Child and adolescent psychologists at QPS offer psychotherapy (i.e., treatment) and assessment for:
- Anxiety (panic attacks, social anxiety, separation anxiety, specific phobias, generalized anxiety)
- Depression, low mood, and low self-esteem
- Post-traumatic stress (PTSD)
- Obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCD)
- Behavioural problems
- Enuresis
- Grief
- Parent coaching
- Relationship and interpersonal problems
- Life transitions and school stress
- Learning disabilities/disorders
- Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
- Intellectual disabilities
- Autism spectrum
What to expect
Psychotherapy (i.e., treatment) involves working with a professional to better understand your difficulties, identify your goals for treatment, and to address your goals using a tailored approach.
During the initial assessment phase of treatment, the clinician will typically meet with the child/adolescent and their parents. This format may differ for older adolescents, where the clinician may ask to meet with the client alone for the first session. The clinician will usually ask for information about the child’s presenting problem as well as background information including developmental history, school history, social functioning and medical history. Sometimes questionnaires are used to better understand behaviours and social-emotional functioning.
After the initial assessment phase, the parents and child/adolescent are provided with feedback, including areas that may be helpful to address. A treatment plan is then established based on mutually agreed upon goals.
The duration of treatment will vary depending on the nature of presenting concerns and goals of intervention. Most often, clients and psychologists meet weekly, but sessions may become more spread out toward the latter stages of treatment. Even after finishing treatment, it is not uncommon for clients to return for occasional “booster” sessions.
