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Mental Health Resources for Adults and Parents

Some therapeutic approaches are a good fit for some people but not for others. When searching for a therapists, workbooks, or apps you may come across the names of certain therapies. Knowing something about the approaches out there can help you choose what you think would be the best fit for you. Sometimes therapists or work-books use a blend of these techniques or focus just on one.  The following therapies are evidence-based which means that they have been rigorously evaluated in experimental evaluations.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

Cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) is a practical, short-term form of psychotherapy that  helps people to develop skills and strategies. CBT focuses on the here-and-now—on the problems that come up in day-to-day life. CBT helps people to examine how they make sense of what is happening around them and how these perceptions affect the way they feel. In CBT, clients learn to identify, question and change the thoughts, attitudes and beliefs related to the emotional and behavioural reactions that cause them difficulty. By monitoring and recording thoughts during upsetting situations, people learn that how they think can contribute to emotional problems such as depression and anxiety.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

The objective of ACT is not elimination of difficult feelings; rather, it is to be present with what life brings us and to "move toward valued behavior". The theory behind ACT is that it is not only ineffective, but often counterproductive, to try to control painful emotions or psychological experiences, because suppression of these feelings ultimately leads to more distress. ACT adopts the view that there are valid alternatives to trying to change the way you think, and these include mindful behavior, attention to personal values, and commitment to action. By taking steps to change their behavior while, at the same time, learning to accept their psychological experiences, clients can eventually change their attitude and emotional state.

Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT)

DBT is a psychotherapy that helps people learn and use new skills and strategies so that they build lives they feel are worth living. Dialectical means "the existence of opposites." In DBT, people are taught two seemingly opposite strategies: acceptance (i.e., that their experiences and behaviours are valid), and change (i.e., that they have to make positive changes to manage emotions and move forward). Through DBT you work to build skills in the following areas:

  • Mindfulness: the practice of being in the present and acknowledging thoughts, feelings and behaviours as they happen, without trying to control them

  • Distress tolerance: the process of learning how to cope during a crisis, especially when it is impossible to change, and accepting a situation as it is, rather than how it should be

  • Interpersonal effectiveness: the ability to ask for what a person needs and to say no when necessary, while still maintaining self-respect and relationships with others

  • Emotion regulation: the ability to manage emotions so that they do not control thoughts and behaviours.

Many children who are struggling with their mental health can have difficulties meeting the expectations in their environment. Their behaviour can appear oppositional, manipulative, or an overreaction, which can be very challenging for parents to manage. Both children and parents are trying their best with the skills and supports they have in those moments.

Services that offer a variety of free, confidential and professional treatment and support to help children, youth, and their families living in the area.

Self/Parent Guided Workbooks:

  • We recommend the Collaborative and Proactive Solution approach created by Dr. Ross Greene. This approach is outlined in his books, Raising Human Beings, Lost At School, and The Explosive Child and on the Lives in the Balance website.

For Children:

  • Don't Let Your Emotions Run Your Life for Kids: A DBT-Based Skills Workbook to Help Children Manage Mood Swings, Control Angry Outbursts, and Get Along with Others

  • Raising Your Spirited Child, Third Edition: A Guide for Parents Whose Child Is More Intense, Sensitive, Perceptive, Persistent, and Energetic 

  • Parenting a Child Who Has Intense Emotions: Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills to Help Your Child Regulate Emotional Outbursts and Aggressive Behavior

  • I'm Not Bad, I'm Just Mad: A Workbook to Help Kids Control Their Anger

  • The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook for Kids: Help for Children to Cope with Stress, Anxiety, and Transitions

  • Seven Steps to Help Your Child Worry Less: A Family Guide

  • What to Do workbooks are inexpensive and cover a number of challenges:

    • What to Do When Your Temper Flares: A Kid's Guide to Overcoming Problems With Anger

    • What to Do When You Worry Too Much: A Kid's Guide to Overcoming Anxiety

    • What to Do When Mistakes Make You Quake: A Kid's Guide to Accepting Imperfection

    • What to Do When You Grumble Too Much: A Kid's Guide to Overcoming Negativity

    • What to Do When It's Not Fair: A Kid's Guide to Handling Envy and Jealousy

    • What to Do When Your Brain Gets Stuck: A Kid's Guide to Overcoming OCD

For Adolescents

  • Intense Emotions:

    • Don't Let Your Emotions Run Your Life for Teens: Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills for Helping You Manage Mood Swings, Control Angry Outbursts, and Get Along with Others

    • Relationship Skills 101 for Teens: Your Guide to Dealing with Daily Drama, Stress, and Difficult Emotions Using DBT

  • Self-harm:

    • Mindfulness Workbook for Teen Self-Harm

    • DBT Skills Workbook for Teen Self-Harm

    • Stopping the Pain: A Workbook for Teens Who Cut and Self-Injure

  • Depression:

    • Beyond the Blues: A Workbook to Help Teens Overcome Depression

    • Mindfulness for Teen Depression: A Workbook for Improving Your Mood

  • Anxiety:

    • The Worry Workbook for Teens: Effective CBT Strategies to Break the Cycle of Chronic Worry and Anxiety

    • The Anxiety Workbook for Teens

    • The Mindfulness and Acceptance Workbook for Teen Anxiety: Activities to Help You Overcome Fears and Worries Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

  • Eating Issues:

    • Unpacking Your Eating Disorder

    • What’s Eating You?: A workbook for teens with anorexia, bulimia, and other eating disorders

    • The Body Image Workbook for Teens

  • Social Skills:

    • The Social Success Workbook for Teens

  • Self-Compassion/Self-Esteem:

    • The Self-Esteem Workbook for Teens

    • Conquer Negative Thinking for Teens

    • The Self-Compassion Workbook for Teens

Phone or Tablet Apps

  • Woebot 
  • MoodGYM
  • Headspace for Kids
  • Calm Child
  • Pacifica
  • Mindful Child
  • Smiling Mind

Psychotherapists in the community:

You may also search for psychologists online at www.psychologytoday.com/ca/therapists/on/kingston. Therapeutic services can be delivered by a range of professionals: psychologists, psychological associates, psychiatrists, social workers, medical doctors, counsellors, and psychotherapists. You want to enquire about their level of training and whether they are a member of a college. A college is a governing body whose primary goal is to ensure the public receives competent and ethical professional services.

