sense of control over their emotions and the stressors in their lives.
Board Games in Therapy
Playing board games helps a child develop logic and reasoning skills, and improve critical thinking. While playing board games, a child needs to think ahead and make decisions rapidly. Not only this, it also aids in the development of social skills which can carry over into other aspects of their lives.
Board and card games are a tool often used in therapeutic practice, as they contribute to the development of many cognitive and social-emotional skills.
When a child learns and masters a new board game, the sense of accomplishment they feel does wonders for their confidence. They can also support with building up self-regulation skills by helping children work through the distressful situation of the unpredictability that can come with board games. This is called distress tolerance. The more the child plays board games, the easier it will be for the child to handle the uncertainty that comes with each turn.
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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a skill-based therapy that’s used with both kids and adults. It’s a way of dealing with anxiety that’s focused on the present, rather than the past.
Regardless of where the anxiety came from, anxious kids need strategies to cope with it, which is the main goal of CBT - learning tools to cope with anxiety when it arises, both now and in the future.
A child in CBT therapy might learn any or all of the following techniques:
• Relaxation techniques to calm the body
• Mindfulness or grounding skills to focus attention during times of stress
• Keeping a journal or written log to track worries at home
• Practicing “cognitive restructuring”, a way of transforming unhelpful worries
• Gradually exposing themselves to things that trigger anxiety
• Using roleplay to practice skills
• Doing “experiments” in real life to test if their fears really come true
Frequently Asked Questions
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At Center Street Psychology fees are consistent with the recommended fee schedule set by the Psychologists’ Association of Alberta:
Individual Therapy is $235 for a 50-minute session.
Couples Therapy is $235 for a 50-minute session.
Family Therapy is $235 for a 50-minute session.
We also offer reduced rates to meet your needs.
If you have any questions about fees, please reach out to our Director of Client Care by phone (call or text): 403 - 399 - 5120 or email at: hello@centerstreetpsychology.com to discuss your options.
*Please check with your benefits provider to see if our services are covered under your plan. We accept benefits from all major providers.
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Yes, we offer direct billing with all major benefit providers if it is a part of your benefits plan.
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Seeing a psychologist can be a great way to improve your mental health. It can help you figure out what's going on in your head, and it can provide you with the tools you need to help yourself feel better. Here are some of the benefits of seeing a psychologist:
-You'll gain insight into what's causing negative feelings or behaviors in your life.
-You'll learn how to manage those feelings and behaviors, so they don't take over and cause problems for you anymore.
-You'll gain tools that will help you live a happier life!
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At your first appointment, you'll have a chance to meet with your psychologist and talk about what you're going through. You can expect to discuss things like your goals and expectations for therapy, how often you'd like to meet, and what kind of support you might need from family members or friends.
If you haven't seen a psychologist before, it's normal to feel nervous or even scared. But don't worry! Your psychologist is there to help you and make sure that you feel safe during this process.
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You are the expert in your journey. It’s important you find a therapist that fits your needs. The relationship you have with your therapist is imperative for the client to meet their desired outcomes.
If a psychologist is a good fit, you should feel comfortable, heard, and safe. Many people go through life feeling like they are not good enough or can’t achieve their goals. Having a safe space to talk about your thoughts and feelings can be very helpful in learning more about yourself and figuring out ways to change the things that don’t work for you.
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No, you do not need a referral to see a psychologist. You can choose to see a psychologist without anyone else's input, but if you do want to talk to your doctor or other health care professionals about why you think seeing a psychologist would be helpful for you, they can give you feedback and advice on how they think it might go.
Additionally, we are a team-based organization and want to provide comprehensive psychological care, which may involve us working with your doctor, psychiatrist, or other health care professionals if necessary.
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We believe in collaborative care, meaning we want to find a balance between respecting your requests as the parent, and allowing a child/adolescent to have their own voice and be heard.
We encourage you to accompany your child/adolescent for their first visit, after which we can determine whether attending the session with them will be more beneficial, or if having you wait in our waiting area is better suited for their needs.
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The length of time it takes for therapy to work depends on the person, their experience with therapy and the issues they are working through.
In general, clients will often start to feel relief after about 8 sessions. We recommend staying in therapy for 3-6 months at a time before making a decision about whether or not you want to continue.