Psychological Services

We are an interdisciplinary team with an extended range of knowledge and experience in assisting in multiple areas of struggles including a variety of diagnosed disorders.  We are able to assist individuals and/or families with milder stress based reactions through to more complex and severe mental health struggles (including individuals with dual diagnosis and complex interactive profiles). We work directly with the individual and/or family and involve you in all processes and decision making to determine the best approach to support your needs. As a team we also regularly collaborate with multiple agencies and community resources. Our goal is to develop practical solution focused strategies for coping and positive change.

As a team, we believe that early identification of difficulties and struggles can prevent escalating concerns, reduce individual and family stress, as well as improve the individual’s outcome. However, it is never too early or too late to identify and work with issues. We also find that accurate diagnosis of difficulties is often required for optimal treatment, and/or  access to educational and community based resources. Our comprehensive psychological assessment service provides services to pre-school age children, school aged children, adolescents, post secondary students and adults with a wide range of needs.

Who Do We Serve?

Our professionals have a broad range of experience in the following areas;

• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
• Autism Spectrum Disorders
• Developmental Delays
• Language Delays/Disorders
• Learning Disabilities
• Anxiety Disorders
• Behavioural Problems
• Child/Parent Conflict
• Depression and Mood Disorders
• Emotional Difficulties
• Social Struggles/Conflict/Bullying
• Tantrums/Anger Management
• Tourette’s Syndrome
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
• Parenting Frustrations
• Psychosis
• School/Work Avoidance or Failure
• Sexual Orientation/Gender Issues
• Stress Reactions
• Trauma based Reactions/Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
• And More

Assessment and Consultation Services:

We offer a wide range of assessment services from brief consultative assessment for strategy development to detailed and comprehensive standardised assessments and follow up consultation. Services will vary depending on your individual needs.

We offer a range of more detailed and comprehensive psychological assessments to assist with:

• Diagnosis of Mental Health, Learning, Behavioural and/or Emotional difficulties or disorders.
• Developmental Assessments of preschoolers and young school aged children to aid in the early identification of struggles and intervention planning.
• Psychoeducational / Cognitive Assessments to determine the learning strengths and weaknesses of children, adolescents and adults to assist with identification of learning and/or developmental disabilities, neurological or injury based struggles and to support educational and treatment planning.
• Behavioural Assessments to support development of appropriate strategies for behaviour management.
• Emotional Assessments to support understanding and treatment of struggles affecting an individual’s day to day stress and life coping.
• Specialized Assessment Services for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders across the lifespan, to assist in supporting the complexity and unique needs of individuals with ASD.

 Learn more about what is involved in the assessment process from the brochures below.

A Parent’s Guide to Psychological Assessment & Treatment Services For Preschoolers, Children & Adolescents

A Guide to Psychological Assessment & Treatment for the Post-Secondary Student

Treatment and Intervention Services:

Our team offers a full range of treatment and intervention services designed to support individually identified needs. We will meet with the individual, parent, couples and or family to help identify strategies for handling difficulties and can engage in short or long term therapy. Our treatments include:

• Individual Treatment and Counselling using a variety of models of intervention
• Parent Counselling
• Family Therapy 
• Cognitive Behaviour Therapy
• Cognitive/Educational Remediation and Organizational Skills Teaching
• Behavioural Intervention using the principles of Applied Behaviour Analysis/Intensive Behaviour Intervention
• Trauma Therapy
• DBT/IMTT

 Contact us for more information on psychological assessment and clinical intervention services.

Read the following brochure to assist you in determining if you your health benefits will cover psychological services

Do Your Health Benefits Cover Psychological Services?

Specialized Programs for Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorders

Rowden & Associates provides a range of individual and family oriented services specifically for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Our team has extended experience with ASD and understands the unique challenges faced by our clients and their families. By using the combined resources of our Interdisciplinary Team, you may access services to support your child’s individual programming needs in core areas of development:

• Psychological
• Cognitive/Learning
• Language 
• Social Communication
• Motor Output/Sensory 
• Emotional/Behavioural 

Our team recognizes that individuals with ASD often require a range of specialised intervention strategies and clinicians from differing specialties to help them compensate for, and/or overcome their complex communication, social, emotional/behavioural and/or unique learning based struggles. Our team recognizes the unique challenges involved in working with individuals with ASD and provides consultation, assessment and treatment for multiple area of their needs and can readily liaison with qualified professionals who are not currently part of our treating team.  We recognize that:  

