Emotional Regulation in Children
Big feelings are normal in children. Not having tools to manage them is normal too, until it starts getting in the way.
✓ Same-week ✓ Direct billing ✓ Sliding scale ✓ Licensed therapists
Book a free consultationBig feelings are normal in children. Not having tools to manage them is normal too, until it starts getting in the way.
✓ Same-week ✓ Direct billing ✓ Sliding scale ✓ Licensed therapists
Book a free consultationEvery clinician is registered with a regulatory college — the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO), the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers (OCSWSSW), or the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO).
We want therapy to be financially accessible for everyone. Reduced rates are available case-by-case based on need and availability.
We submit directly to most major insurers, so you don't pay out of pocket upfront.
Our office is in Ottawa. All client records are stored in Canada and handled under PIPEDA and PHIPA.
Therapy is a space to slow down and look at what's underneath. These are some of the patterns people bring into the room.
FOR WHEN SOMETHING FEELS OFF
A small disappointment becomes a large crisis. The reaction may not match what happened. The upset can take a long time to pass, and while they're in it, little seems to reach them.
Moving from one activity to another, coming home from school, getting ready in the morning, handling the end of screen time. Transitions reliably produce distress, and it's not always clear what to do differently.
Once the wave of emotion comes, it can take a very long time to subside. It can be hard to reason with them during it, and both of you are exhausted after.
Emotional regulation therapy for children at Auren Wellness is developmentally appropriate, play-informed, and practical. Children don't develop emotional regulation skills by being told to calm down. They develop them through experience, practice, and co-regulation with a responsive adult. We draw on play-based work and cognitive-behavioural tools adapted for children. In sessions, children work on developing awareness of their own emotional states, learning to identify what they're feeling in their body before it peaks, and building a toolkit of strategies they can actually use. This is done through play, drawing, movement, and conversation, depending on the child's age and what engages them. Equally important is the work with parents. Emotional regulation is co-regulated first — children learn to manage their own emotions partly through the experience of being regulated with a calm adult. We give parents concrete strategies for how to respond in the moment, aimed at helping their child come back to a calm state rather than escalating or accidentally reinforcing the dysregulation. For families where the parent-child dynamic around these episodes has become a source of conflict, see our page on therapy for parent-child conflict.
Email, phone, or fill out our booking form. There's no script and no pressure. You can share as much or as little as you want.
A real person, not a bot, will reply as soon as we can with a few options for a free 15-minute consultation.
We listen. You ask questions. No paperwork, no obligation. If we're not the right match, we'll point you toward someone who might be.
Direct billing where possible. Evening and weekend availability. Virtual or in-person in Ottawa.
Sessions are 50 minutes in length. Rates vary by therapist and are confirmed during your free consultation. We accept e-transfer and credit cards, and direct-bill most insurers.
Sliding-scale spots are available based on need. Ask during your free consultation.
Same 50-minute format, structured for two participants and shared concerns.
Registered Psychotherapist and Registered Social Worker services are covered by most extended health plans in Canada. We recommend confirming your specific coverage before your first paid session. Sun Life, Manulife, Canada Life, Green Shield, and most major insurers include coverage.
We direct-bill where your insurer allows it. Otherwise, you pay at the time of session and submit the receipt for reimbursement.
Every session generates a receipt listing the provider's license number, suitable for insurance reimbursement.
In-person sessions are held at our Ottawa office. Virtual sessions use a secure, PIPEDA-compliant video platform. You can switch between the two.
We ask for 24 hours notice on cancellations. Late cancellations and no-shows are charged the full session fee.
After the free 15-minute consultation, your first paid session is intake-focused. Bring questions, anything you have already tried, and any goals you have in mind.
QUESTIONS
We work with children across a range of ages. The specific age range varies by therapist. Approaches and tools are adapted to the child's developmental stage — what we do with a six-year-old looks very different from what we do with a twelve-year-old. We'll match your child with a therapist well-suited to their age.
This is one of the most common things parents describe, and it usually isn't a sign that something is wrong at home. Many children spend the whole school day working hard to hold themselves together, and home is the place safe enough to let that go. It can be exhausting to be on the receiving end of. Part of the work is helping your child build capacity so there's less left over at the end of the day, and helping you respond to the after-school unravelling in a way that doesn't escalate it.
It depends on the child's age and what they're working on. For younger children, parent involvement in sessions is often higher. As children get older, having their own space in the session tends to be more useful. We'll structure this based on what's most likely to help your child.
Progress in this work tends to show up gradually rather than all at once. Often the first change parents notice isn't fewer difficult moments but shorter ones, or a quicker recovery afterwards, or their child being able to name what happened once they're calm. We'll talk with you regularly about what you're seeing at home, and if the approach doesn't seem to be a fit, we would rather raise that with you than keep going.
It can be related. Emotional dysregulation is common in children with ADHD, autism, sensory differences, and anxiety. Therapy can still help alongside any other supports, and we'll talk through the full picture during the consultation.
A great deal. Emotional regulation is co-regulated first — children learn partly through the experience of being calmed by a steady adult. We give parents concrete strategies for responding in the moment, and that's often where the most meaningful change happens.
Regulation develops gradually throughout childhood, and skills can be supported at any age with approaches matched to development. What we do with a six-year-old looks very different from what we do with a twelve-year-old. We'll match your child with a therapist suited to their stage.
Sessions are 50 minutes. Rates vary by therapist and are confirmed during your free 15-minute consultation. We accept e-transfer and credit, direct-bill where your insurer allows, and hold a limited number of sliding-scale spots. Full details are on our fair-fee page.
Psychotherapy isn't covered by OHIP, but most extended health plans cover sessions with a Registered Psychotherapist or Registered Social Worker. Check whether your plan lists those services under mental health, and we'll direct-bill where your insurer allows.
It depends on what you're working through. Some families come for a handful of sessions focused on a specific issue; others stay longer. We review how things are going regularly, and you're not locked into a fixed number of sessions.
Therapy is a longer-term relationship. If you're in acute distress, please reach the services below first. They are free, confidential, and available right now.
