SERVICES
Reunification Counselling
Program for High-Conflict/Court-Involved Families
Has a separation, divorce, prolonged conflict, or court involvement created distance between you and your child? When parent-child relationships have been disrupted by these situations, finding a path back to connection can be complex. Bright Star Counselling offers a child-led, clinically appropriate reunification counselling program for families in British Columbia who are navigating high-conflict/court-involved situations.
What is Reunification Counselling?
Reunification counselling is a structured, child-centred, and clinically guided process for families working toward rebuilding parent-child relationships post-separation/divorce. Our experienced clinicians at Bright Star Counselling have specialized knowledge of child development, family relationships, and the ways children experience separation, conflict, and disrupted attachment. We consider the child's developmental stage, emotional capacity, individual needs, and relationship with each parent when determining how to approach the reunification process.
Reunification is rarely a simple matter of putting a parent and child in the same room. Children may have strong feelings, parents may have different perspectives, and families may be navigating court orders, lawyers, previous interventions, and years of strained relationships.
At Bright Star Counselling, we work with families closely in our family reunification program to create the conditions for safety, trust, connection, and meaningful relationship repair, while recognizing that rebuilding a relationship takes time. We may work individually with parents and children, provide parent coaching and education, facilitate supported parent-child sessions, and gradually support transitions toward less structured contact when clinically appropriate.
Reunification counselling is not about determining which parent is right or wrong. Our role in this program is to remain clinically neutral while focusing on the child's well-being and the development of healthier parent-child relationships.
How Does Our Family Reunification Program Work?
Regardless of who is involved and the circumstances that have taken place, the child comes first. Initial sessions include meeting with each parent or caregiver individually. We also meet the child individually, ensuring they feel welcomed, comfortable, and safe enough to express their feelings and thoughts. When the child is ready, we move to in-clinic sessions—we use art, games, and therapeutic play to help build the parent-child relationship. We may then recommend community visits, which we do not attend, however we do provide coordination and support. From there, we transition to the child having a home visit, to sleepovers, to full parenting time if appropriate.
Our work is grounded in the understanding that children should not ever be expected to navigate adult conflict or carry responsibility for repairing adult relationships. We create a therapeutic environment where children can express their experiences and feelings in developmentally appropriate ways, while supporting parents in understanding and responding to their child's needs.
We recognize that every child and family is different. Some children may be eager to reconnect, while others may feel anxious, uncertain, resistant, and/or conflicted. Our clinicians realize there is more than only one pathway to reunification. We carefully consider where the child and family are starting and develop a process that is developmentally informed, relationship-focused, and responsive to the family's individual needs.
Who Works in Our Reunification Program?
Reunification sessions are overseen by our Clinical Director, Sonja Friedland, and our senior child and family therapists: Roland Boutin, Ayesha Azfar, Hillary Gallinger, and Manjima Salim, who have extensive experience working with high-conflict and court-involved families. These team members also have additional training in reunification counselling and experience working with family lawyers, parenting coordinators, and court orders.
The Role of Legal Coordination in Our Process
We prefer to and almost always work with family lawyers who ensure we have court orders to support our treatment plans. These orders are often quite detailed and will include who pays for the sessions, the number of sessions, times, treatment goals, cancelled sessions, and strategies to address a parent not cooperating with the agreed-upon treatment plan.
How We Report Progress and Manage Billing
We provide reports to the court and parents on progress and the estimated number of sessions. Depending on the complexity of the family situation, we do require a retainer to cover communication with court/lawyers and other community contacts. Sessions are billed at the time of attendance.
Reunification Takes Time, Patience, and Commitment
We understand that reunification can be challenging, particularly when families are experiencing high conflict or ongoing legal proceedings. Our experienced team provides structure, clinical guidance, and developmental expertise throughout the process. We also coordinate with lawyers and other professionals involved with the family while maintaining our clinical role and focus.
Our goal is to help create a relationship that can be sustained beyond the counselling room. Every child deserves to have their experience understood, their developmental needs considered, and their relationships supported with care.