Parenting Therapists in Canada
Therapy support for parents navigating the challenges of raising children, managing family stress, and building stronger relationships with the people they are raising.
What to look for in a Parenting therapist on Purple Lotus
- Experience with your child's age group and specific concerns
- Training in evidence-based approaches such as PCIT, Emotion Coaching, or Behavioural Parent Training
- Comfort working with coparenting dynamics or family transitions
- A non-judgmental approach that focuses on building your capacity rather than assigning blame
3 therapists for Parenting in Canada
Browse 3 therapists specializing in Parenting. Find the right counsellor or psychotherapist for your needs.
Olena Guseva
Welcome! My aim as your therapist is to create a comfortable, judgment-free space where you can talk about whatever’s on your mind. We’ll work through the ups and downs together, celebrate the wins, and make sense of the moments that leave you wondering. So take a breath, settle in, and let’s start this journey toward healing together. Life changes have been a big part of my own experience, from moving countries to becoming a parent, so I get how messy and emotional transitions can be. Everyone’s story is unique, and I’m here to listen and really understand yours. I take a holistic view in therapy, looking at the mind, body, and spirit as all connected. My goal is to make this a safe and welcoming space for you to explore your thoughts and feelings, no pressure or judgment attached.
Christine Peddle
I (she/her) have been practicing therapy since 2016. Originally from Newfoundland and Labrador I’ve made the West End of Toronto home and St. Joseph’s Health Centre my primary workplace where I work as a Child and Family Therapist. I have countless trauma trainings, plus DBT, CBT, DDP, EFFT, Psychodrama for Traumatic Stress, and exposure to Gestalt Therapy. I participate in psychoanalysis and am a true believer in the healing relational aspect of therapy. I know the importance of an intersectional approach to personal growth, and I seek to help you discover wholeness versus the elusive permanent wellness. Relational dynamics are my expertise, they play important roles in how we see ourselves and live our lives.
Marta Bonati
Hello and welcome! I'm Marta, a Registered Psychotherapist (RP). Originally from Italy, I now call Toronto home. Having lived through the experience of building a life in a new country, I understand the complexities of cultural adjustment, identity, and belonging. I offer sessions in both English and Italian. Before becoming a therapist, I spent over a decade in Human Resources, where I witnessed how deeply our personal and professional lives intertwine. I hold a master’s degree in psychology and draw from both my clinical training and professional experience to support clients in finding balance, meaning, and self-understanding.
What is Parenting?
Parenting therapy supports adults who are struggling with aspects of raising children, whether that means managing a child's difficult behaviour, repairing a strained relationship, adjusting to a new stage of development, or coping with the emotional weight that parenting can carry. Sessions focus on the parent as much as on the child. A therapist helps you understand what is happening in your family system, what might be driving certain patterns, and what practical changes may help.
This kind of therapy does not follow a single protocol. Therapists working in this area draw on evidence-based approaches including Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), Emotion Coaching, Behavioural Parent Training, and attachment-informed frameworks depending on the age of the child and the nature of the concern. Some work focuses on specific skills like setting limits or responding to tantrums. Other work is more reflective, exploring how your own upbringing or emotional patterns are shaping how you parent.
Parenting therapy is available to parents of children at any age, from infancy through adolescence. It can be sought individually, as a couple, or occasionally with older children participating in some sessions. The goal is usually a combination of practical change and better understanding of yourself in the parenting role.
Who this approach may help
Parents dealing with behavioural challenges
Parents whose children are frequently defiant, aggressive, or struggling to follow through with routines, and who want concrete strategies alongside support.
Coparenting after separation or divorce
Parents navigating shared custody arrangements, ongoing conflict with an ex-partner, or the challenge of parenting consistently across two households.
Parents of children with diagnoses
Parents raising children with ADHD, autism, anxiety, learning differences, or other conditions who want support adapting their approach and managing their own stress.
Parents dealing with their own emotional reactions
Parents who notice they lose patience quickly, feel triggered by their children, shut down emotionally, or respond in ways they later regret.
New parents and major transitions
People adjusting to a first child, a second baby, a blended family, or another significant change in the family structure.
Parents concerned about attachment
Parents who worry their child does not feel close to them, who want to understand their child's emotional needs better, or who sense disconnection in the relationship.
What happens in a session?
- 1
Understand the presenting concern
The therapist asks what is happening at home, what prompted you to seek support, and what you most want to change or understand. This shapes the direction of early sessions.
- 2
Explore the family context
You discuss your child's age and temperament, the family structure, any relevant history, and what you have already tried. This helps the therapist understand the full picture.
- 3
Identify patterns and contributing factors
Together you look at what triggers difficult moments, how you typically respond, and whether your own history, stress, or emotional patterns are playing a role.
- 4
Build specific skills or new responses
Depending on the concern, sessions may focus on practical tools like limit-setting, emotion coaching, or repair after conflict, applied to your actual family situation.
- 5
Reflect on your own experience
Many therapists also help you examine how you were parented, what beliefs you carry about children and discipline, and how those shape your current responses.
