When working with clients, I believe in creating a circle of care. For children and adolescents, that means ensuring their general physician is aware of the challenges they may be facing so they can make the necessary referrals to help your child or youth thrive. Depending on the area you live, your family doctor can refer your child or teen to a suitable program. For those in York Region some options are:

• Worry Busters, which is a group therapy program for kids aged 9-12 who are struggling with anxiety.
• ATLAS, which is the Adolescent Treatment and Learning Alternate Service program geared towards teens aged 12-18 who have difficulty attending or succeeding at school due to anxiety and/or depression.
• TAY, which is a program for Transitional Age Youth aged 18-26 that pairs coping strategies with life skills to address the unique needs of people transitioning between adolescence and adulthood.

If you live outside of York Region, your general practitioner can refer you to a local program that would be a good fit. Please note, these kinds of support programs tend to have a long waitlist, so getting on them sooner rather than later is always a good idea.