Does Your Child Need Support?
A supportive space for your child to heal and grow
In-Person Child & Youth Therapy in Hamilton & Virtually Across Ontario
Children of all ages can struggle, especially when big emotions or new challenges are involved. If your child is struggling, you may be noticing changes such as:
• Becoming more withdrawn or emotionally distant
• Frequent outbursts, irritability, or reactions that feel out of proportion
• Mood swings, anxiety, or changes in sleep
• Difficulty making or maintaining friendships
• Challenges adjusting to family or life changes (separation, divorce, or other transitions)
Younger children often express their feelings through behaviour because they don’t yet have the words to explain what’s going on inside. Older children (including teens) may understand their emotions better but still feel overwhelmed, confused, or unsure how to talk about them.
In both cases, these behaviours are often signs that your child needs support (not punishment or additional pressure). And this is where our role begins.
Is This What Your Child Is Struggling With?
Discover Child Therapy in Hamilton
Our child therapists provide a safe, supportive space where our young clients can make sense of their emotions, build coping skills and feel understood at their own pace.
Here at Mountain Brow Counselling, we offer a gentle, supportive space where your child can:
Express themselves in a way that feels safe and natural
Work through emotional and social challenges
Feel seen, heard and understood
We understand you want the best possible care for your child. That’s why we only work with experienced and compassionate child therapists, who can provide not just the support your child needs but also a lot of warmth and understanding.
Whether your child is experiencing anxiety, family-related stress or changes in behaviour, therapy can offer support for both your child and you as a parent. You don’t have to navigate those challenges on your own!
The goal of child therapy is to help children grow emotionally, socially, and mentally, so they can feel more confident and supported at home, at school and in their relationships.
What Can You (And Your Child) Expect from Child Therapy Sessions?
Every child is different, so youth therapy is always tailored to your child’s unique needs, personality, and stage of development. In the early sessions, the focus is on helping your child feel comfortable and safe while building trust and connection with the therapist.
As therapy continues and goals become clearer, youth therapy sessions may support your child in:
• Recognizing and understanding their emotions
• Developing problem-solving and communication skills
• Learning healthier ways to manage stress, worry and other “big feelings”
You are an important part of the process. As a parent, you’ll receive regular check-ins, guidance, and practical tools so you can support your child’s progress outside the therapy room.
What Techniques We Use When Working With Children?
When working with children, we use developmentally appropriate, evidence-based approaches that help them express themselves, build emotional regulation skills, and feel safe and understood. Therapy with children often looks different than therapy with adults because children communicate and process experiences through play, movement, creativity, and relationships.
Depending on your child’s age, needs, and goals, techniques may include:
Cognitive and Behavioural Strategies:
For older children, we may use simplified CBT-informed tools to help them understand thoughts, feelings, and behaviours, and build coping skills they can use at home and school.
Art and Creative Expression:
Drawing, painting, crafts, and other creative activities helps children express feelings they may not yet have words for, supporting emotional awareness and self-expression.
Attachment-Informed and Relationship-Focused Work:
We prioritize building a strong, trusting therapeutic relationship and often incorporate caregivers into the process to support connection, co-regulation, and lasting change.
Play-Based Therapy:
Play is a child’s natural language. Through toys, games, and imaginative play, children can explore emotions, experiences, and challenges in a way that feels safe and non-threatening.
Emotion Identification and Regulation Skills:
We help children learn to recognize emotions in their bodies, name their feelings, and develop age-appropriate strategies to manage big emotions such as anxiety, anger, or sadness.
Parent Support and Collaboration:
We believe therapy is most effective when parents are supported too. Caregiver sessions may focus on understanding your child’s emotional needs, nervous system, and practical strategies to support them outside of sessions.
Our approach is always tailored to your child. We move at their pace, follow their lead, and create a warm, supportive environment where they can grow, heal, and build confidence.
• Anxiety, worries, and stress that feel hard for your child to manage on their own
• Big emotions such as anger, sadness or frustration
• Performance anxiety such as in school, sports, or important areas in your community
• Changes at home or in life, including separation, divorce and grief
• Difficulties with friendships, social skills or feeling left out
• Behavioural changes, emotional withdrawal or low confidence
What Can Child Therapy Help With?
Who Is Child Therapy For?
We provide child/youth therapy for all children aged 4-18.
