How to Choose a Child Therapist in Ottawa: Questions for Parents

To choose a child therapist in Ottawa, look for a registered professional who works with children regularly, involves parents in a clear way, and explains how they handle what your child says in sessions. Then check the practical side before you book: fees, insurance receipts, language, and whether the location and schedule will work every week.

When a child's worry, anger or sadness starts to run the household, most parents start searching quickly and end up with a long list of names and no way to compare them. This post gives you the questions I would want a parent to ask me, and anyone else, before booking, along with how children's therapy with me works.

Signs Your Child Might Benefit From Therapy

Children usually show distress through behaviour before they can put it into words. Parents often call me after noticing one or more of these for several weeks:

• worry that keeps them from school, sleepovers or activities they used to enjoy
• big reactions that seem out of proportion: meltdowns, slammed doors, tears over small things
• stomach aches or headaches before school with no medical cause found
• pulling away from friends or family, or spending much more time alone
• changes in sleep or appetite
• clinginess or separation fears that return at an age when they had settled
• a hard time after a loss, a move, a new sibling or a separation

None of these on its own means something is wrong. Children go through rough stretches. If you want to think it through further first, my earlier post, When Children Need Therapy, covers the signs in more detail. This post is about the next step: choosing who to see.

Questions to Ask a Child Therapist Before You Book

A short phone call can tell you a lot. These are the questions worth asking:

1. Are you registered, and with which college? In Ontario, psychotherapy is a regulated profession. The College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario advises: "Verify the status of a Registered Psychotherapist by visiting the public register." It takes two minutes on crpo.ca.
2. How much of your work is with children? Working with a child is different from working with an adult, and you want someone who does it regularly.
3. Will you meet with me first? Many therapists, including me, prefer to speak with parents before meeting the child.
4. How do you work with a child my child's age? The answer should change with age. Younger children often show more through play and behaviour than through talking.
5. What will you tell me, and what stays between you and my child? A good therapist explains this clearly at the start, including when safety would mean sharing something.
6. How will I know how it is going? Ask how often you will check in as a parent.
7. Can sessions be in English or French? For a bilingual family, the language your child feels most at home in matters.
8. What does it cost, and what is the cancellation policy? You should get a straight answer.

Pay attention to how the call feels. If you come away feeling judged as a parent, that tells you something too.

How Children's Therapy With Me Works

I usually start by meeting with the parents or caregivers on their own. I want to understand the child in context: home, school, friendships, sleep, any recent changes or losses, and how you have been responding so far. Children are not expected to explain their distress the way adults do, so this first conversation fills in a lot of the picture.

When I meet your child, I work in a way that fits their age, language and comfort level. Sessions may include:

• naming feelings and noticing where they show up in the body
• practical coping skills for worry, anger or sadness
• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy ideas adapted for children, such as catching a worried thought and checking it
• a trauma-informed pace when something frightening or painful has happened
• guidance for parents on how to respond at home

I cannot promise how many sessions your child will need. Some children come for a short stretch around one change. Others need longer. We review progress together as we go.

Your Role as a Parent

Parents are part of the work, not just the drivers to and from appointments. Children tend to settle more steadily when the adults around them know how to respond outside the therapy room, so I check in with you regularly and suggest small changes that fit your family's routines.

Sometimes it becomes clear that the whole household needs support, for example after a separation or when siblings are caught up in the same conflict. In that case, family sessions may help alongside or instead of individual work. My post on family counselling in Ottawa explains how that works and who usually comes.

If a separation or a family law matter is part of the picture, I also offer therapy during family law and separation.

Fees, Insurance and Format

My fee is $250 an hour, the same rate for children's, individual, couples and family sessions. Payment is due at the end of each session. A limited number of sliding-scale spots are available for financial hardship. The full policy is on my fees page.

Psychotherapy from a Registered Psychotherapist in private practice is not covered by OHIP. Many parents' extended health plans and employee assistance programs do cover it for dependants. I do not bill insurers directly. You receive an official receipt with my registration details to submit to your plan.

Before booking, ask your insurer whether a Registered Psychotherapist (RP) is covered for your child and whether the maximum is per person or per family.

Sessions are in person at 854 Wingate Dr in Ottawa, which is a short drive from Orleans, Alta Vista and the east end. Video sessions are possible where clinically appropriate, and some older children are comfortable with them. Most younger children do better in the room, where there is space to draw, build or play while they talk. The teletherapy page explains how video sessions work.

If Your Child Needs Help Right Now

If your child is talking about suicide or is not safe, call or text 9-8-8, the Suicide Crisis Helpline, at any hour. In an emergency, call 9-1-1 or go to the nearest emergency department, such as CHEO for children in Ottawa. Counselling is not a substitute for emergency care.

Children's Therapy in Ottawa

I am Karine Langley, a Registered Psychotherapist with more than 30 years in practice. I offer children's therapy in Ottawa in English or French, with parents involved from the first conversation.

If worry is the main concern, anxiety counselling may be part of the work, and if your child is grieving, grief counselling can help the whole family through it.

Call (613) 859-8740 or use the contact page to ask about a first conversation for your child.