• Individual Therapy
• Marital and Couples Counselling
• Family Therapy
• Services for Children and Adolescents
• Art Therapy

Individual Therapy

Individual therapy has been successful in assisting
with the following areas:

• Relationships
• Personal growth
• Career guidance
• Addictions
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Eating disorders
• Grief and loss
• Developing more effective parenting strategies
• Improving communication skills

At the Montreal Therapy Centre, individual therapy is a collaborative partnership. You and your therapist will work together in an effort to resolve the situation which brought you to seek help. Your therapist is interested in understanding your particular situation and the feelings involved which may be causing discomfort and difficulty.

The Montreal Therapy Centre has many well-trained therapists who have experience assisting individuals to cope with their feelings, personal relationship difficulties, and work related issues.

Marital and Couples Counselling

Do you want to:

• Address conflict in your relationship?
• Strengthen communication?
• Improve intimacy?

Some common concerns which bring people to couple therapy include:

• Lack of intimacy
• Trust
• Low sexual desire
• Communication issues
• Infidelity
• Parenting
• Anger
• Commitment
• Illness
• Dealing with extended family
• Religious and cultural differences
• Infertility
• Finances

Over the course of a relationship, most couples encounter difficulties. Often these difficulties are mild and easy to address. Sometimes these difficulties are more deep-rooted and tend to recur. Couple therapy can provide a safe place to address these issues within an open and non-judgemental environment. Our therapists help couples to resolve conflict and build a more positive and respectful relationship.

Together with your therapist, you and your partner will work to establish both individual and joint goals for the relationship. You will address areas of concern with your therapist facilitating discussion around difficult issues.

Couple therapy can help to:

• Identify negative patterns of interaction which interfere with establishing and maintaining an emotionally satisfying relationship
• Improve listening skills with your partner
• Identify individual emotional reactions which result in negative patterns of behaviour
• Develop strategies to improve communication
• Facilitate the communication of needs to one another

At the Montreal Therapy Centre, our therapists have completed extensive specialized training in Marital and Family Therapy at the Argyle Institute of Human Relations and are recognized by the American Association of Marital and Family Therapy.

Family Therapy 

Family Therapy may address:

• Parenting
• Step-parenting
• Blended families
• Coping with teenagers
• Difficulties with communication
• Family conflict
• Parent-child relationships
• Parent-teen relationships
• Grief
• Divorce
• Managing a child with disabilities

All families encounter a variety of stressors as its members grow and develop. At times, these growing pains may become more serious and you may want to consult a professional.

Family therapy is based upon the belief that the behaviour of the individual is influenced and maintained by interactions with other important figures in their lives. Effective family therapy can result in deep and lasting changes for individual members as well as for the entire family unit.

Family therapy is intended to identify conflicts and set specific goals for resolving them. Therapy usually explores family roles, rules, goals, and stages of development in order to target issues that may contribute to conflict and stress. It may address the family’s behavioural patterns, their ability to solve problems, and their ability to express emotions and communicate with one another. Therapy addresses family strengths as well as weaknesses.

Services for Children & Adolescents

• Learning Disabilities
• Grief
• Separation and Divorce
• Eneurisis / Encopresis
• Abuse
• Trauma
• Loss
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Eating Disorders
• ADHD
• Self-Esteem
• Behavioural Disorders

Generally children go through sporadic distresses and problems as they grow. It is common for a child to experience emotional ups and downs, especially if faced with new situations, demands and expectations. Certain reactions can be brief and may resolve themselves over time. However, sometimes a child's reaction to life’s stresses may become extreme, and the parents' efforts to help may be unsuccessful. At such times, professional consultation may be required.

Adolescence can be a demanding and difficult time with new responsibilities and pressures. During this time often the whole family can feel off balance. Seeking help can assist in restoring that balance. For teens, most conflicts have to do with differences between family members or issues over the expectations of parents. The aim in therapy is to help the teen become skilled at expressing their needs and desires in ways that are constructive for the teen and in turn positive for the whole family.

Adolescents are often reluctant to attend therapy for a number of reasons; they regularly distrust anything their parents recommend, they often feel that going to therapy means that they are crazy, some think the therapist will tell them what to do, while others are afraid they may run into someone they know and thus be shamed. Early involvement is essential to successful intervention. The most important thing is to not remain isolated in your struggle with your child/adolescent.

How does a parent know when it is time to seek professional assistance for their child/adolescent?

1. If the emotional distress is getting in the way of daily functioning
2. If the problem seems to inundate and overwhelm the child/adolescent
3. If the issue impedes achieving developmental milestones

Therapists who have specialized training with children and adolescents possess particular knowledge and skills that allow them to recognize problem behaviors and devise suitable interventions in a non-threatening environment. Therapy may be helpful to youth in a variety of ways for example; in providing emotional support, addressing the resolution of conflicts, and the exploration of new solutions to old problems. A therapist trained to work with children/adolescents and families can develop individualized treatment plans appropriate to the specific needs of their client.

As an alternative to talk therapy many young people have expressed feeling more comfortable with art or other expressive therapies.

The feelings of pride, power and control for a young child provide a compelling incentive to create. It is therapeutic for a child to be given the opportunity to be in control and independent. When doing art the child can create situations where s/he makes the rules, sets the limits, and commands his/her space. Using metaphoric art as part of the mastery process, most children feel empowered in this role and receive enormous benefits as a result. Often children’s artwork reveals how they view themselves and the significant relationships within their families.

For adolescents it is generally more difficult to verbalize certain emotions. They are often overwhelmed and even confused by the many complex feelings that emerge as they approach adulthood. Therefore, for some adolescents "talk therapy" is not as successful as expressive therapies.

For both children and adolescents art can be used to;

1. Elicit verbalization
2. Aid self-expression
3. Explore feelings (especially with metaphors & symbols)
4. Concretize desires
5. Reveal scary feelings or secrets
6. Increase self esteem
7. Teach limit-setting

Will a therapist keep secrets from me about my child?

For both children and adolescents, parents should obtain some feedback from the therapist about his or her assessment of the child. The therapist should share concerns about the child and offer methods or techniques to improve difficult relationships between parent and child. Regarding adolescents, the question of what information is shared with the parents and what information is confidential is carefully worked out with all concerned.

Art Therapy

What is Art Therapy?

Art therapy is a unique branch of psychotherapy which involves the use of art materials for self-expression and reflection. Clients utilize a wide array of art media such as paint, charcoal, pastels and clay to create images of personal significance. These images are then discussed and explored in the presence of a trained art therapist. Often, through the exploration of these images, powerful feelings are evoked, and new insights attained.

Who Can Benefit from Art Therapy?

Anyone can benefit from art therapy. One common misconception about art therapy is that advanced artistic skills are required, or that art therapy is only appropriate for children. No previous artistic experience is necessary to benefit from art therapy. Art therapy is founded upon the belief that there is inherent creativity within each of us. Sometimes words are not enough to express complex feelings within. Sometimes individuals have difficulty expressing these feelings verbally. Art therapy can serve as a springboard for the exploration of personal issues which get in the way of living a full and satisfying life.

What are the Benefits of Art Therapy? 

Art Therapy is:

• A non-threatening form of self-expression
• An effective tool for the management of stress and anxiety
• An alternate treatment for less verbal clients
• An effective means for personal growth and exploration
• Provides a more direct link to the emotional centres of the brain
• Provides a concrete record of progress attained in therapy
• Stimulates creativity which can enhance a sense of well being and self-esteem

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