Overview
Assessment
The Westcoast Child Development Group provides a number of assessment services that use standardized testing materials, multiple sources, and sound clinical judgement.
Professional assessments can include but are not limited to:
Autism spectrum assessments
Autism spectrum assessments are a specialized form of assessment that requires a high degree of training, supervision, and experience. The Westcoast Child Development have been performing autism assessments since 2004 and have been involved with a number of government-funded assessment contracts.
Speech and Language and Occupational Assessments and Therapies can also be arranged with the Westcoast team.
For more information please see our Assessment page.
ADHD assessments
ADHD assessments are highly specific and tailored to individuals experiencing inattention and/or hyperactivity issues that are impacting them in their home, school, and/or work environments. In an effort to best capture the attentional concerns, our team covers a variety of facets that include working memory, sustained attention, executive functioning, learning profiles, cognitive profiles, and parent/teacher questionnaires.
Treatment
Knowing when to seek professional help can be a challenge for some families. It can also be unclear what to expect from counselling and therapy. Some parents will start a trial of therapy to be proactive or to check-in to make sure their child is OK. Others will seek counselling because of a specific concern that requires immediate support. Regardless, each client is treated in a confidential and respectful manner and encouraged to participate fully in the experience. Westcoast Child Development Group professionals adopt a Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy model that centres on short-term, goal-driven therapies. In addition, family consultation using a systems approach is often included as part of working with children and youth.
Clients with a number of challenges have been supported by the clinicians at Westcoast Child Development Group. Our clinicians have developed an expertise in supporting children and youth with autism and their families. We also work with those reporting low mood, depression, general anxiety, social anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, anger management issues, and general teen angst.
For more information please see our Treatment page.
Academic Counselling for High School and Post-secondary students
Some students, regardless of intention, well developed goals, or intellectual capacity will have trouble meeting their academic objectives.
Many factors may impact academic persistence and success for students; anxiety, depression, feeling a lack of purpose, changing career interests, difficulties in self-regulating learning tasks, and executive functioning challenges, all may contribute to students underperforming academically.
Establishing an understanding what is impeding an individual’s academic success is important for determining relevant supports and a viable approach that empowers the learner.
Academic counselling, offered by Leah Marks may focus on:
-Exploring academic strengths and weaknesses, and enhancing self-awareness and understanding to realize what gets in the way of meeting academic goals and deadlines
-Developing strategies for managing anxiety and/or moods and mindset to enable learning and to maximize executive functions
-Learning about how to strengthen executive function skills. Executive functioning skills are what we need to help us plan and organize activities, sustain attention, and persist to complete tasks. In addition, executive function skills allow us to make decisions, shift between situations and thoughts, regulate our emotions and impulsivity, and monitor our thoughts, in order to work efficiently and effectively
Academic counselling can take place in person at the office, over the phone, or on video calls. The frequency and length of academic counselling sessions depend on the individual, and will be decided on collaboratively.
Training & Workshops
With a significant degree of clinical experience, the professionals at Westcoast Child Development Group are well-positioned to provide highly informative workshops for a wide array of topics.
Dr. Worling has provided training for educators, front-line mental health workers. Psychologists, parents, and school-age children and youth. He is also currently teaching a course he created on autism for the Psychology department at the University of British Columbia as a sessional instructor.
For more information please see our Training & Workshop page.