Your first few sessions are about getting to know you — who you are, what brings you here, and what you hope will be different.
We’ll spend time understanding your story, your goals, and what has or hasn’t helped in the past.

There’s no pressure to share everything all at once. You set the pace. We’ll work together to identify what’s most important to focus on right now and begin exploring tools or perspectives that support that change.

You can expect:

• A space that is private, calm, and non-judgmental

• A therapist who listens with care and curiosity

• A collaborative plan for where we’re heading and how we’ll know when things start to shift

The first few sessions are less about “fixing” and more about creating a foundation for real, sustainable progress.

Individual therapy at Vault is for anyone who’s ready to pause, take stock, and begin to understand themselves or their relationships in new ways.

You might be feeling anxious, stuck, or overwhelmed. You may be navigating a loss, a transition, or patterns that keep repeating. Or perhaps you’re simply ready to do some inner work — to deepen self-awareness, reconnect with emotion, and create space for change.

We work with children, youth and adults and tailor every session to your unique needs, goals, and context.

Therapy can be a fit whether you’ve been before or this is your very first time reaching out.

Our therapists draw from a range of evidence-based, experiential, and relational approaches — always adapting the work to fit your goals, values, and way of being.

We start from the foundation of Emotion-Focused Skills Training (EFST) — an approach that helps individuals and families strengthen emotional awareness, increase self-compassion, and transform emotion into a source of clarity and growth.

We also integrate:

• Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT) – to deepen understanding of emotional processes and create lasting change from within

• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) – to identify and shift unhelpful patterns in thinking and behaviour that contribute to distress

• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) – to help you move toward what matters most by building psychological flexibility and acceptance

• DBT-informed approaches – to strengthen regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness

• Attachment-based therapy – to promote safety and secure connection

• Mindfulness and compassion-focused practices – to cultivate awareness and self-kindness

• Behaviour Modification – to help develop new skills and reduce unhelpful patterns of behaviour

• Motivational Interviewing – to explore ambivalence and enhance motivation for change

• Solution-Focused Therapy – to identify goals and focus on actionable steps toward them

• Exposure & Response Prevention (ERP) – for clients working with anxiety, phobias, or OCD patterns

• Systemic and family-informed perspectives – to consider the broader relational patterns that shape experience

No single model defines the work we do.

At VAULT, every approach is guided by empathy, authenticity, and collaboration — helping you build insight, resilience, and the capacity for meaningful change.

Parent Support is for caregivers who want to feel more equipped to support their child or loved one’s emotional well-being — regardless of age, diagnosis, or circumstance.

You might benefit if:

• Your child, teen, or adult loved one is struggling with mental health, behavioural, or physical health challenges

• You feel stuck between wanting to help and not knowing how

• You find yourself walking on eggshells or feeling like nothing you say or do seems to help

• You want to repair connection and strengthen trust

• You’re carrying guilt, worry, or exhaustion and want tools to navigate those emotions

Parent Support is also valuable for professionals or extended family members in caregiving roles who want to respond more effectively to a loved one’s emotional needs.

You don’t need to be perfect — just willing to show up with openness and curiosity.

Parent Support works best when you come ready to explore your own emotional experience as a parent or caregiver. We’ll look together at what gets triggered, what fears might show up, and how to stay emotionally present even in the hardest moments.

You’ll learn concrete, evidence-based skills — but also how to use those skills in a way that feels authentic to you and your family.

You can expect to:

• Learn the core EFST skills of emotion coaching, relationship repair, and self-work

• Apply these skills to real-life situations at home

• Reflect between sessions on what’s shifting or getting stuck

• Bring both successes and setbacks into the room — both are part of growth

Progress often happens in small but meaningful ways — a softer moment, a new response, a reconnection after conflict. Those moments build over time.

Parent Support sessions are 50 minutes long and focused on your specific family context.
You don’t need your child or loved one to attend — the work is powerful even when done with parents alone.

Sessions may include:

• Exploring your loved one’s emotional needs and patterns

• Identifying and managing your own emotional reactions

• Practicing EFST techniques such as emotion coaching and repair

• Reflecting on progress and setting small, achievable goals between sessions

The pace is collaborative and flexible — always responsive to what feels manageable for you.

Emotion-Focused Skills Training for Parents (EFST) is based on the understanding that emotions — not logic — are what drive behaviour and connection. When parents learn to respond to emotions with presence rather than fear or avoidance, change happens naturally.

EFST helps parents access compassion for both their loved one and themselves. It empowers caregivers to become active agents of healing in their families, not by doing more, but by responding differently.

Research shows that when parents become more emotionally attuned and confident, their children’s emotional well-being improves — even if the child isn’t in therapy themselves.

Do I Need to Attend With My Child?

Many parents or co-caregivers have different approaches — that’s normal. Parent Support can help each of you understand what’s driving your responses and learn to align around shared goals. You’ll practice communication strategies that reduce conflict and build a sense of teamwork in your parenting.

Sometimes, one co-parent may be unable or unwilling to attend therapy. This does not mean that change isn’t possible, or that your child won’t benefit from the work you do. Even when only one parent participates, Parent Support can help you develop new skills, improve emotional connection, and create a more supportive environment for your child.

Where appropriate, we can also provide guidance on how to communicate and implement strategies with a co-parent outside of sessions, ensuring that progress continues regardless of their participation.

Yes. Parent Support often works beautifully alongside your child’s individual therapy. When parents are emotionally supported and equipped with effective tools, the child’s therapeutic progress tends to deepen and sustain.

With your consent, we can collaborate with your child’s therapist or healthcare team to ensure everyone is working in a consistent and supportive direction.