Family Therapy / Parent Coaching in Camrose & Across Alberta

What type of family therapy is offered?

When kids present with emotional or behavioural challenges, parenting can become absolutely overwhelming.

Our approach to family therapy is guided by Emotion Focused Family Therapy (EFFT). Some foundational components of EFT include:

the unwaivering belief in the healing power of families
caregivers as powerful agents of change
the role of the therapist to support caregivers in learning the skills and mastering the feelings in order to support change

Using EFFT, parents are given a significant role in their child’s recovery. Parents are honoured as experts in their family life and offered skills and strategies to shift family dynamics, strengthen relationships, and alter emotional or behavioural concerns.

Advanced caregiving skills are shared with parents, including emotion coaching, behaviour coaching, and relationship repair. The therapist also helps parents work through any fears and obstacles that arise during this challenging journey. Underlying this work is a strong belief in the healing power of families. No parent or child is too young or too old for this kind of healing work.

Who is this approach suited for?

EFFT is based on the unwaivering belief in the healing power of families across the lifespan. No parent or child is to young or too old.

One of the beauties of EFFT is that the therapy does not rely on the motivation or formal involvement of the loved one. Caregivers meet with the therapist and then caregivers implement changes at home.

Evidence Base

There is a large body of evidence indicating the effectiveness of EFFT. Themes include the following outcomes:

increases in caregivers confidence that they could support their child
higher levels of caregiver satisfaction
reductions in a child’s symptoms

Goveas, A., Duku, E., Sabey, A., Uppal Dhariwal, T., & Duncan, L. (2024). Outpatient treatment of children and adolescents using emotion-focused family therapy (EFFT) caregiver workshops: A pre-to postintervention evaluation. Couple and Family Psychology: Research and Practice.

Foroughe, M., Browne, D. T., Thambipillai, P., Cordeiro, K., & Muller, R. T. (2023). Brief emotion‐focused family therapy: A 12‐month follow‐up study. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 49(2), 394-410.

Smith, J. A., Bandealy, A., & Browne, D. T. (2023). A case study of virtually delivered emotion‐focused family therapy. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 49(3), 692-713.

Sabey, A. K., Stillar, A., & Lafrance, A. (2022). Processes and outcomes of an emotion‐focused family therapy two‐chair intervention for transforming problematic parenting patterns. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 48(3), 738-757.

Cordeiro, K., Wyers, C., Oliver, M., Foroughe, M., & Muller, R. T. (2022). Caregiver maltreatment history and treatment response following an intensive Emotion Focused Family Therapy workshop. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy.

Nash, P., Renelli, M., Stillar, A., Streich, B., & Lafrance, A. (2020). Long-Term Outcomes of a Brief Emotion-Focused Family Therapy Intervention for Eating Disorders Across the Lifespan: A Mixed-Methods Study. Canadian Journal of Counselling & Psychotherapy/Revue Canadienne de Counseling et de Psychothérapie, 54(2).

Wilhelmsen-Langeland, A., Aardal, H., Hjelmseth, V., Fyhn, K. H., & Stige, S. H. (2019). An Emotion Focused Family Therapy workshop for parents with children 6-12 years increased parental self-efficacy. Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties, 1-13.

Foroughe, M., Stillar, A., Goldstein, L., Dolhanty, J., Goodcase, E. T., & Lafrance, A. (2018). Brief Emotion Focused Family Therapy: An Intervention for Parents of Children and Adolescents with Mental Health Issues. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy.

Strahan, E. J., Stillar, A., Files, N., Nash, P., Scarborough, J., Connors, L., ... & Orr, E. Lafrance, A. (2017). Increasing parental self-efficacy with Emotion-Focused Family Therapy for eating disorders: a process model. Person-Centered & Experiential Psychotherapies, 16(3), 256-269.

Who Offers Family Therapy / Parent Coaching

A woman with wavy, shoulder-length light brown hair, smiling, wearing a tan blazer over a black top, against a dark background.

Dr. Kendell Banack

Owner & Director, Registered Psychologist

Learn more

A woman with glasses and wavy brown hair smiling indoors, wearing a black top and burgundy jacket.

