Family counsellors provide counselling and individualized interventions to biological families and youths aged 13-18 experiencing parent-teen conflict. The program provides services in family counselling, family mediation, family development, intensive therapeutic intervention and groups.

The goal of the program is to improve family relationships, to prevent out-of-home placements and to reconcile families through solution-focused counselling and mediation.  Often, parents and teens experience a clashing of wills; we work to help come up with creative solutions to the problems they face so that they can live cooperatively in a family environment.

Counsellors meet with family members for the purposes of negotiating a mutually acceptable resolution and developing family communication and ties.  This is a voluntary service and there are no fees.

Our family services are guided by three general principles:

1)  Identifying family strengths
2)  Empowering families
3)  Tailoring services to cultural needs (we offer translation assistance in a variety of languages, including Cantonese, Tagalog, Italian, Spanish)

Our services include:

• Family mediation (8-12 sessions); assessing the state of family functioning, resolving crises, developing individualized services delivery plans for all family members which address:
  • Behavioral management skills
  • Life skills
  • Conflict resolution skills
  • Problem-solving skills
  • Anger management skills
  • Decision making skills
  • Crises management skills
  • Parenting skills
• Family counselling (3 months)
• Family development (6 months)
• Intensive therapeutic intervention (1 month)
  • Urgent response team assists families in crises, high conflict or where the youth is out of the home. Those referrals will be assigned within 48 hours of receiving them and intake meetings will be arranged within the week or as soon as the family is available.
• Group Support (varies) Read more..
  • Collaborative Problem Solving Parenting Group
  • Solutions Together: A Parenting Support Group for Parents of Challenging Teens.
  • Multicultural Parenting Group
  • Establishing Positive Relationships between Chinese Parents and Teens

Our Vision: Family Services Program envisions a province where healthy, resilient youths and families are provided the opportunities to learn and grow towards their full potential, while maintaining or restoring a positive family relationship.