Child/Youth Therapy Rates
55-MINUTE INDIVIDUAL THERAPY SESSION IN-PERSON OR VIRTUAL $180
85-MINUTE INDIVIDUAL THERAPY SESSION IN-PERSON OR VIRTUAL $270
Meet Our Compassionate Child Therapists in Hamilton
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Natasha Masciantonio
Registered Social Worker & Psychotherapist, BSW, MSW, RSW
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Zainab Choudhery
Registered Psychotherapist, MA, BA Hon.
RP, EMDR Therapist -
Brittany Gendron
Registered Social Worker & Psychotherapist
MSW, RSW, EMDR Therapist
FAQs About Child/Youth Counselling in Hamilton
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It’s common for parents to wonder whether their child’s struggles are “serious enough.” And the truth is that there is no “definitive list” of issues or circumstances that should encourage you to reach out for help.
Therapy can be helpful anytime your child’s emotions, behaviour, or worries are starting to affect their daily life, relationships or confidence. If you feel something isn’t quite right or you notice a recent change in your child’s mood or behaviour, feel free to reach out. We offer free 20-minute consultations to find out if working together is right for your family. Generally, consultations are offered via phone, but we understand that therapy can be intimidating for some children and you as a parent want to be sure the therapist is the best possible fit for your child. In these instances, we will try to offer a free in-person consultation.
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Yes. Of course, child & youth therapy sessions focus mostly on your child, but you as a parent also are an important part of the process. We always provide parents with regular check-ins, updates and practical tools that allow you to support your child at home and better understand what they’re dealing with (without breaching your child’s trust or privacy). Generally speaking, the younger your child, the more involved you are likely to be as a parent, including parent-only sessions in the beginning so that we can get to know your/your child’s concerns best.
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Your child’s care is something we take very seriously. Every therapist at our practice is carefully selected based on their training, clinical experience, and ability to build safe, trusting relationships with young clients. We look for clinicians who are not only highly skilled, but also warm, attuned, and genuinely child-centred.
We thoughtfully match each child with a therapist based on their needs, age, personality, and presenting concerns. Our therapists work from evidence-based, trauma-informed, and developmentally appropriate approaches, and they receive ongoing clinical supervision and consultation to ensure high standards of care.
We also believe collaboration is key. Parents are kept informed, involved when appropriate, and supported throughout the process so that therapy continues to make a difference beyond the session room.
Our goal is for your child to feel safe, understood, and supported and that you feel confident that they are receiving thoughtful, high-quality care every step of the way.
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Each session costs $180. Sessions are 55 minutes in length.
We accept credit cards. Psychotherapy with a Registered Social Worker or Registered Psychotherapist is covered by many insurance providers or extended health benefits. We offer direct billing to many insurance providers.
In the event we cannot direct bill, we will issue a receipt with all of the information you will require for your insurance claim. We recommend checking with your provider before our first session.
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Your appointment is reserved just for you. If you are unable to attend your appointment, you are required to provide at least 48 hours advanced notice. A late cancellation leaves a hole in the therapist's day that could have otherwise been filled. As such, the client agrees to pay 100% of the session fee if they cancel their appointment with less than 48 hours notice. Please note, all non-emergency cancellations (e.g. general illness, weather concerns, sudden schedule change, unexpected commitment, forgetting or mistaking the ap‐ pointment time) will be charged the regular session fee. Virtual or telephone sessions will be offered when it may not be feasible to attend in-person if that was the originally scheduled appointment method. We appreciate your help in valuing your treatment, the treatment of others, and respecting your therapist's time.
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IWe use an online portal called Owl Practice which allows clients to book or reschedule their sessions conveniently online. We always encourage clients if they have a specific date/time that works best for their schedule, to book well in advance and even book several sessions at a time to maintain their spot.
Are You Ready to Start Child Therapy in Hamilton with Us?
Child & youth therapy can help your child feel safer, more secure and better able to cope with everyday emotions and challenges, regardless of their developmental stage.
You likely have many questions or feel unsure about whether therapy is the right next step for your child. If you’d like to talk to us about therapy for your child or youth (with absolutely no obligation to work with us), we invite you to book a free 20-minute consultation. During this free, initial consultation, you will be able to ask your questions, share your concerns and learn more about how child and youth therapy at Mountain Brow Counselling works.
If you’re ready to take the next step, just fill out the contact form, and we’ll guide you from there. We’re here to support both you and your child, and we look forward to connecting with you.
Mountain Brow Counselling Team