I am a caring parent, but I need direction!

Thrive Parent and Family Counselling

  • Do you want to feel more self-assured when facing family and life challenges?
  • Do you want to feel certain about which way to turn or what you “should” do?
  • When your child is struggling, do you want more information as to how to help?
  • Do you want more calmness and well being at home, less resistance and strife?
  • Do you want to feel sure of your parenting?

What is Thrive For Parents?

Thrive is a fresh approach to family counselling.  Equipping clients with a capacity for change, renewal, and vision. We believe, “What you pay attention to grows!”  We do not focus on “fixing” children or deep problem analysis.  Instead, we centre inquiry on what is working and how to move forward.

Listening intently to your concerns, we ask questions to open up your understanding, share with you new ideas and a fresh perspective, and offer suggestions to help you implement new approaches and strategies.  This process is about self-discovery and building relationships, moving you toward the family you want to be.  As parents take responsibility for their own emotions and reactions, life shifts and resolutions emerge.  In other words, we create change through mindful self-discovery.

I have never gotten anything out of reading books. Any family counseling I have had did not focus on me, just the issues. Ellen is a very kind and caring person, and being with her was very comfortable, soothing, and relaxing. She made me realize my own self value and the good qualities of my family members, which you never really stop to think about. Ellen opened my eyes to things I had not really thought about. She asks hard thought provoking questions. Ellen provides tools and strategies to help. . It was rewarding to see the progress and process from start to finish.

Parents and families working with Thrive experience an increase in positive emotion and enhanced positivity in relationships.

Thrive Family Counselling: Our philosophy

Our philosophy is to help families uncover their values and strengths, examine inner reactions, and use appreciative inquiry as an insightful and powerful facilitation tool. Thrive for Parents incorporates elements of Emotion-Focused Family Therapy. Parents become aware of parenting style and learn to engage in emotionally supportive ways with their children.  Parents learn to increase their child’s adaptability and independence. Thrive Family Counselling focuses on deepening relationships and inner reflection rather than traditional interventions of changing behaviours and communication patterns, employing a proven transformational change strategy.

Thrive Family Counselling differs from problem-solving and traditional therapy interventions.

  • Focused on what needs to grow within the family system.
  • Focused on building relationships rather than simply changing behaviours.
  • Builds on strengths and what is best in the family—creating positive regard between partners, parents and children, often giving both new eyes.
  • Thinks in terms of what is possible and what the family can be. Our approach creates a positive vision of the future.
  • Focused on the family as a living relational system. (Does not require the whole family to be present; change in one will affect change to the whole).
  • Guides parents to a new self-awareness and teach positive and powerful skills of validation.

How Do We Begin?

The process begins with a casual intake interview.  The first meeting is a “get to know each other” session.   In a relaxed and friendly manner, we discuss you, your family, and your children.  Together we clarify a “focus for our inquiry”  and a vision for more sustainable family life.  We work with individuals, children, teens,  and parents, but often working with parent(s) alone brings profound change to the family system.  In the beginning, we generally meet weekly.  As life begins to settle down, we often move our sessions to every other week and monthly for continued support.

"Working with Ellen over the past year our daughter has developed into the calm, confident young woman she is today. Thank you Ellen for all the skill and support you have demonstrated."

160 King St W. #200E
Dundas, ON , L9H 1V4
thriveforchange@gmail.com
Telephone: 905-220-8028
Fax: 1-866-409-2665

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