Maria Skriver

Registered Psychologist

Learn more

EFFT Resources

For more great resources, visit Mental Health Foundations

How to Start the Process

Look at our therapist profiles and see if you feel drawn to one!
The fastest route for connecting with a therapist is by clicking the “Request an Appointment” button which can be found in multiple locations on the website. From here, you can book an initial consultation.
Other options include (1) completing the contact form at the bottom of the page, (2) sending an email to our general email (crmhinfo@gmail.com) or to a therapist directly (found at the bottom of the bio pages), or (3) calling our office. If you leave a voicemail, please let us know your name, and if you are comfortable, an email address you are comfortable using for communication.
Once you have contacted us, a team member will be in touch to gather some information to support us with an appropriate referral to a clinician.
Please give our team a few days to respond to requests. If you do not hear back from us, please feel free to call or send email to crmhinfo@gmail.com
You therapist will be in touch to set up a first appointment.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our team at crmhinfo@gmail.com

FAQs About Therapy

Clients are provided secure online forms to complete prior to the first session including a consent form outlining confidentiality, how to connect with your therapist, record storage, and our cancellation policy.
For in-person clients, you will be provided a code to enter our private waiting room. This code can be found in your text or email appointment reminder. On the day of your appointment, your therapist will meet you in the waiting area when she is ready and she will welcome you into her confidential office space.
For virtual clients, your therapist will provide a link for a secure video connection prior to your appointment.
In the first session, your therapist will review components of the consent form including confidentiality and the limits to confidentiality. Your therapist will then work with you to understand why you are seeking therapy at this time and what you are hoping to get out of therapy.
First sessions can feel intimidating because you are meeting someone new and telling parts of your story, perhaps for the first time. This is normal. We will do our best to make you feel comfortable and safe. If you have any questions, if you are feeling nervous, or if you do not feel like there is a fit between you and your therapist, have a conversation with your therapist!
Services provided by psychologists are confidential. We are regulated health professionals, and therefore we are upheld to this rule of confidentiality by the College of Alberta Psychologists.
If you are an adult, the information you provide is confidential. We cannot even confirm or deny that you are a client (ie: to your partner or doctor) without your consent.
If you are a parent or caregiver of a child in therapy, you will work with your psychologist to determine appropriate information sharing depending on the age of the child.
There are times that psychologists must disclose confidential information, even without the consent of clients. These circumstances include:
- If the client is in serious or imminent danger of gravely harming themselves or others (please note, suicidal thoughts without active planning are common in clients, and without serious or imminent risk, it is not necessary for a psychologist to disclose this information without consent)
- If a child or vulnerable person is at risk of being harmed
- If a regulated health care professional (ie: physician, psychologist, physiotherapist) has engaged in sexual abuse or sexual misconduct
- If there is a subpoena by a judge
- In the case of required file review by the College of Alberta Psychologists (ie: in the case of a malpractice complaint)
- If you experienced harm at work that contributed in whole or in part to (psychological) injury, and this injury has caused you to be off work for more than one day and interferes with, or is likely to interfere with, your ability to engage in normal work activities
- If your services are covered through insurance, insurance companies will occasionally audit claims and inquire if clients have attended the sessions they have attempted to claim. There are also mandatory reporting circumstances for some clients (ie: for therapy to support a return to work, clients with the Canadian Armed Forces or Veterans Affairs)
No, we do not offer direct billing at this time. We will provide you with an invoice with all the information required to submit to your insurance company. We apologize for this inconvenience.
Please contact your insurance company to inquire about your personal coverage.
We are regulated health professionals and we follow the recommended fee schedule provided by the Psychologists Association of Alberta.
The fee for services by a Registered Psychologist is $235 per 50 minutes hour.
The fee for services provided by a Registered Provisional Psychologists is typically $200 per 50 minute hour.
We occasionally have practicum students completing their masters in counselling psychology. The fee for services provided by a practicum student is typically $50 per 50 minute hour.
We accept etransfer, cash, or cheque. If you prefer to pay by credit card, there is a 2.4% fee associated with the payment.
We hold a credit card securely on file in the case that payment is not received in 7 days.
We require 24 hours notice of cancellation. With less than 24 hours notice of cancellation, you will be billed the full cost of the session.
This policy is out of respect for the psychologist who reserved the spot for you in their schedule, and also for other clients who may be waiting for services.