The second most important thing when selecting a therapist is the fit of the practitioner and client. You want to feel supported, accepted, and able to communicate your thoughts and feelings in a non-judgmental space. Therapists will use different approaches in therapy. Some offer supportive counselling whereas others take a more structured approach. You can ask the practitioner about their approach and decide whether it seems like a good fit for you.

  • Resolve Counselling and Community Services - Offers a number of programs and services that have been developed to support individuals, couples, and families overcome challenges that affect their emotional and social well-being.

  • Addiction and Mental Health Services - KFLA - Offers mental health support in the way of case management, group treatment and support, crisis support individual counselling, and intensive support.

  • Providence Care Community Mental Health - Offers programs for mood disorder, personality disorders and for individuals who require higher levels of mental health support. A referral from a doctor is required.

  • Big White Wall - A multi-award winning digital mental health and wellbeing service, offering safe, anonymous online support available 24/7. It offers a range of therapeutic pathways, including peer and professional support and creative self-expression.

  • Employee Assistance Program - A network of over 900 mental health professionals providing face-to-face counselling, e-counselling and telephone counselling. Ask your employer if EAP is available.

  • Empower Me (Queen’s University students only) - Offers crisis and short term supportive counselling related to relationships, family care, depression, anxiety, addictions, stress, work conflicts and much more. Free of charge.

  • Good2Talk (Post-secondary students only) - A free, confidential support service for post-secondary students in Ontario. Good2Talk can support students through a wide range of issues that may be impacting their mental health and well-being, including: depression, anxiety, substance abuse, academic stress, personal or family relationships, loneliness, financial concerns and other challenges facing students transitioning to post-secondary.

  • Beacon Digital Therapy (iCBT) - Personalized online 1-to-1 counselling with a registered therapist. Free of charge.

  • AbilitiCBT - Internet based- CBT to help address anxiety symptoms related to the uniquely challenging aspects of the pandemic: uncertainty, isolation, caring for family and community members, information overload, and stress management. Free of charge.

  • Developmental Disabilities Consulting Program - Offering free, time-limited telephone consultations for parents and caregivers of individuals with intellectual disabilities. Call the intake coordinator at 613.519.2787 or email at info@developmentaldisabilitiesprogram.com. 

Self-guided Resources

  • Bounce Back Ontario (Canadian Mental Health Association) - Online resources with access to workbooks, activities, videos and a trained coach who can provide up to six telephone sessions.

  • Stronger Minds by Beacon Digital Therapy - A free digital program to support individuals during the COVID-19 crisis.  Support with Overcoming worry, fear and stress, staying positive and hopeful, dealing with isolation and loneliness, and parenting, maintaining motivation, getting better sleep. Videos and activities creating by mental health experts.

Workbooks

General

  • Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life: The New Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

Anxiety

  • The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook: 6th Edition

  • The Anxiety and Worry Workbook: The Cognitive Behavioral Solution

  • The Cognitive Behavioral Workbook for Anxiety: A Step-By-Step Program

  • The Mindfulness and Acceptance Workbook for Anxiety: A Guide to Breaking Free from Anxiety, Phobias, and Worry Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

Depression

  • Mind Over Mood Workbook

  • The Cognitive Behavioral Workbook for Depression: A Step-By-Step Program

  • The Mindfulness and Acceptance Workbook for Depression: Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to Move Through Depression and Create a Life Worth Living

Dialectical Behavioral Approaches

  • The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook: Practical DBT Exercises for Learning Mindfulness, Interpersonal Effectiveness, Emotion Regulation, and Distress Tolerance

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

  • The OCD Workbook: Your Guide to Breaking Free from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder 

  • The Mindfulness Workbook for OCD: A Guide to Overcoming Obsessions and Compulsions Using Mindfulness and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy 

Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Program

MBSR is an eight-week evidence-based program that offers secular, intensive mindfulness training to assist people with stress, anxiety, depression and pain. Read more here at The Mindfulness Institute

The program is available online:

  • Palouse Mindfulness offers an 8 week MBSR free online program and resources.

Phone Apps

  • Insight Timer
  • What’s Up
  • Mood Kit
  • WoeBot
  • Head Space
  • Happify
  • Anxiety Coach
  • iCBT

Psychotherapists in the community:

You may also search for psychologists online at www.psychologytoday.com/ca/therapists/on/kingston. Therapeutic services can be delivered by a range of professionals: psychologists, psychological associates, psychiatrists, social workers, medical doctors, counsellors, and psychotherapists. You want to enquire about their level of training and whether they are a member of a college. A college is a governing body whose primary goal is to ensure the public receives competent and ethical professional services.

The second most important thing when selecting a therapist is the fit of the practitioner and client. You want to feel supported, accepted, and able to communicate your thoughts and feelings in a non-judgmental space. Therapists will use different approaches in therapy. Some offer supportive counselling whereas others take a more structured approach. You can ask the practitioner about their approach and decide whether it seems like a good fit for you.