Parenting, Kids & Youth Mental Health Resources

Jan 17

Below are some self-help resources to learn more about yourself. This is a curated list developed over years of practice that continues to evolve. We are excited to share some of these resources with you.

Disclaimer: Please use these resources thoughtfully and with caution and discretion. These resources are general suggestions and not all may be helpful or applicable to you. Self-help resources and support groups are not a substitute for professional assessment and treatment. *We are not personally invested in, nor stand to profit from, any of the recommendations provided.

Does My Child Need Counselling? A Self-check Quiz

We’ve developed a self-check quiz to help you decide if your child may need counselling. (Just remember, it’s not a replacement for a professional diagnosis!)

Does My Child Need Counselling? Self-check Quiz

Helpful e-books, worksheets and guides

Download For Free!

Ready to transform your conversations and strengthen your bond? Sign up now to receive our exclusive guide: "Age-Appropriate Conversation Starters for Meaningful Parent-Child Dialogue." This free resource is packed with expertly crafted questions designed to open hearts and minds, fostering trust and understanding between you and your child.

Unlock Deeper Connections with Your Child

Are you ready to take your relationship to the next level? Download our free guide, "Igniting Intimacy: Conversation Starters for Couples,"

Unlock the Secret to a Deeper Connection with Your Partner

Are you feeling overwhelmed, scattered, or unfocused? Discover the secret to regaining control of your mind and boosting your productivity with our free downloadable guide: "Distraction Techniques: Your Path to Clarity and Calm."

Unlock the Power of Focus: Your Free Guide to Mastering Distraction Techniques

Are you confused by the alphabet soup of therapist credentials? You're not alone. Our free guide, "Therapist Credentials 101," is here to help.

INSTANT ACCESS: Therapist Credentials 101: What you need to know

Are you ready to embark on a journey of self-discovery and personal growth? Our free ebook, "How to Journal: A Comprehensive Guide," is your ticket to unlocking the transformative power of journaling.

Unlock the Power of Journaling: Your Path to Self-Discovery

Discover the power of self-reflection with our carefully curated collection of journal prompts, designed to help you.

Unlock Your Inner Wisdom: Free Journal Prompts Guide

Are you struggling to prioritize yourself? Feeling overwhelmed and unsure how to take care of your own needs? It's time to transform your relationship with self-care. Introducing "A Guide To Self Care" by Paige Abbott, Registered Psychologist.

Instant Access: A Guide to self Care

Unlock Your Emotional Intelligence Potential

Discover the power of Emotional Intelligence (EQ) with our free ebook, "Building Emotional Intelligence."

Additional Resources & Reading

Parenting

Apps

Insight Timer, Headspace, Calm, Healthy Minds, Five Minute Journal, Day One, 365 Gratitude, Gratitude, MoodTracker, Daylio, I Am, Finch, The Happy Child, Our Family Wizard, Cozi Family Organizer

Kids & Youth Mental Health

‘The Whole Brain Child’ by Siegel and Bryson
‘Raising Mentally Strong Kids’ by Amen & Fay
‘Growing Feelings: A Kids Guide’ by Kennedy-Moore & McLaughlin
‘Feeling Seen’ by Jody Carrington
‘The Boy With Big, Big Feelings’ by Winn Lee & Souva
‘I Am Peace: A Book of Mindfulness’ by Susan Verde
‘I Am Courage: A Book of Resilience’ by Susan Verde
‘The Kissing Hand’ by Audrey Penn
‘The Magical Yet’ by Angela Diterlizzi
‘Be You’ by Peter Reynolds
‘In My Heart’ by Jo Witek
‘The Animals In My Brain’ by Sarah Joseph
‘What Do You Do With a Problem?’ by Kodi Yamada
‘Feeling Better: CBT Workbook for Teens’ by Rachel L. Hutt
‘Freeing Your Child From Anxiety’ by Tamar Chansky
‘A Monster Calls’ by Patrick Ness for dealing with grief
The OCD Workbook for Kids by Puliafico & Robin
Free from OCD: A Workbook for Teens with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder by Timothy A. Sisemore
LGBTQ2S+ For children and youth resources

Apps

Finch, Calm Kids, Chill Panda, Get Sparky, Smiling Mind, Go Noodle, TogetherAI, Breathe, Think, Do With Sesame, Clear Fear, eQuoo, Moshi Kids, Manatee & Me, Booster Buddy

From The Blog

Blog

Being a True Support Person: Boundaries From Codependency Counselling Calgary Experts

Supporting someone through a mental health challenge, chronic illness, injury, or major life transition can be one of the most meaningful roles we take on. When someone we care about is struggling, our natural instinct is often to help, protect, encourage, and sometimes even solve problems for them.