- 6
Track change over time
The therapist checks in on what is working and what is not, adjusting the focus as your concerns shift or as new challenges arise.
How it compares to other approaches
Family Therapy
Family therapy typically involves multiple family members in sessions together. Parenting therapy focuses on the parent and their role, often without the child present, and centres on your capacity and confidence as a parent.
Child Therapy
Child therapy works directly with the child to support their emotional development. Parenting therapy works with the parent to shift the dynamics around the child. Some therapists offer both, or refer to a child therapist in parallel.
Couples Counselling
Couples counselling addresses the relationship between partners. Parenting therapy may touch on coparenting disagreements, but the primary focus is on the parent-child relationship and the parent's skills and wellbeing.
Behavioural Parent Training (BPT)
BPT is a structured, skills-focused program with a strong evidence base for disruptive behaviour in young children. Parenting therapy is broader and may include attachment, emotional exploration, and relational work alongside or instead of behaviour-focused skills.
Play Therapy
Play therapy is a modality used directly with children. Some parenting therapists use play-based observations or exercises with a parent and child together, but parenting therapy itself is focused on the adult.
How to choose a Parenting therapist
Questions to ask before booking:
- 1
Ask what age group and types of concerns they have the most experience with, since the approach that works for a toddler's tantrums differs from what helps with a teenager's withdrawal.
- 2
Ask whether they work with the parent alone, the parent and child together, or both, and how they decide which format to use for your situation.
- 3
Ask how they balance practical skill-building with more reflective or emotionally focused work, so you know what kind of sessions to expect.
- 4
If your concerns involve a diagnosis like ADHD or autism, ask whether they have specific training in supporting parents of children with those conditions.
- 5
If you are coparenting with someone and there is conflict, ask whether they have experience navigating that context and whether they can support you independently while remaining child-focused.
- 6
Ask how they measure progress and what would indicate the work is helping or that a different approach might fit better.
When this may not be the right fit
If your child is experiencing significant mental health symptoms, self-harm, or a crisis, they may need their own therapist or an assessment rather than support delivered solely through the parent. A good parenting therapist will tell you when a referral for the child is also warranted.
If the challenges at home are primarily driven by a relationship breakdown between the adults, couples counselling or co-parenting mediation may be more directly useful alongside or instead of parenting-focused therapy.
Parenting therapy works best when a parent has at least some capacity to reflect and engage between sessions. If you are in personal crisis, dealing with acute mental health challenges, or in an unsafe situation, stabilizing your own wellbeing first may be the more appropriate step.
If what you are looking for is primarily advice or reassurance rather than deeper change, a parent coach or a pediatric support group may be a more practical starting point.
Related specialties
Frequently asked questions
What is parenting therapy?
Parenting therapy is support for adults who are finding aspects of raising children difficult. It may focus on managing behaviour, improving connection, navigating coparenting, or understanding your own emotional responses. Sessions typically involve the parent rather than the child, though some formats include the child depending on the concern and the child's age.
Do I need parenting therapy or does my child need therapy?
Both can be appropriate and are not mutually exclusive. Parenting therapy focuses on the parent and aims to shift the family dynamic from the adult side. If your child is also struggling emotionally or behaviourally, their therapist may work in parallel with you. Many therapists will help you figure out which approach makes most sense for your situation.
Is parenting therapy only for parents with young children?
No. Parenting therapy is available for parents at any stage, including those raising teenagers, adult children they are in conflict with, or children with complex needs. The focus and methods will differ depending on the child's developmental stage, but the support is relevant across ages.
Can both parents attend parenting therapy together?
Yes, and doing so can be useful when both parents want to align on approach or when coparenting conflict is part of the concern. Therapists who work with two parents together focus on the parenting relationship rather than the couple relationship, though those often overlap.
What approaches do parenting therapists use?
Therapists in this area draw on several evidence-based methods depending on the concern, including Behavioural Parent Training, Parent-Child Interaction Therapy, Emotion Coaching, and attachment-based frameworks. Some also incorporate elements of CBT or reflective parenting models. The approach a therapist uses should match the specific challenge you bring.
How long does parenting therapy typically last?
It depends on the focus. Skill-based programs like Behavioural Parent Training are often structured over eight to twelve sessions. More exploratory or relationship-focused work may continue longer. Many parents find that even a few sessions produce meaningful change if the concern is specific and they engage actively between appointments.
Can parenting therapy be done online?
Yes. Many therapists offer parenting support via video sessions, which works well when the focus is on conversation, reflection, and skill practice. Some approaches that involve observing parent-child interaction in real time may be better suited to in-person sessions. Check with individual therapists about what they offer.
Does parenting therapy involve blame or judgment?
A skilled therapist approaches parenting challenges with curiosity rather than judgment. The goal is to understand patterns and build capacity, not to assess whether you are a good or bad parent. If you leave sessions feeling criticized or ashamed rather than supported, it may be worth finding a different therapist.
Looking for a Parenting therapist?
Browse therapists in Canada who specialize in parenting. Filter by location, fee, and session format to find the right fit.