Intersect Youth and Family Services offers a number of therapeutic groups throughout the year.

Group therapy is a great way for children, youth and their caregivers to learn about and learn new skills to support and address: anxiety, problematic behaviors, depression, social skills, managing moods like anger, communication methods etc. New groups are constantly being offered. To find out more about therapeutic groups, ask your counsellor or call us and ask to talk to the intake coordinator.

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Parenting Through Strong Emotions

• Are your child/youth's emotions out of control, too intense, sensitive, or explosive?
• Do you struggle with behavioural problems at home or school?
• Perhaps you’d just like to know more about supporting your child/youth with their strong emotions?

Then you will benefit from our Parenting Through Strong Emotions 4-part series for parents & caregivers! You do not have to be a client of Intersect to attend, any caregiver in the community is welcome just join us on the zoom link provided below. Please view our poster for start dates.

Click to view Parenting Series Poster

Due to Covid-19 we require everyone to wear a mask and answer No to all the Covid Screening questions listed here.

• WHEN? Wednesdays from 6:00-7:30 pm
• HOW? To ensure we do not go over capacity, please call the Tuesday before the group (prior to 4:00) to register for each session then come to the Intersect building at 1294 3rd Ave on Wednesday AFTER registering.

Session Handouts

please click the session number below.

  Session 1
  Session 2
  Session 3
  Session 4

Series Topics:

SESSION #1 - What's going on with my kid?

MUST ATTEND SESSION #1 PRIOR TO OTHER SESSIONS

SESSION #2 - What is emotion coaching?
SESSION #3 - What's getting in our way?
SESSION #4 - What about behavior?

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Circle of Security Group

The Circle of Security program is designed to enhance attachment security between a parent or caregiver and their child. Decades of research have confirmed that secure children exhibit increased empathy, greater self-esteem, an increased capacity to handle emotions more effectively, and better relationships with parents & others in later life!

Participants will explore how to...

• Assist your child in managing their emotions and behaviour
• How to pick up on your child’s cues and signals
• Understand more clearly why your child behaves the way they do
• Encourage the development of confidence and self-esteem in your child
• Learn how your child's behaviour is a form of communicating their needs to you

View Circle of Security Group PDF

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Parenting Your Spirited Child

Spirited children are the exception to the rule kids according to Mary Sheedy Kurcinka author of Raising your Spirited Child. They don’t stop by being ignored, they cry for hours, the get unusually stuck on things (different than kids on the spectrum). Spirited kids can be triggered by textures, sights and sounds. They are typically the kids who one moment bring the greatest joy and this consumes them and the next moment/day nothing makes them happy. Power struggles, meltdowns, and excessive tantrums - they are the kids that can make a parent feel like they are going crazy as they can spit/hit/kick you and another time offer loving hugs and helpfulness. They are the square peg trying to fit into the round hole.

By supporting parents to better understand their child’s needs there is less attachment disruption, more peace in the home – everyone is able to sleep a little better.

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Family Anxiety Group

This group is for parents and children with their main concern being anxiety. It is a psychoeducation and skills-based group. We will be learning about anxiety and learn some coping skills and anxiety management techniques including grounding, relaxation and mindfulness.

View Poster for More Info

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Mood Management Group

This is a 'Workshop' kind of group that will educate teenagers about moods, emotions, and how to deal with them. The first half of each session will be learning, and the second half will be practising/experiencing. Our three broad topics will be:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Anger

There will be about ten participants, and there will be two facilitators.

View Mood Management Group PDF

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DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy)

DBT is a psychoeducational and skill-based group for teens and their caregivers to learn and practice methods to help change those patterns in their lives that are causing misery and distress. Topics that will be covered include: Mindfulness, Emotional Dysregulation, Distress Tolerance, and Interpersonal Effectiveness.

We will work on handling conflict, getting what you want and need, and saying no to unwanted requests while maintaining self-respect and respecting others. We will learn skills that can both reduce the size of emotional waves and help you keep your balance when those emotions overwhelm you. Distress tolerance will help you cope better with painful events by building up your resiliency and giving you new ways to soften the effects of upsetting circumstances. Mindfulness will help you experience more fully the present moment while focusing less on painful experiences from the past or frightening possibilities in the future.