SERVICES
Reunification Counselling
Has a separation or divorce created distance between you and your child? Bright Star Counselling offers families supportive guidance towards a path of reconnection, care, and understanding in our reunification counselling program.
At the heart of our program is a supportive and nurturing space where children, youth, and their families can better strengthen and re-establish healthy parent/child relationships, which we typically work with following a separation/divorce. Our sessions are designed to meet the unique needs of each family.
How Does Our Family Reunification Program Work?
We meet with each parent individually and then each child—the number of sessions will depend on how ‘ready’ we feel the child or parent is to begin the reunification process. We may refer a parent/child for further counselling or parent coaching in the event that more work is needed before we begin.
How We Prepare Parents and Children for Reunification
Reunification sessions are run by our Clinical Director, Sonja Friedland, a registered social worker, and other registered clinical counsellors on our team, and involve supporting the interaction between parent and child, eventually only supervising the session. Sessions are often play-based and follow the lead and readiness of the child.
What Else to Expect in Reunification Sessions
When ready, we move these sessions into the community, which we do not attend but provide coordination and support. From there, we transition to the child having a home visit, to sleepovers, to full parenting time if appropriate.
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 plan. These orders are often quite detailed and will include who pays for the sessions, the number of sessions, times, treatment goals, canceled 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.