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

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.
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.
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

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Play Based Therapy in Calgary

Play therapy is a therapeutic approach primarily used with children, allowing them to express their feelings, thoughts, and experiences through play rather than traditional words. It allows kids to explore emotions, resolve conflicts and communicate issues they may not have words for.

There are different modalities, including directive (where the therapist guides the play) and non-directive (where the child lead the process). Techniques may involve role-playing, story-telling, art projects, and the use of puppets or dolls. Sand Tray Therapy is also very popular where kids use miniature objects and sand to create a symbolic world that reflects their inner experiences and emotions. The scenes created reflect a person’s own life and allows the opportunity to remove obstacles and gain acceptance of self.

Play Therapy will improve a child’s self-esteem, communication skills, and relationship abilities while offering a safe space to work through difficult emotions. It can also be used as a foundation for a parent or caregiver to reconnect with their child, rebuild a bond, and foster communication.

American Psychological Association research proves that play therapy is effective for trauma, anxiety, and improving child-parent relationships.

We Want Your Child to Succeed!

A main pillar of our clinic has always been to be “a place for everyone”. That’s why it was essential that our space include a purpose built play-based therapy room. We have so many great kids come to us for support and it is so important that we have a special environment for them.

Bean Bag Chairs, Water, Slime, Playdough, Art Supplies, Paint, Markers
Sand Tray Therapy (Kinetic Sand, Tray, Figurines), Games, Books, Puppets
Water, Slime, Playdough
Therapy Dog “Betty”

Complimentary Play-Based Therapy Consultation

Theraplay Activity List

Try a different game everyday, play your kid’s favorite game, or use what you have around you. These are just a few ideas to build off. Try these 5 or download the list of 100+ to try :-)

Newspaper punch: Leader holds up a piece of newspaper for each child. On the count of three, the child punches a hole through the paper. The children then roll the paper up in a little ball and take turns throwing it in a “hoop.” This could be the trash can, or another peers’ arms.
Balloon balance: Partners must balance a balloon between a body part and walk across room without using hands.
Spoon and Ping Pong Ball: Children pass a ping pong ball from one spoon to another between teams.
Ball and blanket: Children sit in a circle holding onto a blanket. The children try to keep the ball on the blanket while bouncing the blanket up and down. They have to follow the cue to go fast or slow.
Musical bubbles: Leader sprays bubbles into the air while music is playing. The children begin popping the bubbles and when the music stops the children stop popping the bubbles.