Groups
Our Groups
Psychoeducation and treatment groups can create a welcoming space for children and parents dealing with similar issues to connect and receive support in a safe and understanding environment.
To inquire about a particular group's start date, please contact us for more information about registering on the waitlist.
All our groups are provided with the oversight of a registered psychologist and a receipt for Psychological Services is provided after each session. Please check with your insurer to review your specific coverage.
Behaviour Solutions: Parenting Skills for School-Aged Children
Behaviour Solutions is an 8-week parenting group that draws from several evidence-based parenting programs and focuses on managing behaviour, as well as improving emotional regulation and problem-solving abilities through positive parenting strategies. It is particularly beneficial for children with behavioural challenges, ADHD, or other concerns.
SPACE: Supportive Parenting
for Childhood Anxiety
SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions) is an evidence-based 8-week parenting intervention for children with anxiety. It teaches strategies to lessen behaviours that unintentionally reinforce anxiety in children, guiding parents to offer supportive responses that foster their child's independence and coping abilities.
The Helping with
Needle Fears Group
Helping with Needle Fears is a 5-week group for children and their parent/caregiver with the goal of helping to reduce fear of needles. This group was developed by the Pediatric Pain, Health and Communication Lab at the University of Guelph. The group takes a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to managing needle fears.
Behaviour Solutions
Group Overview
Behaviour Solutions is an 8-week group aimed at enhancing parenting skills and confidence, while promoting positive behaviour and social-emotional outcomes in children aged 6 to 12.
This group includes content and strategies from the Incredible Years Parenting Program (IYPP), Collaborative Problem Solving, and attachment-based positive programs.
Session Structure
Each 90-minute session blends facilitator presentations, interactive activities, videos, and group discussions. Weekly handouts and practice exercises are also provided.
We aim to create an engaging and supportive environment for parents to learn together. The group is delivered virtually, through Zoom for Healthcare.
Objectives
The primary objectives of the group are to improve school-aged children's academic, social, and emotional abilities while decreasing behavioural issues. The group teaches strategies for :
connection, parental attention and child-directed play
effective praise and encouragement
collaborative problem solving for behaviour challenges due to lagging skills
social, emotional, and persistence coaching
rules, responsibilities, and routines
effective limit setting
logical and natural consequences
and more!
Group starting this Fall 2024!
Behaviour Solutions Group FAQs
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The school-aged parenting program was created for parents of children facing challenges like ADHD, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, or other behavioural, self-regulation, or social challenges. This program offers support to parents, helping them learn positive parenting strategies to manage child behaviours, promote social-emotional learning, and build strong parent-child relationships.
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Behaviour Solutions group aims to promote school-aged children's social and emotional competence while preventing and reducing behaviour problems.
Sessions focus on teaching parents specific strategies and techniques for managing behaviours, promoting positive relationships, and fostering social and emotional skills in children.
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The program runs for 8-weeks for 1.5 hours (90 minutes), weekly.
Parents participate in online Zoom sessions.
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The delivery of the Behaviour Solutions is overseen by a registered Psychologist.
There are typically 2-3 facilitators per group. Group facilitators may include a registered Psychologist, Psychologist in Supervised Practice, or Doctoral Associate/Student. Additionally, volunteers and psychology learners may observe groups for learning and training purposes.
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The Behaviour Solutions group is designed to be delivered in 8 sessions to ensure comprehensive learning. Therefore, attending all 8 sessions is necessary to fully participate in the group, as each session builds on the content covered in the previous sessions.
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Due to clinicians’ licensure restrictions, the Behaviour Solutions parenting group offered at Whole Kids Health is only available to clients who reside in Ontario.
SPACE: Supportive Parenting for Childhood Anxiety
SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions) is an evidence-based approach to addressing childhood anxiety. It focuses on empowering parents to make systematic and sustainable changes in their behaviour and interaction patterns with their children.
By participating in the SPACE program, you will learn valuable strategies to better manage you child's discomfort and increase the support you provide. You will also gain the knowledge to choose alternative methods for responding to anxious distress, ultimately reducing overall family stress levels.
SPACE: Supportive Parenting for Childhood Anxiety is a group-based parenting program designed specifically for parents of children in Kindergarten to Grade 6. This parenting group runs multiple times during the year.
Group starting this Fall 2024!
SPACE Group FAQs
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Developed by Dr. Eli Lebowitz, director of the Program for Anxiety Disorders of the Yale Child Study Center, SPACE is an innovative, evidence-based program to help treat children with anxiety. SPACE treatment is appropriate for many of the most common anxiety issues that children and adolescents face.
