UPDATE: We are currently accepting new clients ONLINE ONLY
Raising kids is hard. Raising kids with suspected or diagnosed FASD is ridiculously hard. The chaos, the impulsivity, the different ways they learn, the lack of cause and effect, and the constant over-stimulation that leads to outbursts and meltdowns on a regular basis. The weird physical symptoms don’t help either. FASD is hard. Really, really hard. It’s hard on the kids who have it and the parents who are trying to survive the day.
Jenna Hill, Executive Director and therapist at Southern Ontario Counselling Services, is also a foster/grandparent to two little boys with FASD. Recognizing that local services are limited, and those that are offered often don’t work with the unique challenges of children with FASD, (No sticker charts!) Jenna has developed a way of helping families manage the chaos (and the joy) of raising these very vulnerable children. Southern Ontario Counselling Services utilizes the Neuro-Behavioural Model developed by Diane Malbin in her book, “Trying Differently, Rather Than Harder”.
All of the clinicians in our practice, wanting to work with families affected by FASD, are trained in this model as it is literally the only way of working with children affected by prenatal alcohol exposure that has had a positive effect on families. Many of the regular interventions provided by play therapy or counselling services are ineffectual and often increase stress and chaos in families. We’re here to reduce the stress, increase the successes for your child and your family, and to provide supports that are evidence based and work.
We do not provide therapy for children with FASD, as we believe those children are best served by occupational therapy if required, and modifying the environment. What we do offer is help for parents who want less frustration and more success. Once strategies and supports for managing the kid(s) are in place, we can help you manage your exhaustion, grief (so much grief!), and fear about the future using therapeutic techniques that have worked for many other families, just like yours.
If you’re struggling as a caregiver with children you suspect have FASD or have been diagnosed, you’re going to want to connect with us. Give us a call at 506-346-2655or email us at southernontariocounselling@gmail.com
