Couples & Family Counselling

Counselling & Psychotherapy for Couples & Families in Orillia & Barrie. In Person & Virtual Session Available

adults and teenagers counselling

Worried about your child or teenager?

Is your child or teenager unhappy in school, having a difficult time making friends, quiet or overly anxious? Are they struggling with changes in the family, separation, divorce, new school, bullying, peer pressure, body image, grieving or identity issues or a recent move? Are they lacking joy or not engaging in daily life? Sometimes adolescents self harm or lash out or consider suicide, drugs or alcohol as a way to numb the pain. Anxiety, worry, nervousness is a normal reaction to stress. When it becomes excessive, fear based, exaggerated reactions or prevents us from engaging in daily life, it may be a Mental Condition such as Depression, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, OCD, Social or Separation Anxiety and so on. Therapy provides the safe space to share, learn coping strategies and feel seen and heard.

Let's normalize therapy & learn that asking for help is okay!

Let's help young people realize that they are the artists who design and create their life. Each day they  have the opportunity to create the life they desire. When things don't go their way, it is an opportunity to be curious, learn and move forward. Therapy may help our children, teens and young adults become more resilient, self aware, regulate their emotions, work through their worries and build a tool box of strategies. Speaking with a professionally trained counselor is an important life skill open to individuals of all ages.

Individual, Couples & Family Counselling

Individual Counseling: Ready to make yourself a priority? Your future awaits for happier, healthier living. Sessions are available online, in person and by phone.

Family Counselling: is designed to help families work through specific concerns, recognize patterns, improve communication, understand different perspectives and move forward in a healthy way.

Family Re-integration Therapy: an approach that involves parents and children with the goal of learning healthy parenting styles, communication, attachment and commitment; establishing a healthy set of guidelines and boundaries and an environment where the children feel safe, able to freely express their thoughts, feelings and needs. For more information click on the couples/families link.

Couples Counseling: Is Couples Counselling right for you? Are you feeling stressed at home? Do you feel like you and your partner are living parallel lives? Have you lost the spark, or become more like roommates? Are conversations difficult? Relationships take work. Often couples seek therapy to improve communication, if there has been a traumatic event, death or individuals have lost trust, lost touch and/or affection. With the help of therapy and work on your part, relationships can get back on track.

Parenting: Parenting can be rewarding and challenging, busy, exciting and exhausting. If adults have different ideas on how to raise their child/ren, issues may arise. Children are very skilled at figuring out when to go to one parent or another; when parents work together everyone ends up happier. I often hear parents say it was easier to do X but then discover delaying the inevitable made life more challenging. Counseling for Parents can help you get on the right path, opening up lines of communication.

adults and teenagers counselling

If you are single, in a relationship, widowed, divorced and/or facing transitions or challenges, you don't have to do it alone. Help is a phone call or email away.


Therapy has many benefits such as: speaking with someone who is non judgmental, discovering your strengths, improving relationships, building coping strategies, and your self esteem, and developing resiliency and communication tools.


Speaking with a professional regularly can set you up for success by putting together a care plan to meet your needs.

Parents play a critical role in guiding our youth in their mental health and well-being by encouraging them, to develop self worth, holding space, listening, and modeling coping strategies such as asking for help.  If your teenager is struggling with depression, anxiety, bullying, low self worth, anger, emotional outbursts or is withdrawn, quieter than usual, therapy can help.


Depression: Depression is a common Mental disorder which can affect relationships and all aspects of your life. It can result from or lead to difficulty at school or work and can happen to everyone. It may cause sadness, or lack of joy, feeling unworthy, and/or cause one to lose hope, trouble sleeping, change in appetite.


Teenagers will find a safe space to express their thoughts, issues or worries in a supportive environment. Appointments are available Online or In Person in Barrie, Ontario (Thursdays) or at 14 Peter St. S, Orillia, Ontario, M, T, W, Fri, Sat. (days/evenings). Free consultations.

Therapy for children: Karen uses a creative approach with children ensuring they feel safe, and in a comfortable space to share their thoughts, often through creative play such as manipulatives, building tools, markers, sketch pads. 


Is your child/youth/teen experiencing difficulty in school, increased anxiety, lacking in coping skills? Has their behavior changed, mood swings, eating or sleeping habits or has there been a recent stress or change in the family?


Life transitions and changes affect everyone in different ways. Set up an appointment today.

Family Therapy is designed to help families work through specific issues, recognize patterns, and move forward in a healthy way. There are many pressures and stressors on families these days: transitions, health issues, blending of families, mental health, behavioral issues, a traumatic event or death. Therapy can be a time of healing and growth. Single, widowed, divorced, separated or as a couple - life can be challenging.


Couples Therapy: Couples seek therapy for several reasons: miscommunication, living independently/paralell lives in the same household; mistrust, a traumatic event, a death or conflicting views or expectations. Having a healthy relationship means learning communication styles, building respect, appreciation, rediscovering what brought you together.


Parenting is rewarding and challenging at the same time. Give Karen a call or email to kjm.soulpath@gmail.com


Parents:

*to learn healthy parenting styles 

* to recognize your triggers, heal past wounds (may require individual therapy on  your own)

*to learn healthy communication styles, to develop listening skills and how to respond in varied situations. 

*to learn and implement healthy attachment styles.


Family: 

*Establish core values for the family, a healthy set of guidelines 

*Establish healthy boundaries. 

*Healthy, secure attachment through positive interactions and bonding experiences as a family

*to establish and implement healthy boundaries and learning opportunities for all.

Siblings:

*for the siblings to freely express their thoughts, feelings and needs

* to express their thoughts and experiences of how  events have impacted them and for these to be validated. 

We see clients in-person, by-telephone & virtually in Barrie & Orillia.