empty yellow desk chair in front of house plants and a window

Support for your family

When children are facing a challenge that feels overwhelming, often they are unable to identify and communicate exactly what’s happening. Instead, their behaviour changes and this is a sign that they are struggling. Most children either act out, withdraw, or become very emotional.

These behaviours can cause significant disruption and stress for your family as you deal with your child’s behaviours and try to figure out why they’re happening. Sometimes there is a clear source of challenge, but other times it can feel like a complete mystery.

Resourceful Me helps families by providing a safe space where you can share your struggles, discover your creative problem solving abilities, and build tools for effective coping.

Individual art therapy sessions provide opportunities for your child to express themselves, share their feelings, and practice new skills to use outside of therapy.

Caregiver consultation services provide invitations for you to consider your child’s current situation with compassion and curiosity, collaborate with the therapist to figure out what may be happening, and identify helpful tools or strategies.

Adult carrying child

Caregiver Consultation

Virtual (phone or video) consultations are available – please get in touch to learn more!

If you are interested in learning more about art therapy and think you might like to work with me, I offer a free 15-minute introductory meeting. 

This brief meeting will help you to get a sense of whether art therapy is a good fit for your needs. If you would like to work together, I will provide you with more information and some paperwork, and we can schedule an art therapy orientation meeting.

You are also welcome to just come check things out. There’s absolutely no pressure to book an appointment.

The Art Therapy Orientation Meeting is the first official step in starting art therapy. It’s a 75-minute meeting where we talk about your concerns, hopes, and goals for your family. Your child does not usually attend this meeting.

During the orientation meeting, I will review my services agreement with you and answer any questions you may have about our policies. I will also review the intake form that you will have completed. The intake form asks questions about your contact information, your reasons for coming to art therapy, and some questions about your child’s development and your family history.

When we meet together, you will be invited to share more about these things as you feel comfortable. This information helps me to understand a little bit about your current situation and how art therapy might be able to support your child and/or your family.

By the end of the orientation meeting, we will co-create goals for our work together and a plan for how to proceed.

Caregiver Check-Ins are 25 minutes long and are available in person, or by video or phone call. I recommend that we schedule a caregiver check-in after a child has attended 3-4 individual art therapy sessions. 

Caregiver check-ins provide an opportunity for us to share updates, evaluate progress, set or adjust goals, and share strategies.

During this time, I can share observations and recommendations that may be helpful at home or school, and you can share insights and observations to support me in providing effective therapy. You know your child best, and your insight is crucial for your child’s success. It is my hope and privilege to join the team that is already in place, supporting your child to thrive.

antique compass with pencil crayon and crayons

Caregiver Strategy Sessions are available when there is a specific challenge, question, or pattern that caregivers would like to work through with me, without their child present (for example, challenges around bedtime routine, or separation anxiety during drop off at school).

Caregiver Strategy Sessions are time for us as caring adults to work together to understand what’s happening, and to come up with ideas about what we can do to support the child with the challenge. We spend 50 minutes together exploring the concern in depth, and collaborating on strategies and/ or coming up with a plan.

Caregivers can request a strategy session at any time during the therapy process. If caregivers ask a question or share a concern and I feel like a strategy session may be beneficial, I may recommend one.

My philosophy

smiling woman with long red hair and green eyes

Rubi Garyfalakis,
DTATI, RP, RCAT

Registered Psychotherapist,
Registered Canadian Art Therapist

I believe that it’s important for children and caregivers to each have their own individual space during the art therapy process. This allows me to focus on your child’s needs when they’re with me, and to focus on your concerns when we meet. In my experience, when children and caregivers both feel heard, validated, and empowered, they are able to reconnect and work together as a problem-solving team.

My role is to act as a temporary bridge between you and your child, ultimately hoping to strengthen your bond and connection, to share understanding and empathy, and to support you to communicate and collaborate. I’m cheering for your family, and I’m here to support you to tap into your own problem solving abilities. I consider it an incredible honour to be invited onto your team, and look forward to learning from your family.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I bring to the art therapy orientation meeting?

Please bring a completed copy of the Resourceful Me Intake Form. You can call our office at 1 519 787 8111 or email hello@resourcefulmearttherapy.ca and we’ll send you a copy to review before the meeting.

If you are intending to use benefits to support the cost of art therapy, please check about your coverage for Registered Psychotherapy services, and bring this information to the meeting. This will help us plan our goals, recommended number of sessions, and recommended frequency.

If there are assessments or reports from other members of your family’s support team (eg. teachers, psychologists, family doctors, social workers, naturopaths) that you would like to share with me, you are welcome to bring these. I will provide you with a consent form for sharing information during the meeting.

You are also welcome to bring a support person such as a family member, partner or close friend with you to the art therapy orientation meeting if this would be helpful. Please just let my office know who will be attending so that I can prepare a welcoming space for our meeting.

What are the limits to confidentiality?

Just like your child’s art therapy sessions, caregiver consultations are confidential. The only limits to your confidentiality are those mandated by the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario. I will be required to share only the necessary information to meet my legal and ethical responsibilities if:

  • I believe on reasonable grounds that you or someone else is at imminent risk of serious harm;
  • I have reasonable grounds to suspect that a child or dependent is in need of protection from physical harm, neglect, or sexual abuse;
  • Disclosure is necessary for a legal proceeding (I am subpoenaed);
  • I am obligated by law to assist in an investigation;
  • I need to contact the appropriate party in the case of an emergency; or
  • Information is required by a college in accordance with the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991.

If you have questions about these limits to confidentiality, please do not hesitate to contact me.

What if my child shares something I need to know?

Usually, I recommend that your child attends  individual art therapy sessions on their own. This is so that the sessions become your child’s safe space where they can work towards goals with their therapist one on one.

Your child’s confidentiality is essential for us to build a relationship based on trust. While I don’t typically share with caregivers exactly what their child did or said during a session, if important things come up during the session I will support your child to communicate them. If your child does not feel comfortable sharing, I will let them know that I will share the information with you on their behalf.

How frequently will we schedule caregiver check-ins?

The frequency of caregiver check-ins will be determined by your goals, your availability, and the unique needs of your family. We will work together to come up with a plan that you feel good about, and we can adjust the plan as needed. Typically, it can be beneficial us to check in after every 4 individual art therapy sessions.