Individual Therapy and Parent Support
Every story is different — your therapy should be too.
Therapy isn’t about finding the right technique; it’s about finding the right fit.
Research shows that what matters most in therapy is the relationship — one grounded in empathy, authenticity, and non-judgment. At VAULT, that’s where we begin.
We meet you where you are and walk with you from there — offering a space that feels steady, attuned, and collaborative. The goal is not to fix you, but to help you feel more in charge of your own story and equipped to navigate what life brings.
Individual Therapy
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Therapy at Vault is built on relationship — not prescription.
We believe that meaningful change begins when you feel seen, understood, and supported without judgment. That sense of safety allows for honesty, self-reflection, and the courage to do things differently.Our therapists bring both deep clinical training and a genuine human presence to their work. You can expect an approach that’s compassionate and evidence-informed — grounded in collaboration, curiosity, and care. We meet you where you are and walk with you from there, at a pace that feels right for you.
At Vault, you’re not another case file. You’re a person with a story — and we take that seriously.
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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.
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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.
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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
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Parenting someone who’s struggling can be both heartbreaking and confusing. You may feel helpless, worried, or unsure how to respond — or like you’ve tried everything and nothing seems to work.
Our Parent Support sessions are designed to help parents and caregivers feel more confident, grounded, and connected to their child, teen, or adult loved one.
Using Emotion-Focused Skills Training for Parents (EFST-P), developed by Dr. Joanne Dolhanty, we help caregivers:
Strengthen emotional connection with their child
Respond to strong emotions in ways that heal rather than escalate
Move through guilt, fear, and frustration
Support recovery while caring for themselves
Parent support can help whether your loved one is navigating mental health, physical health, behavioural, or relational challenges.
You don’t have to have all the answers — you just need a place to start. We’ll meet you there.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Do I Need to Attend With My Child?
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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.
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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.
FAQs
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Your first session involves us meeting and beginning to unpack what brings you to therapy, your background and this may involve a brief case history. The goals of therapy are then formed and based on a collaborative effort to help develop an understanding of what is troubling you, the source of that discomfort, and how to move beyond your difficulties to at least, a non-harmful approach to balance and live your life. You are encouraged to talk about whatever issues you wish and it is equally important that you not talk about anything that you wish not to disclose. You are viewed as the expert on yourself and the therapist is there to help uncover and deepen your expertise.
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You will get as much out of therapy as you are willing to put into it. We will incorporate different exercises as well as talk and ask questions to facilitate your growth and recovery. This experience will be amplified by your willingness to spend time with yourself and work on what has been discussed in therapy, between sessions. This way, you will develop the skills and ability to overcome difficult experiences and emotions and to deepen your self-awareness when you are on your own, in between sessions, and long after therapy has ended.
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At Vault Psychotherapy we offer individual therapy across the life span for a number of presenting concerns.
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Contact us for more details