Specializing in Child & Family Psychology and Mental Health

Family awareness and early identification are often the first steps to effective treatment for children and youth with mental health disorders, so recognizing symptoms as they occur is essential. This can be difficult as our behaviour often fluctuates, and what is “normal” for one youth is not for another. Their mental health is sometimes difficult to understand, and it can be challenging to identify behaviour that signals a serious problem. It is normal for children and youth to exhibit some of the following symptoms at some point in their lives:

• decreased grades at school
• trouble with peers
• increased irritability
• temper outbursts
• change in appetite (increase or decrease)
• change in sleep patterns (increase or decrease)
• loss of interest in things they once enjoyed
• lack of energy or motivation
• rebellious behaviour including hitting or bullying others
• experimentation with drugs and/or alcohol
• worrying about things
• mood swings
• lack of concern about their appearance
• concerns with body weight

However, if there is an increase in such behaviours – if they become intense, persistent or interfere with your son or daughter’s ability to function at home or school – it could signal an underlying mental health disorder. 

The Oak Centre primarily offers assessment and treatment, although we do provide additional services such as consultation to other professionals and supervision of students.

The Oak Centre provides the following assessments:

• Psychological Assessment
• Developmental Diagnostic Assessment
• Diagnostic Assessment
• Neuropsychological Assessment
• Gifted Assessment

Click here to learn more about our assessments

Our first meeting is an opportunity for us to engage, to get to know each other, and for our professionals to learn more about the issues and begin the process of developing an individualized treatment plan or plan for assessment. It is also a time when you are encouraged to talk about the issues in as much detail as possible, and to ask questions. Our waiting room contains a wide assortment of toys and books to help your child relax prior to our meeting. There will be a few forms to complete, such as a confidentiality agreement as well as a consent to assessment/treatment form.

First session for therapy: If the child is relatively young, they are welcome to play on the floor with a selection of developmentally appropriate toys, books or colouring materials, and to join in the conversation at any time. If the meeting is with an adolescent, then we initially meet as a group for about 15 minutes to introduce ourselves, discuss confidentiality, and address your questions. Adolescents are strongly encouraged to join in, especially when we are discussing them! We will also speak with the teenager alone to hear the issues in their own words and to get information about what they would like to see changed.

First session for assessment: An assessment begins with a meeting with the parents alone. We will take a detailed history of the problems, discuss current concerns, provide information about the testing process, and leave you with a package of questionnaires to complete at your convenience. We often ask for written consent to obtain any previous assessment reports or medical records, consent to speak with your child’s or adolescent’s teacher and possibly to arrange a site-visit to your child’s daycare or classroom. You will be encouraged to ask questions about the process and to provide as much information as possible so that we can get a thorough understanding of the problem.

Our approach depends on your child/youth and family’s needs, although we do adhere to evidence-based treatments. These include approaches such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT), Emotion Focussed Therapy (EFT), EMDR, solution-focussed therapy, and narrative therapy.

Your privacy is respected and protected under Ontario’s Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA) and federally under the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPED). This means that formal written or verbal consent must be obtained by clients (or their legal guardians) before any information can be disclosed.

There are certain circumstances, however, when we are required, by law, to share information, which can be explained to you in detail at the time of your visit. For more immediate information around your rights to privacy, please see the website: https://www.ipc.on.ca. Please contact us if you have any further questions about privacy.