My Approach

My world view in how I practice child and family counselling comes from my belief that our children grow and develop to healthy human beings through being nurtured with clear, firm and loving boundaries.

My child and family counselling practices are guided by Attachment theory, Family Systems theory, and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. I describe these in more detail below.

Parent Coaching is my way of helping you, as a parent, to be empowered to make a difference in your parenting. The benefits of parent coaching include:

• support in dealing with your own stressors in a confidential environment
• learning new ways to communicate with your child
• acquire new parenting skills and strategies

Attachment Theory

Attachment theory focuses on the bond that you develop with your child and consequently, the bond your child forms with you. It plays a key role in developing and enhancing your relationship with your child. The level of attachment you have strengthens affection in your family.

It is vital in your relationship with your child that you provide your child unconditional love. This in turn helps your child develop resiliency to cope with life’s stressors such as:

• peer pressure
• changes to their routine
• the ability to cope with life situations as they occur

Attachment theory looks to foster a healthy parent-child interaction that allows you to understand your child’s needs and potential for positive emotional development. For example, your child or teen will be able to use a full range of emotional responses rather than just anger or pushing their feelings aside.

When you as the parent or caregiver can understand the meaning in your child or youth’s behavior, and then address his/her needs (such as need for attention, privacy, independence or closeness), your relationship strengthens and tensions decrease. If you and your child form a secure attachment, it will reduce the risk for the development of emotional difficulties later in life.

As a parent educator and counsellor trained in helping parents understand their child’s needs, parents tell me they have formed a stronger relationship with their child, feel calmer when handling their child’s anger, and better understand what their child is communicating. In short, they felt more confident and their child felt understood and became more compliant and less irritable.

Family Therapy

I work from a family systems approach that looks at all the relationships in the family and not just at the child who is struggling. Family systems theory places emphasis on the patterns of interaction amongst members of your family and how members influence each others behavior.

Family systems theory understands that all behavior has meaning. How one copes or reacts to life events often is explained by old patterns that have been maintained, but are not effective for the current situation. I use talk therapy and techniques (establishing family roles, family meetings and teen mediation) to help you and your children break old patterns of behavior and adopt healthier ways of coping.

I work at strengthening your relationship with your child while taking into account the needs of the entire family. As a result, you will feel calmer in dealing with your child’s anger or untimely requests. Your family will also gain a healthy model for problem solving.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) addresses the relationship between your thoughts and how you feel about yourself and the world.

CBT is widely used to treat children and adults who worry too much or feel too sad. I use the techniques from CBT to help you and your child find the link between your negative thoughts, feelings and behaviours so that you can begin to control and maintain a positive outlook. This is done by working with you and your child’s negative belief about him/her in a supportive manner.

Some cognitive behavioural techniques include:

• learning how to deep breath and to relax muscles which makes it easier to solve problems
• stop thoughts of worry or panic by examining you and your child’s world view and how it is working against what you want to have happen in your life
• rehearsing (acting out) positive situations you or your child have had
• boost your child’s self-esteem using journal writing, self-rating scales and personal rewards

Parent Coaching

Parent Coaching allows me to support you as a parent when you may be feeling overwhelmed, frustrated or at your wit’s end in dealing with your strong willed or highly sensitive child.

Parent Coaching is:

• non-judgmental - you can express concerns regarding parenting your children
• informative -an opportunity for you to learn new parenting skills
• partnership-a way to provide me with your feedback on newly learned skills
• focused - discussing you and your child’s progress and family goals

If you are interested in learning new ways to address your child’s emotional needs, please sign up for my newsletter, Parenting Matters. Along with signing up for my newsletter, I will send you a free article Ten Ways to Connect with Your Child/Youth.

Christine provides counselling services to children, parents, and
families in Vancouver, North Vancouver, and West Vancouver.