• Social Communication struggles are a core aspect of the diagnostic profile of individuals with ASD and a key part of creating intervention plans
• That many individuals with ASD, have converging emotional, behavioural, sensory and/or motor needs, restricted range of interest and or struggles with cognitive shift in executive function which further impinge on coping and again then requiring creative strategies and converging approaches to optimise success
• Many individuals with ASD have significant delays or struggles with aspects of receptive and/or expressive language and require specialised strategies to manage their struggles
• Even higher functioning individuals with ASD have complex language profiles with splintered skills, difficulty organising and using language in interaction with others which may require specialised intervention or creative support approaches.  Further there may be co-occurring struggles with attention, with organisational skills, and with emotional coping which require unique and individualised approaches to management.
• An extended specialized knowledge and experience base is required for professionals treating ASD individuals to be most effective.  Most clients benefit from an interdisciplinary approach tailored to their specific needs.  

Our team offers an extended range of services and uses collaboration with other disciplines and team members to assist you to optimally meet your child’s individual needs.

ASD Treatment & Behavioural Services Include:

• Specialized Diagnostic and Cognitive/Psychoeducational Assessment Services
• Behavioural/Emotional Assessment and Treatment Services through our Psychologist, ASD Behaviour Consultants and interdisciplinary Registered Therapists
• Child ABA/IBI Based Therapy Services (ranging from part time to intensive based on individual needs)
• Specialised Counselling/TherapyServices 
• Education Training and Coaching Service

Specialized Diagnostic Assessment Services:

• A full range of comprehensive psychological assessment services for diagnosis, educational and life planning for preschoolers, school aged children and adults with ASD and/or dual diagnosis profiles.
• This may include: use of Diagnostic Rating Scales for Families and Teachers; Direct observation in home or preschool/school; cognitive and/or psychoeducational assessments; and/or behavioural/social/emotional &/or mental health based assessment.

Behavioural/Emotional Assessment and Treatment Services Through Our ASD Behaviour Consultants and Therapists:

• Introductory educational support for families with early indicators shown in their child and/or of newly diagnosed children who may be waiting for agency services
• Strategy based consultation for families whose child does not have a diagnosis but who have questions regarding possible atypical behaviours or autistic mannerisms/qualities in their child.
• Program development consultation for cognitive, social, behaviour and practical life skills to help parents set up a home program or assist the preschool/school in programming.
• Consultation regarding additional and/or alternative intervention approaches for families feeling unsuccessful with their current efforts to help their child.
• Preschool/School based Observation/Consultation regarding programming or behaviour management.
• Liaison/Advocacy Services with Schools and Community Agencies
• A range of intervention based consultation and treatment services for families with preschoolers/children/adolescents/adult dependents with dual diagnosis profiles.
• Specific individual therapy intervention (such as Cognitive Behaviour Therapy) regarding issues such as anxiety and anger management, social struggles, etc. and parent counselling regarding a wide range of issues.
• Specialised services/expertise in developing social and academic skills in school using community based ABA  interventions such as Pivotal Response Training and Structured Learning (e.g., TEACH) Parent training in methods also provided.
• Consultation/Training to daycares, schools and community agencies in the use of PRT, Structured Teaching and general ABA Principles.
• Specialized ABA/IBI Intervention Services Program including; direct ABA/IBI Intervention programs for individuals with ASD, with services provided for children who are able to manage an on-line learning model through to in-home based support services for children who require behavioural supports through to those requiring more intensive in home based intervention. 

Child Intensive ABA/IBI Based Therapy Services:

This program offers a range of direct services for individuals and their families for families interested in part time through to intensive individual programming using Applied Behavior Analysis or Intensive Behavior Intervention Principles.  Our program provides services under the clinical direction/supervision of Dr. Rowden.  Our online ABA/IBI team further includes a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, senior therapists, and instructional therapists.  Our in-home service team further includes a Registered Social Worker with extensive ABA/IBI program development and intervention experiences, and instructional therapists from ASD Achievers Consulting, again under the further clinical direction/supervision of Dr. Rowden. This program is designed  for families interested in some intensive individual programming using Applied Behaviour Analysis and/or Intensive Behaviour Intervention Principles. 