While support is essential, there is an important distinction between helping and over-functioning. At our codependency counselling Calgary practice, we often work with individuals who care deeply about others but find themselves emotionally exhausted, overwhelmed, or losing sight of their own needs in the process.

Being a true support person means showing up with compassion while maintaining healthy boundaries. It means offering care without taking responsibility for another person's healing journey. Whether your loved one is navigating depression, anxiety, trauma, chronic pain, cancer treatment, disability, addiction recovery, or another significant life challenge, healthy support benefits both of you.

Suicide Prevention & Supporting Others: Depression Counselling Calgary Therapists Perspective

Suicide prevention is a topic that affects every community, demographic, and individual. While conversations about suicide can feel uncomfortable, increasing awareness and understanding is one of the most important ways we can help prevent suicide and support those who may be struggling.

At our depression counselling Calgary practice, we believe that education, compassion, and connection can make a significant difference. Whether you are concerned about your own mental health or worried about someone you care about, knowing the warning signs and understanding how to respond can help save lives.

Supporting Kids & Youth With Back to School: Tips From Kids & Teen Counselling Calgary Therapists

As summer winds down and school routines begin again, many families notice a big shift in emotions, energy, and stress levels. While some kids feel excited about seeing friends and starting fresh, others may experience anxiety, overwhelm, sadness, or behavioural changes as the school year approaches.

At many Child and Adolescent Psychology practices offering kids & teen counselling Calgary families trust, back-to-school season is one of the busiest times of the year. This transition period can bring academic pressure, social worries, changing routines, and emotional challenges for children and teens of all ages.

The good news is that with patience, preparation, and support, parents can help make the transition smoother and less stressful for everyone involved.

Dealing with Anticipatory Anxiety: Strategies from Anxiety Counselling Calgary Therapists

Most people worry about future events from time to time. Whether it is worrying about a new school year, a job interview, relationship challenges, health concerns, or major life transitions, the mind often tries to predict and prepare for potential problems before they happen. While this is an adaptive coping mechanism, in theory, to help us prepare for the future, it has a lot of downsides too; particularly leaving us feeling anxious and spending a lot of time focusing on things that we can’t do anything about. When these worries become persistent, overwhelming, or difficult to manage, it may be a sign of anticipatory anxiety.

At our practice offering anxiety counselling Calgary, we often support individuals who feel trapped in cycles of “what if” thinking and constant mental preparation for worst-case scenarios. The good news is that anticipatory anxiety is treatable, manageable, and something people can learn to navigate more effectively over time.

Setting Boundaries 101: Tips From Relationship & Couples Counselling Calgary Therapists

Boundaries are one of the most important—and often most misunderstood—parts of emotional and relational well-being. In therapy, conversations about boundaries come up every day, across all types of relationships. Our relationship and couples counselling Calgary AB therapists see these conversations the most, but they come up when exploring mental health connected to depression, anxiety, trauma, addiction, OCD, parenting, emotional regulation, chronic pain, and other parts of life. Whether it’s learning to say “no,” expressing a need, or navigating differences with others, boundaries play a central role in helping people feel respected, safe, and authentic.

If boundaries feel unfamiliar or uncomfortable, you’re not alone. Like any skill, they take time, practice, and compassion to develop.

An Introduction to the Sana Psychological Podcast

Starting something new—especially something public—often comes with a mix of excitement and uncertainty. For us, creating a podcast had been on our minds for quite some time. We’ve always appreciated how accessible and meaningful podcasts can be, and we wanted to create something that reflects the heart of the work we do every day.

As a team committed to offering the best psychological services Calgary has to offer, we’re always looking for ways to extend support beyond the therapy room. A podcast felt like a natural next step. So how did we get there? Let’s explore the journey to date.