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The current gold standard treatment for childhood anxiety is cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT), in which the therapist works directly with the child or adolescent, and the parent has little to no input. This can be challenging at times, especially if a child does not recognize their own anxious patterns or if they are unwilling to participate in therapy. The SPACE program is a bit different than traditional CBT. It is designed to help children feel less anxious, but it’s the parents and caregivers that participate in treatment sessions - not the kid. SPACE is an effective approach, with research demonstrating that it is as efficacious as well-established CBT in reducing child anxiety.
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SPACE acknowledges the role of parents in helping children cope with difficult situations and in the maintenance of child anxiety. SPACE aims to modify the parents’ behaviour through psychoeducation about anxiety disorders, monitoring current parental behaviours, and equipping caregivers with strategies and detailed plans designed to best support the child’s treatment. The two primary targets in SPACE are (1) increasing supportive responses, and (2) reducing accommodation behaviours.
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This group is for parents of children in Kindergarten to Grade 6.
For older children and adolescents, we offer the SPACE treatment through our individual parent coaching sessions.
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This group runs for 8-weeks for 1.5 hours (90 minutes), weekly.
Parents participate in online Zoom sessions.
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The delivery of the SPACE group is overseen by a registered Psychologist.
There are typically 2-3 facilitators per group. Group facilitators may include a registered Psychologist, Psychologist in Supervised Practice, or Doctoral Associate/Student. Additionally, volunteers and psychology learners may observe groups for learning and training purposes.
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The entire 8-week program is $1,000 for one parent, $800 for any additional parent/caregiver. You will be invoiced after each session ($125 first parent; $100 for second parent/caregiver).
You will be provided with a receipt after each group session. If you have insurance for Psychological Services, you may be able to submit your receipt and be reimbursed by your insurance company. Please check with your insurer to review your specific coverage.
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To participate in the group, parent(s) must attend all of the 8 sessions. Each session builds on the session before, such that full attendance is required.
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Due to clinicians’ licensure restrictions, this group is only available to clients who reside in Ontario.
Learn more about SPACE.
Helping with Needle Fears
Program Overview
Helping with Needle Fears is a 5-week group designed to assist children between the ages of 8 and 12, along with their parents or caregivers, in better managing their fear of needles.
Objective
The primary objective is to provide children with the tools and strategies needed to gain confidence and resilience in facing needle-related situations. Likewise, parents will acquire the knowledge and tools to successfully support their child through needle pokes.
Session structure
Each session blends facilitator presentations, interactive activities and group discussions. Weekly handouts and practice exercises are also provided.
Over the course of the group, parents and children will learn about the nature of fear, how pain is perceived, and gain valuable insights into overcoming needle-related anxieties.
We aim to create an engaging and supportive environment for children and parents to learn and grow together.
Group starting this Fall 2024!
Helping with Needle Fears Group FAQs
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The group cost is $125 per session, per family. The entire 5-session program will be $625.
You will be provided with a receipt after each group session. If you have insurance for Psychological Services, you may be able to submit your receipt and be reimbursed by your insurance company. Please check with your insurer to review your specific coverage.
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This group runs for 5-weeks for 1.5 hours weekly.
Both children and parents participate together in online Zoom sessions where they will learn and practice skills to manage fear and pain related to needles.
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This group was created by Dr. Meghan McMurtry and a student at the Pediatric Pain, Health and Communication Lab at Guelph University, with expertise is in needle fear, pain, and anxiety management. The group is based on existing research on needle fear treatment that involves learning about fear and pain, and tools for managing needle-related fear and pain.
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Children will not “get” a needle during the group.
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Exposures and practice are expected as part of this group. One of the core components of needle fear treatment involves exposures or having your child practice being in needle-related situations that are feared. Exposures are done in a gradual fashion, in that practice starts with low fear situations, such as looking at a picture of a needle, before moving on to moderate and high fear situations, such as holding a needle. This allows your child to learn the needle will not cause them serious harm and that they can cope with their distress.
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The delivery of Helping with Needle Fears is overseen by a registered Health Psychologist.
There are typically 2-3 facilitators per group. Group facilitators may include a registered Psychologist, Psychologist in Supervised Practice, or Doctoral Associate/Student. Additionally, volunteers and psychology learners may observe groups for learning and training purposes.
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To participate in the group, child and a parent/caregiver must attend all of the five sessions. Each session builds on the session before, such that full attendance is required.
Parents/caregivers can however alternate which adult attends the session that day, with the child.
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Due to clinicians’ licensure restrictions, this group is only available to clients who reside in Ontario.