Edmonton Addiction Family Therapy Services

Are Your Kids Struggling Through Life? You’re in the Right Place

Are your teenage family members struggling through life, acting out in defiance, or abusing drugs and alcohol? We can help. You have landed in the right place for help. We provide compassionate care for all members of the family.

All Are Welcome

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Neurodivergent

Mental Health and Addictions Edmonton

Welcome to Edmonton Addiction Family Therapy Services

Edmonton Addiction Family Therapy Services provides support for mental health and addictions for families in Edmonton. If you’re worried about a teenage family member with problematic behaviour, emotional, identity, and social changes – you are not alone and you are not doing anything wrong.

Adolescence is challenging for teens and parents to navigate alone. Seeking out social and professional support makes it easier for you and your family to heal and grow. Our mission at Edmonton Addiction Family Therapy Services is to provide you with a wide range of effective treatments for your family to navigate your adolescents’ journey into adulthood.

Family Therapy - the Core of What We Do

Family Therapy: Teens with Parents

90 minutes | $220

  • Office-based therapy for family members
  • Oppositional defiant disorder
  • Conduct disorder/destructive behaviour
  • Legal involvement
  • Narcissism
  • Borderline personality disorder
  • Dysregulated emotions
  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • PTSD/Trauma
  • Substance Abuse Disorder
  • Alcohol Abuse Disorder
  • Addictions (including video games)
  • School refusal
  • Grief/loss

Addictions and Family Therapy

What to Expect in Family Counseling

Stage 1: Assessment

First, we get to know you and your family, including conducting an informal assessment of the emotional processes occurring in your family. This may take a few sessions, depending on your needs and circumstances.

Stage 2: Engagement

Next, we provide coaching and support for your family to learn new ways of communicating and interacting with each other. The bulk of the work in this stage utilizes a blend of harm reduction, motivational interviewing, attachment focused discussions, psycho-education, emotionally focused enquiry, family of origin work, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy Skills, psychodrama, and somatic awareness. The goal is to become aware of emotional reactions and replace them with healthier habits.

Stage 3: Completion

Finally, after fully completing our engagement stage, we move into the completion stage, where we review how to prevent your family from relapsing into old habits and how to ensure your changes are sustainable long-term.

Family Therapy and Counseling Services

Compassionate Care for Your Family

Supportive Services

Not all families are ready for full family therapy.  In these cases additional services can be utilized to help prepare youth and parents for full family therapy at a later time. This can be decided during the initial free consultation or at any time during therapy.

Traditional Therapy: Teens

50 minutes | $220

  • One on one office-based therapy
  • Used to assess, treat, or develop a treatment plan for a mental health/addiction issue in a more private setting than family therapy.

  • Oppositional defiant disorder
  • Conduct disorder
  • Narcissism
  • Borderline personality disorder
  • Dysregulated emotions
  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • PTSD/Trauma
  • Substance Abuse Disorder
  • Alcohol Abuse Disorder
  • Addictions
  • Grief/loss

Non-Traditional Therapy: Teens

50 minutes | $220

  • Community-based meeting (e.g. coffee shop, zoo, park)
  • Transportation to and from therapy site (ask about fees)
  • Virtual reality (VR) training for mindfulness
  • Visit to hospital or rehab facilities
  • Text message check-ins (ask about fees)
  • Oppositional defiant disorder
  • Conduct disorder
  • Narcissism
  • Borderline personality disorder
  • Dysregulated emotions
  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • PTSD/Trauma
  • Substance Abuse Disorder
  • Alcohol Abuse Disorder
  • Addictions
  • Grief/loss

Individual Therapy: Adults

50 minutes | $220

  • One on one office-based therapy
  • Borderline personality disorder
  • Dysregulated emotions
  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • PTSD/Trauma
  • Addictions
  • Grief/loss

Family Therapy: Teens with Parents

90 minutes | $220

  • Office-based therapy for family members
  • Oppositional defiant disorder
  • Conduct disorder/destructive behaviour
  • Legal involvement
  • Narcissism
  • Borderline personality disorder
  • Dysregulated emotions
  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • PTSD/Trauma
  • Substance Abuse Disorder
  • Alcohol Abuse Disorder
  • Addictions (including video games)
  • School refusal
  • Grief/loss

Family Therapy: Parents Only

90 minutes | $220

  • Psycho-educational sessions for parents/guardians
  • Skills training with parents/guardians
  • Co-parenting instructions and coaching
  • Borderline personality disorder
  • Dysregulated emotions
  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • PTSD/Trauma
  • Addictions
  • Grief/loss

Couples Therapy: Adults

50 minutes | $220

  • Office-based therapy for couples
  • Supporting all relationship types (LGBTQS+)
  • Marital Counselling
  • Parenting
  • Communication issues
  • Blended family dynamics
  • Communication issues
  • Emotional expression
  • Dysregulated emotions

Couples Therapy Process

We specialize in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), where we identify different attachment styles and coach you and your partner to respond to each other in an attachment friendly manner.

Family Therapy Addiction Counseling

Meet Our Compassionate Team

Dennis Barrie, MC

Registered Psychologist

Professional Experience

I derive my therapeutic values from the principles of Hakomi. I have a strong belief that families are inter-connected emotional systems that have the capacity to heal themselves when provided safe, loving, mindful environments.

Professionalism

Commitment

Honest Relationships

Unconditional Positive Regard

Caring

Innovation

Dennis began caring for youth and adolescents as a Platoon Trained Commander for the Canadian Armed Forces. In this role, he was directly responsible for the lives and welfare of 30 young soldiers, aged 17-20 years old. He learned first-hand, on UN peacekeeping missions, that when teenagers are provided with the right nurturance and support, they will thrive even in the face of extreme challenges.

After leaving the military in 2001, Dennis completed his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and began a new career as a youth worker. He enjoyed engaging with youth and connecting with them on various private therapeutic school programs, especially outdoor wilderness treatment. After completing a two-year contract in the Middle East as a school counsellor, Dennis returned to Edmonton and completed his Master of Counseling degree.

After graduating, Dennis worked with Alberta Health Services (AHS) as a family counsellor for 8 years, providing addictions counselling support and family therapy for families in Edmonton. He launched Edmonton Addiction Family Therapy Services to support teens and families in Edmonton struggling with mental health and addictions.

Edmonton Addictions Family Therapy

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

At Edmonton Addiction Family Counselling Services Inc., we take confidentiality and privacy very seriously. All information shared during counseling sessions is strictly confidential and will not be disclosed to anyone without the client’s written consent, except in cases where there is a legal obligation to report abuse, neglect, or harm to oneself or others.

The short answer is yes.  During the initial assessment session, it is preferred to have the session face to face but this is not absolutely necessary.

If you need to cancel or reschedule your appointment at Edmonton Addiction Family Counselling Services Inc., please notify us at least 24 hours in advance to avoid being charged a cancellation fee. If you do not show up for your appointment without prior notice, you will be charged the full session fee.

Edmonton Addiction Family Counselling Services Inc. currently accepts payment by cash or e-transfer. Direct insurance company billing is also available.

Visit our policy page to learn more.

Edmonton Addiction Family Therapy

Contact Us to Learn More

Hours of Operation

  • Monday: 9:00am-9:30pm
  • Tuesday: 9:00am-9:30pm
  • Wednesday: 9:00am-9:30pm
  • Thursday: 9:00am-9:30pm
  • Friday: 9:00am-9:30pm
  • Saturday: 9:00am-9:30pm
  • Sunday: 9:00am-9:30pm