Comprehensive Counselling and Mediation Services
Co-Parent Counselling
The co-parent counselling services gives adults who co-parent together the opportunity to explore sensitive issues within the safety of a confidential counselling setting. Clients may seek co-parent counselling for a variety of reasons including co-parent conflicts, co-parent communication, co-parent decision making, and support for each parent to have a positive and healthy relationship with the children. Bob offers our co-parent counselling services both in-person and online.
Reunification Counselling
The Reunification counselling services gives families the opportunity to improve the relationship between the rejected parent and the child after it has broken down and the child is displaying varying degrees of resistance to having contact with the rejected parent. This resistance to contact can be due to many factors, including child abuse, a parenting style that does not match the child’s needs, and actions taken by the favoured parent to disrupt the relationship between the child and the rejected parent. A family systems approach utilizing a team of professionals has been found to be most beneficial in overcoming the child’s resistance by including in the treatment both parents, the child, and sometimes other significant individuals in the child’s life. Reunification counselling begins with a comprehensive intake assessment of all of the factors affecting the child. Bob offers the reunification counselling services both in-person and online.
Individual Counselling
The Individual counselling services gives adults, teens, and children the opportunity to explore sensitive issues within the safety of a confidential counselling relationship. Clients may seek individual counselling for a variety of reasons including anxiety and depression, grief and loss, relationships, sexual dysfunction, separation and divorce, infidelity, abuse (sexual, emotional, physical), addictions (alcohol, drugs, internet, video games, pornography, food, gambling, infidelity), anger management, behavior problems, stress, work stress and conflicts, extended family conflicts, school and learning difficulties, transitions, social skills and adjustment, physical health concerns, and indecisiveness. Bob offers the individual counselling services both in-person and online.
Relationship Counselling
The Relationship counselling services gives adults who are married, cohabitating, or living apart the opportunity to explore sensitive issues within the safety of a confidential counselling setting. Clients may seek relationship counselling for a variety of reasons including arguing and unproductive conflict, unhealthy dynamics and roles, disconnection and distancing, falling out of love, anger explosions and physical and verbal abuse, sexual issues (dysfunction, differences in desire, lack of sex), addictions (alcohol, drugs, internet, video games, pornography, food, gambling, infidelity), infidelity, depression and anxiety, separation and divorce, parenting conflicts, blended family conflicts, and extended family conflicts. Bob offers the relationship counselling services both in-person and online.
Family Counselling
The family counselling services gives adults, teens, and children, whether living together or apart, the opportunity to explore sensitive issues within the safety of a confidential counselling setting. Clients may seek family counselling for a variety of reasons including arguing and unproductive conflicts, disconnection and distancing, anger explosions and physical and verbal abuse, addictions affecting the family (alcohol, drugs, internet, video games, pornography, food, gambling, infidelity), transitions, depression and anxiety, separation and divorce, parenting conflicts, blended family conflicts, and extended family conflicts. Bob offers the family counselling services both in-person and online.
Mediation
The Mediation services gives the parties the opportunity to resolve a legal dispute without the need to go to Court. Bob offers mediation services in the following areas: child protection, cultural issues, family business disputes, extended and blended family disputes, family inheritance and estate disputes, care of elderly parents and other intergenerational family disputes, workplace disputes, and civil disputes. As part of the family mediation services, Bob screens all clients for the presence of family violence. Bob offers the mediation services both in-person and online.
Coaching
Bob provides specialized coaching services to support you through life’s transitions. Parents who experience enstrangement or alienation from their child can receive individual coaching tailored to provide emotional support, advice and guidance. Each coaching session is tailored to your unique situation, empowering you to make informed decisions and foster positive relationships.
Section 211 Reports
The Section 211 Reports give parties the opportunity to receive an assessment by a mental health professional who provides recommendations for resolution in the event that the parents cannot agree on issues related to guardianship, parenting time, residence for the children, school choice, relocation of a child, allegations of family violence, allegations of parental alienation, and other parenting issues. Section 211 Reports can be ordered by the Court or agreed to by consent between the parties. The Section 211 Report process is comprehensive and involves gathering information from a variety of sources including the parents, the children, extended family, professionals, and friends who are familiar with the parents and the children. Psychological screening tests are utilized where appropriate. A detailed report is written which includes recommendations on the issues in dispute between the parties. The parents typically use the recommendations to reach a settlement without the need to go to Court. Bob Finlay has authored over 100 Section 211 reports and has been appointed as an expert witness over 10 times in the Supreme and Provincial Courts of BC, as well as the Family Court in Ontario. Bob is a member of the Parent Assessor Roster Society of BC. Roster members are recogined as qualified experts in writing Section 211 and Views of The Child Reports.
Views of the Child Reports
The Views of the Child Reports give parties the opportunity to have a mental health professional interview the children and report back their views on specific issues in the event that the parents cannot agree on issues related to guardianship, parenting time, residence for the children, school choice, relocation of a child, allegations of family violence, allegations of parental alienation, and other parenting issues. Views of the Child Reports can be ordered by the Court or agreed to by consent between the parties. Views of the Child Reports do not provide recommendations as they are only intended to clarify the children’s opinions and feelings about issues affecting them. This includes their preferred residence, preferred school, views on parenting time and visits, and any other issues in which the parents would like the children’s opinions to be heard. The Views of the Child Report process typically involves interviewing each of the parents and then interviewing each child twice. Each of the parents is asked to bring each child to one interview to guard against either parent influencing the children’s views. In the event that the parties or the Court agrees to order an Evaluative Views of The Child Report, then the author can offer some limited recommendations on specific issues. Bob Finlay has authored over 190 Views of The Child reports, including Evaluative Reports. He has also authored 10 Best Interests of The Child Reports for immigration matters where the parties wish to have an expert opinion on how deportation may affect a child.
Reunification Counselling Reports
The Reunification Counselling Reports give parties the opportunity to request assessment and progress reports on the reunification counselling. The reunification intake assessment is conducted in order to develop a treatment plan prior to the reunification treatment beginning. Reunification intake assessments can be requested by Court Order or without a Court Order by consent in order to determine if the family will benefit from reunification counselling. Bob Finlay partners with other qualified therapists to serve the needs of families where more than one therapist is required to assess and treat.
Our Approach