The way we show up in the world is often informed by our family dynamics. There are times when it is helpful to have a guiding hand to learn to better communicate with and support each other. That is where a family counsellor may be helpful. At Positive Mind Wellness, we offer solutions to help families navigate conflict resolution, co-parenting, grief, separation, trauma, and other challenging situations. Our process begins with an initial discovery consultation with a family group of three or more at our Newmarket clinic. During the consultation, we get an idea of the challenges you’re facing and chart a way forward.

What is Family Therapy?

Family therapy is a form of psychotherapy that involves two or more family members learning to better understand and communicate with each other. The individuals don’t need to be from the same family or even related at all.

No matter who the participants are, the goal of family therapy is to address counterproductive behaviours, improve conflict resolution, and navigate challenging seasons. This will ultimately help them support each other and move together in unity.

family therapy near me

Who Can Benefit from Family Therapy?

When your family’s disconnected, even simple conversations can be a struggle. Family therapy addresses problems of all types and magnitudes, including:

Parent-teen conflict – Are parent-child arguments becoming unmanageable? We address the source of the stress, providing new tools for communication and emotional regulation.

Divorce or Separation – Separation is difficult for both partners and children. Therapy helps everyone cope with the new changes and emotions.

Blended Family Challenges – Blending families can be hard for step-parents, children, and partners. Family counselling builds trust and reduces tension.

Teen Behavioural Issues – Skipping school, isolation, anger, or risky behaviour can point to underlying emotional stress, anxiety, or overwhelming pressure.

Communication Breakdown – Constantly arguing or sitting in silence? Therapy improves communication, leading to constructive interactions where everyone feels understood, not criticized.

Trauma or Loss – It’s normal to react differently to trauma and loss. We help households process grief together instead of struggling separately.

Mental Health Impact on Family – Depression, anxiety, addiction, and burnout affect the entire household. Therapy improves understanding and lessens blame.

Our Family Therapy Services

Our therapy process begins with the first session, which is the discovery session. The clients and therapist get to discuss the issue at hand and explore approaches the therapist could use. Our therapists use a variety of techniques that they tailor to suit your family. Common approaches that they pull from include anti-oppressive practice, cognitive-behavioural therapy, emotion-focused family therapy, relationship counselling, functional family therapy, structural family therapy, strengths-based perspectives, strategic therapy, systemic therapy, narrative family therapy, transgenerational therapy, psycho-education, and many more.

How Effective is Family Therapy?

Family-based therapy offers several benefits. It helps deepen the bond between family members, even in the case of divorce or separation. It helps them develop skills to proactively deal with challenges rather than merely reacting to them in a maladaptive way. By discovering solutions in a supportive environment, families learn to work together.

Overall, family therapy can help families:

  • Improve and enhance the quality of their intimate relationships.
  • Establish healthy boundaries and habits, and develop goals.
  • Strengthen communication and connection.
  • Embrace new perspectives with an open mind.
  • Effectively cope and manage conflict resolution.
  • Nurture mental health and wellness.
How Effective is Family Therapy?

How Much Does Family Counselling Cost in Newmarket?

The initial assessment for our family counselling services is $245. Follow-up sessions are $165 per session.

We accept payment through Interac, Visa, Mastercard, Amex, and cash. Most insurance plans cover our services, and we provide direct billing to them. Please remember to bring your extended benefits card when you come for your first appointment.

How Much Does Family Counselling Cost
Sally Sarieddine family therapist

Why Choose Positive Mind Wellness for Family Therapy?

Our approach to family psychology is family-centred and holistic. We look to bring whole healing and serve as guides to point out the way to a healthier existence as a family. There is no one-size-fits-all approach with us.

Our counsellors are experienced in a wide variety of evidence-based therapeutic models and techniques. In addition to psychotherapy, our Newmarket counselling team represents various educational and vocational backgrounds, including social work and nursing, lending to their diverse and robust experience. No matter the approach, our goal is to help your family navigate forward through a personalized treatment plan that works for you.

Start with a Complimentary Discovery Session

Families can struggle to understand and communicate effectively with one another. Family therapy helps you bridge the gaps with each other and gives you useful skills to support each other. Get your family the help it needs to better navigate life’s challenges as a team.

To find out more about what this looks like, book a complimentary discovery session with us online or call us.

Contact Us

FAQs from Family Therapist

When there are changes or problems within a family, this stresses us out as individuals. From this place of anger, sadness, insecurity, burnout, etc., we interact with each other. We can lash out and hurt those closest to us or feel so overwhelmed by the problem that we neglect to nurture our relationships. Other ways that problems affect our relationships are by becoming the breeding ground for distrust, communication struggles, problematic behaviour in children, estrangement, and separation or divorce.

There are many issues that might lead to strained family relationships. These include parenting struggles, addiction, illness, grief, chronic conflict, financial challenges, infidelity, divorce, remarriage, and other life transitions.

Our family psychotherapy or counselling looks at the family through various lenses. We help you identify how each individual is impacted by the problem and might be contributing to the problem or the family atmosphere. This is not to play the blame game but to help everyone see each other within the family system. 

We then help you develop skills to tackle the issue and relate to each other in a healthier manner. Some of these skills include conflict resolution, communication, understanding and support, and coping skills. We draw from various therapeutic models, including attachment-based therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT), emotion-focused therapy (EFT), motivational interviewing, narrative therapy, solution-focused therapy, and talk therapy

There are times when the therapist may need to speak to family members or subgroups (parents, siblings, etc.) alone. This will occur during the family session.

 No. The therapist is there to be objective and help every family member feel seen and understood. By doing so, we can help each member function better, which will improve the dynamic of the whole family.

Even the best therapists in the world cannot force change in someone who is unwilling. The family needs to be committed to the therapeutic process. The good news is that even if they remain resistant, we can still work with family members who are willing to show up. As a result, we can still help to change the family dynamics through the members who actively participate.

There is no set timeline. It depends on the complexity of the issues and commitment to the therapeutic process. On average, though, most sessions run over the course of about 8 to 12 weeks.

It depends. Many factors come into play when deciding whether or not to include children in family counselling. The issue at hand, how it’s impacting them, and the child’s developmental level play a part in if and how children are included in counselling sessions. At times, it might be better that children see therapists in individual sessions or in addition to family ones.