For families with government based ABA/IBI funding, we offer part time programs through to more intensive programs (based on funding up to 25 hours per week) for families who are funded at various levels of funding through the Ontario Autism Program.  We will liaison with supporting agencies to further coordinate care (e.g., ErinOak, TPAS, Kerry’s Place). Many children working with government based agencies, however, are currently on lengthy waiting lists and families feel their child still needs more immediate intervention. Many families who have not yet completed the processes for government funding, feel they are able to find the financial resources to fund a part time program (2 to 8 hours per week)  through their own or insurance based resources/ funding.  Our team will work with your child/family to work within your resources to begin intervention while your family continues to pursue direct funded options.  

This less intensive approach may help families who:

• Are already on wait lists for government based ABA/IBI programming or who are not diagnosed and eligible for funding
• Have children with Higher functioning ASD who need individualised programming for specific language, behavioural, social, cognitive, academic needs and or to support other specific developmental areas, many of whom have the skill set to manage an online teaching model with support.   
• Our program will also work with children who have mild to high special needs in language and learning, and/or global delays but who do not have ASD. Some of these children may require or benefit from systematic and intensive individual teaching, but are not currently funded through government resources.  ABA/IBI and or other Direct Instructional Teaching Models can work well to support development.

Adaptive Technology Training; Coaching & Counselling Services:

Many children with higher functioning ASD and/or Learning Disabilities would benefit from Adaptive Technology to assist/compensate for struggles with reading, writing and language or with computer assisted programs for learning. Even children with existing Special Equipment Claims within their school setting are struggling to make optimal use of these tools, or families do not know how to use the programs and incorporate them into their home based supports. We have developed a service designed to teach, coach and counsel children and families in the use of Adaptive Technology as part of an integrative clinical model for compensating for struggles with language, reading, writing, organization, planning, working memory, sequencing and/or processing efficiency.

Education Training & Coaching Service & 

Specialized Counselling Services for ASD:

Our Therapy and COACH team offers a range of services which can focus on families, the individual in the community, or the individual themselves. Some of the key areas of intervention include:

Focus on Families:

• Avoiding child and parent conflict
• Parenting frustrations
• Management tantrums
• Understanding Symptom Behaviour interactions
• Issues with extended family
• Behavioural programs using positive, proactive methods
• Resource and referral support

Focus on Daycares, Schools, & Work:

• Teaching strategies
• Consultation
• Coaching
• Managing tantrums and anger displays
• Understanding Symptom Behaviour interactions
• School avoidance
• Developing social skills
• Behavioural programming using positive proactive methods

Focus on the person with ASD:

• Emotional connection with others
• Anxiety
• Self-worth
• Anger challenges
• Rigid thought patterns
• Sadness and worry
• Hidden curriculum
• Counselling using Adapted CBT

Education Training & Coaching Service:

• Training for families, schools, and community agencies on the effects of ASD symptoms on everyday behavioural functioning.
• Training for families, schools, and community agencies on how to organize environments and social interactions to maximize “teachable moments” for the person with ASD.
• Coaching and clinical consultation to family’s, schools, and community agencies as a follow-up to help integrate training.

Contact us to arrange an appointment with the best therapist to meet your child’s/families needs.

The COACH Program

Cognitive and Academic Remediation

Organisational Skill Development

Assistive Technology use to assist with organizing, output and coping

Consultation with Parents on Learning Styles, Techniques and Resources

Help on Homework without Tears

At Rowden & Associates, many of our families are worried about the development of skills in their child’s specific areas of weakness and particularly in building skills which will allow their child to be more successful in school (from early learners through to post-secondary success). For children who have undergone a speech-language and/or psycho-educational assessment (albeit from our practice or elsewhere), our follow-up service can be readily tailored to the unique strengths and weaknesses of the child. Many children with Learning Disabilities, Language Delays or Disorders, Speech Difficulties or disorders such as ADHD, TS and ASD have struggles in developing core academic skills. Their struggles can lead to difficulties with reading, writing and math skills. Similarly, (add comma) many of our children struggle with core skills in organization needed to manage the day to day output and production demands of school. We have developed a series of clinical coaching and treatment services to best suit your child’s needs.

To determine if this service would assist your child, adolescent or young adult ask yourself if any of these situations apply to your child:

• Does your child have an identified or suspected learning disability?
• Does your child struggle with phonological awareness, decoding or comprehension in reading?
• Does your child struggle to develop, organize or translate ideas in writing?
• Does your child struggle in keeping up with class work, studies and homework?
• Does your child struggle with attention to tasks?
• Does your child have poor organizational skills?

The COACH Program is a one-on-one client centered therapeutic approach that provides a range of services. We have developed specialized programs which can assist with skill development on each of the above issues.

Contact us to see how we may be able to assist you with your concerns.