I feel we can conquer almost any feat in this industry. In keeping with this mission, I offer a wide variety of services. No job is too big or small, as I treat each person with the same meticulous attention to detail. If you have more questions please contact me, I'd love to hear from you.
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To make an appointment or for more information please call me at 905-853-5559 or email lisd@rogers.com.

Services Offered:

Psychological Assessment

Assessment is available for students in elementary or high school, as well as at the College and University level. The goal of a comprehensive assessment is to identify areas of strength as well as weakness to explore a student’s individual learning profile (cognitive patterns affecting the acquisition and use of knowledge, memory, visual/motor integration, etc,). A battery of standardized academic tests is also used to evaluate the student’s current performance levels in key subject areas. Because social, emotional and behavioural problems also impact on learning, problems in any of these areas are also investigated through parent, teacher and self-report interviews and questionnaires.

Learning patterns, strengths and weaknesses are identified and where appropriate, a diagnosis of learning or intellectual disability will be made. The student’s learning profile will be described, strengths will be emphasized and the impact of any weaknesses will be explained in terms of how they are likely to affect the individual’s performance in specific subject areas. A comprehensive list of recommendations is provided to guide teachers, parents and the individual in ways to improve or accommodate weaknesses.

Theraplay

Theraplay is a type of structured play therapy where parents learn positive parenting techniques to help improve, for example, the emotional wellbeing of an introverted or anxious child or the conduct of an acting out or aggressive child. It also helps to build or improve the parent/child or sibling bond. Many types of emotional or behavioural problems respond well to this treatment model. The activities are carefully selected each session and focus on four dimensions to help build and improve the parent/child relationship: Nurture, Engagement, Structure and Challenge. Sessions involve a half hour of Theraplay activities, followed by a half hour of parent counselling where the session is discussed and parents have an opportunity to talk about specific problems or concerns they are having at home. Theraplay is usually a relatively short-term therapy regimen, typically running from eight to ten sessions. In some cases, further sessions might be required to fully meet the goals.

In the Theraplay sessions, the therapist models the way to give brief, explicit instructions to the child and to be clear about expectations. Because the activities are designed to be fun, the child usually wants to participate in the activities, and follows the instructions independently, but is given help if needed. Engagement, fun and success are the important factors. Parents are also encouraged to use gentle, kind, loving and safe touch with their child, such as a gentle pat on the back or a hug, as well as to give complimentary and encouraging comments frequently. The child’s personal features and characteristics are also pointed out to make him feel special and unique. Through playful but challenging games the child is encouraged to try a little harder or jump a little farther to outdo his/her previous attempt. The adult is always in charge during the session so the child learns to listen and follow the instructions. The parents initially participate and follow the lead of the therapist but gradually take on more and more of the leadership role. They learn through modeling and practise how to give clear directions, be consistent, follow through with expectations and guide their child in a positive way. At the same time they learn to allow and encourage their child to take appropriate risks, e.g., by praising his/her attempts at a more challenging task. They also follow the lead of the therapist in giving positive comments, compliments or praise at every opportunity in order to build the child’s self-esteem and to reinforce how important he is to the family. These skills are all learned and practised while playing games and enjoying each other’s company.

An important aspect of the Theraplay program is homework. Parents are expected to carry over the activities into the home and to play the games and practice the techniques between sessions so that the positive skills and experiences transfer from therapy to the home environment and hopefully become habit.

For further information about Theraplay or about the Theraplay Institute in Chicago, please visit the official website at www.theraplay.org

Please view these links for more helpful information:

The College of Psychologists of Ontario www.cpo.on.ca
Theraplay www.theraplay.org