Leo Kanner, an American child psychiatrist, first used the term, “infantile autism” in 1943 to describe children who, he believed, were happiest alone, living in a shell and “oblivious” to everything around them. Since then, much research and effort has been undertaken to help the many children and families affected by autism.

Due to medical advances, more and more children survive childhood cancer but recent studies show that, even after successful treatment, there are enduring physical, educational, social and emotional costs.

Catch Collaborative Psychotherapy for Children was created to support the healthy development of children who are experiencing mental health and behavioral challenges at school. We believe that schools are the best place to address and treat children with mental health challenges because that’s where children spend the majority of their time – it’s where they learn, socialize, eat, and grow up.

Through active, imaginative play children express their thoughts and feelings, adopt different roles and perspectives, and organize the world on their own terms.

Schools are closed, daycare centres are closed, libraries are closed, parks and playgrounds are closed. Parents are forced to be with their children 24/7, work from home, and balance the demands of both work and childcare. For unemployed parents, without income, the anxiety about rent and food is all consuming.

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) include a range of stressful or traumatic experiences that infants and children may be exposed to during their development. These include physical, sexual and emotional abuse, neglect, family violence, mental illness, substance abuse, parental separation, and parental incarceration.

Parents and their children are spending a whole lot more time at home than they are used to, and it’s tough. We know parents are missing their jobs, incomes, security, privacy, and space; what are kids missing?

Divorce is very common but it remains a highly stressful and painful life transition for all family members. Given the many decisions to be made, details to be arranged, and feelings to be managed, it is challenging for parents to focus on their children’s needs; nevertheless, they must. Here is a short primer. 

‘Adolescence,’ as an entity, did not exist until the Great Depression of the 1930’s when child labourers lost their jobs. Because they needed to be productively occupied, fourteen to seventeen-year-olds in North America were enrolled in high schools.

Today, we hear the term ‘mental health’ a lot. It “isn’t good for my mental health,” “mental health is so important,” or “I need a mental health day.”  However, people rarely talk about what constitutes ‘mental health.’ Is it the absence of ‘mental illness,’ ‘absence of stress?’ Is ‘mental health’ the same as happiness?  

Suicide is a topic few people want to discuss but it is a serious problem and there is no way to prevent it without talking about it, understanding it, and addressing its root causes. Suicide is defined as a “fatal, self-inflicted act with the explicit or inferred intent to die” (Child and Adolescent Suicidal Behaviour).

Since the 1980’s when a number of suicides were attributed to bullying, there has been a growing interest from researchers and the public. In 1999, two students shot and killed 12 other students and a teacher at Columbine High School in the United States, and it was learned that these students had previously been taunted and harassed repeatedly by popular school athletes.

We live in an increasingly diverse world in terms of language, culture, religion, race, and ethnicity. We also live in a world which is diverse in terms of sexuality and gender, and where there is more open acknowledgment and expression of this diversity. At the same time, there is considerable division, animosity, and fear surrounding this subject.

People have strong views about competition among children. Some think competition is character building, promoting confidence, ambition, and grace, in relation to winning and losing. Others see it as soul destroying, instilling the desire to win rather than cooperate with peers, and creating unnecessary anxiety.  

Because death is frightening to so many of us, it is a topic we rarely discuss, even less so, with children. Adults are usually confused, tongue tied, and reticent when a family member dies and they are confronted with children who have questions and feelings, and needs.

Screens are now ubiquitous and children are exposed to them from the earliest months. Since the advent of television, parents, educators and mental health professionals have worried about the effects of screen time. Today there is added concern because screens are mobile, more enticing, and harder to supervise.

Canada prides itself on being a diverse and multicultural country where people are welcomed from all over the world. What this means, is that mental health professionals need to understand the values and beliefs of the people we serve. Read more here.

Being poor, suffering from a mental illness or having a chronic physical condition is stressful and debilitating, and worse in combination. The reality is that these conditions interact in complex ways. This articles discusses how poverty and mental illness are related.

Attachment theory is getting a lot of consideration today because it speaks to our deep fears that we are not paying enough attention to our infants and children. This article discusses this theory and its impact on the parent child relationship.

Selective Mutism is an anxiety disorder, wherein children who are able to speak and speak freely at home, do not speak in other situations, such as birthday parties or at school. Read on to learn tips for teachers and parents dealing with selective mutism.

Trauma causes acute psychological distress which can lead to chronic states of fear and hypervigilance, or numbing and distractedness, interfering with all aspects of a person’s daily functioning. Individuals with developmental trauma are at greater risk for all manner of adverse events and when subjected to shock trauma, have particularly challenging outcomes.

Children with Specific Learning Disorder have marked weaknesses in their capacity to master skills in reading, writing, or math, and consequently have difficulty making progress within traditional academic curriculums. Learning Disorder is ‘specific’, rather than global, and the children who have it are often very talented in other realms, such as music or sports.

Despite society’s nostalgic notions about childhood being idyllic and innocent, all children experience distress, frustration, disappointment, and anger, on a regular basis. One in five children has a mental health problem which needs attention and which is likely to get worse, not better, over time.

Children with ADHD differ considerably in their presentation and functioning, depending on their intelligence, personality characteristics, talents, family and school supports, and life events. There is a significant genetic component in ADHD and parents with the condition are more likely to have children with ADHD.

Depression is a mood disorder which affects how people think and behave, and how they feel, both physically and mentally. Depression often starts in adolescence or early adulthood but it occurs in people of all ages, including young children. Learn the symptoms and how to help.