Kids/Teens Sessions
A therapeutic space for boys & girls 6+
Faren helps kids/teens who:
Have experienced divorce/separation of their parents
Have behavioural issues at home or school
Are neurodivergent
Struggle with depression, anxiety, loneliness, or attachment issues
Have been bullied and/or struggle with low self esteem and identity issues
Struggle to open up or want to improve their communication and/or public performance.
Have low self-esteem and low self-confidence
Want to learn to engage their strengths, need vocational/study guidance
Need help with reading/learning strategies
Are engaging in self-harm or other destructive behaviours
Have experienced trauma or loss and have already received immediate support but could benefit from long-term treatment
Faren integrates TELEO software in her work with children and teens. However, parents have the option—indicated on the intake form—to choose the therapeutic approach they feel best suits their child. Options include digital tools like TELEO, hands-on arts and crafts, EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), or traditional talk therapy.
How Virtual Kids/Teens Sessions Work:
Faren uses a blended approach that seamlessly integrates parent involvement with interactive, relative therapy, ensuring effective, engaging care for your child/teen.
Prior to the initial session parents/guardians are required to fill out an intake form/assessment which will help Faren learn more about what brings your child to therapy as well as give you an opportunity to indicate your specific preferences for the approach taken which your child.
In virtual sessions, Faren spends time engaging your child/teens unique inner-world, skillfully exploring their interests and building rapport—Faren transitions the time together into a focused 30-45 minute age-appropriate therapeutic session designed to help your child/teen open up, feel supported, heal, and build the mental, emotional pathways needed to reach their goals.
Successful children/teens therapy relies on the involvement of the parents/caregivers. Because children function according to the health of their own home and educational environment - Faren allows parents to opt in for free ongoing support in-between sessions through a secure messaging portal. Here Faren will provide session summaries (detailing the interventions used, treatment plan, and important observations), as well as any recommendations and resources, all while maintaining your child/teen’s trust and sense of confidentiality. Faren also offers optional parent or caregiver consults (up to 20 minutes once per week) available free of charge for children under 13 years old, as well as older teens provided that they consent. These may be booked under the “Consultation” section of the booking portal.
Faren utilizes both specialized and integrative approaches with techniques taken from Interactive Digital Art and Play Therapy, Narrative Play Therapy, Bibliotherapy, Experiential therapy, Motivational Interviewing, EMDR, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT).
Questions?
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Faren has over 15 years experience in working with children, beginning her journey at 17 years-old in Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa, caring for abandoned infants, she pursued a Level 4 Child Psychology course before obtaining her degrees. Her experience spans working with children aged 3 months to 18 years old in formal educational settings, churches, non-profits, as well as in private home settings in South Africa, Canada, the USA, and Bolivia.
Faren is experienced in addressing sensitive family issues such as terminal illness, divorce, abuse, and addictions. Faren has supported children with special needs, including ADHD, selective mutism, autism, FASD, down syndrome, and more.
She has worked as a nanny, a mentor, and a homeschooling teacher for kids/teens from various backgrounds. With over seven years of experience in formal educational settings, including 5-years of teaching and assisting second and third-language learners at Creative Education Center in South Africa, she has collaborated closely with single parents, blended families, and families facing difficult challenges.
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Faren collaborates closely with parents, respecting their unique worldviews and belief systems. An intake process is conducted—preceded by a comprehensive intake form—where parents are encouraged to specify their moral, religious, and value-based preferences. Faren is committed to aligning therapeutic approaches with the family's values, ensuring that children are guided by the principles their parents uphold, rather than generalized societal norms.
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Virtual art and play therapy is an interactive low-stimulus approach that uses both specialized digital software and tangible methods (your choice) to help younger children learn, process, and heal through engaging means including art, play, and storytelling, as well as older teens to open up about their experiences and receive appropriate guidance and support.
Delivered via secure video conferencing, Faren guides your child/teen in conversation and creative exercises tailored to their goals, interests, and developmental needs, building resilience and effective coping skills—all from the comfort of their home.
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Choosing between regular therapy and EMDR for your child/teen depends on their specific needs and how they engage in therapeutic settings.
EMDR is more focused on targeted healing from trauma and/or anxiety, grief, and depression, whereas regular therapy is best-suited for cultivating motivation, behavioral modification, emotional development and coping skills, improving communication, and character building.
Regular therapy and EMDR sessions can be alternated or used in a hybrid approach and parents are encouraged to select their preferences on the intake form.
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Faren offers both regular therapy and EMDR sessions at the same rate for kids/teens to ensure that families can choose the most suitable, evidence-based approach without financial constraints influencing their decision.
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Child/teen sessions are focussed on the therapist’s interactions with your child. Faren uses the therapeutic relationship to make psychological observations, provide psychoeducation or age-appropriate psychological interventions, and to help implement new learning and coping strategies for your child/teen to improve their life.
It is best to book a family session if you’d like to mainly focus on improving your relationship with your child, or your child’s relationship with your family or a specific member thereof, through blended interactive sessions - which focus on your parenting style of choice, as well as modelling successful interactions through relationship-focussed interventions and exercises.
2025 Launch Pricing:
Only $70.00 CAD per kid/teen session, discount packages are available for existing clients.
Faren is experienced in using EMDR virtually and utilizes the S.A.F.E. approach. She has completed various accredited certificates in EMDR that are EMDRIA-approved, including, but not limited to, EMDR for children.
