Counselling children, youth, and families
“Our counsellor provided a safe place for us to talk about what has happened without having to feel ashamed or hide our feelings.”
Our Program Can Help
Children may be traumatized after experiencing, witnessing or learning of events such as physical or sexual abuse, domestic violence, death of a known person or separation from a caregiver.
Their sense of security, self-esteem and their development can be deeply affected. Children often do not have the capacity to verbalize or even realize the impact of a trauma which may manifest in behavioural, emotional and learning difficulties.
Our Services are designed to promote transformation, hope, and healing.
ACT 2 Child and Family Services in Tri-Cities and Ridge Meadows, offers counselling to children, youth, and their family or caregivers who are in need of a supportive and trusting therapeutic relationship to assist in resolving emotional and behavioural difficulties arising from traumatic experiences.
- The Clinical Counselling Programs are strength-based and person centred and respect individuals, family, and cultural differences.
- We appreciate that trauma is not defined just by the experience, but how the experience is perceived and interpreted by the individual.
- Our highly qualified counsellors are committed to providing exceptional therapeutic services that are individually focused to your needs.
- Our counsellors use a range of intervention including play therapy for our youngest clients.
- We offer in-person, virtual and phone counselling for each individual’s specific needs.
- Our counsellors are registered with a professional regulatory body and are required to hold a master’s degree. This means they have met specific educational and training criteria and are held accountable by professional standards.
Community Access
A limited number of spaces for the Sexual Abuse Counselling program in our Tri-Cities office are available without a referral from the Ministry for Children and Family Development. Please contact our Tri-Cities office for more information.
Counselling Program List
A wide range of family and individual counselling is available for an affordable fee based on family income. This service is available through our Tri-Cities and Ridge Meadows offices. Your family doctor, school counsellor or other service provider may direct you to our service, but no referral is required.
Download Referral – Request for Counselling Service form (FCS)
Our Clinical Counselling Program helps children and youth address the emotional and behavioural issues arising from traumatic events such as sexual abuse, violence, family breakup, death of a loved one and other grief and loss issues. There is no cost to participants but a referral through Ridge Meadows or Tri-Cities office of the Ministry of Children and Family Development is required, except for sexual abuse counselling which may be accessed without a referral.
Areas of counselling provided include but are not limited to depression; anxiety; abuse and trauma; grief and loss; self-harm; marriage or relationship challenges; parenting and behaviour management.
Counselling services are available to children and youth 18 years of age and younger who have experienced sexual abuse and who live in the Ridge Meadows or Tri-Cities community. Counselling for our self-referred clients involves weekly, one-hour sessions for up to nine months. Download the SELF form here.
Healthy Sexual Development
Young children who exhibit sexually intrusive behavior and other sexual behaviour problems, beyond usual curiosity and developmentally appropriate sexual exploration, can find help in our SHIFT (Sexual Health in Family Treatment)program.
This is a behaviour intervention program directed to children 11 years of age and under.
- Referrals to the program are made through the Tri-Cities Child and Youth Mental Health Office and, in Ridge Meadows, through the Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) offices. There is no cost for this program.
Healing Children and Families
Our Sexual Abuse Counselling Program treats children and youth who have been abused, in a safe and supportive environment and caring therapeutic relationship that promotes healing.
Counselling techniques involving art, play, and talk are effectively used to help children by the abuse. Parents, family members and other people close to the child are also welcomed into the counselling sessions.
Find More Information
Click here to read related resources.
We are pleased to share that our counselling programs have shifted to offering support through a variety of service modalities including in person and virtual, including online and telephone counselling.