How to Regulate Emotions Using DBT Skills from Depression Counselling Calgary Therapists

Emotions are a natural and essential part of being human—but when they feel overwhelming, unpredictable, or intense, they can interfere with daily life, relationships, and mental health. Many people seeking depression counselling in Calgary tell us they were never taught how to manage emotions, only that they should “calm down” or “get over it.” Even our therapists themselves have childhood memories of being told not to be upset, to suck up tears, or to go to our rooms until we felt better. These messages, whether direct or indirect, teach us that emotions are scary and to be avoided, repressed and suppressed at all costs.

Unfortunately, our depression counselling Calgary therapists see everyday how this does not serve or benefit people. Avoidance of emotions can lead to a variety of outcomes, including escape with substance use or other unhelpful behaviours, anger outbursts, self-injury/self-harm, suicidal ideation, depression, anxiety, difficulty processing disturbing events, conflict in relationships, dissatisfying relationships, and more.

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) offers practical, evidence-based skills that help people understand, regulate, and respond to emotions more effectively. Below, we explore what emotional regulation is, why it can be challenging, and how DBT skills can support lasting change.

Self-injury: How to recognize and treat it from depression counselling Calgary therapists

Self-injury can be frightening to witness and confusing to understand. For concerned loved ones, questions often come up quickly: Why is this happening? What should I say? How do I help without making things worse? We are here to help provide some guidance and clarity.

As therapists providing depression counselling in Calgary, we work with youth, adults and families navigating these concerns every day. This guide is meant to increase understanding, reduce stigma, and outline compassionate, evidence-based paths toward healing.

Eating Disorders: Recognizing the Signs & When to Seek Help from Eating Disorder Therapists in Calgary

Eating disorders are not about food alone. They are about the complex relationship between mind, body, emotions, and self-worth. There can be a genetic as well as environmental and trauma component, which makes them have complicated roots.

Navigating the Holidays With Boundaries: Tips From Codependency Counselling Calgary Therapists

The holiday season is often painted as a magical time—full of love, connection, and joy. While that can be true, it’s also a time when many people feel emotionally stretched, overcommitted, and overwhelmed.

One powerful tool for preserving your peace during the holidays? Boundaries.

Whether you're dealing with complicated family dynamics, packed schedules, or your own emotional needs, setting boundaries is a key part of making the season sustainable—and even enjoyable.

In this blog, our codependency counselling Calgary therapists will break down:

What boundaries are
Why they can be hard to maintain during the holidays

Practical tips to help you set and honor them

Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviours from Anxiety Counselling Calgary Therapists

Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors (BFRBs) are a group of behaviors that involve repetitive, impulsive actions that cause physical damage or discomfort. These behaviors are often unconscious and individuals who engage in them might not realize what they’re doing until damage is already caused. For example, someone may have pulled out a patch of hair on their scalp before becoming aware that they were pulling. While BFRBs are common, they are not always well understood and many people may feel isolated or ashamed about their behaviors. Even in seeking therapy, people may not feel well supported so it is important to find a practitioner who is well-versed in these behaviours who can help you bring forward change. The good news is that with proper understanding and treatment, BFRBs can be managed well and quality of life can be improved.

Introverted or Anxious? Discover the Difference with Anxiety Counselling Calgary

Introversion and anxiety are two concepts and experiences that are often confused because they can manifest in similar behaviours, such as avoiding social situations or needing time alone. However, they stem from very different psychological roots and understanding the distinction is essential for personal insight and mental well-being. A lot of people confuse one with the other, as observed by our anxiety counselling Calgary therapists, which can have significant implications for treatment.

An Introduction to Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT) From Anxiety Counselling Calgary Therapists

CBT. One of the gold-standard therapies that is used for a variety of mental health and addiction issues but what is it? When is it best used? How is it used? What will a person’s experience be like doing CBT therapy? These are all great questions and ones that our anxiety counselling Calgary therapists, who all incorporate CBT into their practice on a daily basis, are happy to address.

Healthy Boundaries: Advice from Codependency Counselling Calgary Therapists

Boundaries. A bit of a buzzword in the psychological and personal development community, but the hype is for a reason. Boundaries are essential for healthy relationships and mental health. They keep us safe, focused, and prioritizing what matters most to us. Visit one of our past popular blog posts, ‘Boundaries: An Inside Job’ to learn more about what boundaries are.

Helping Youth With Emotions: Tips From Depression Counselling Calgary Therapists

The transition from childhood to teenage years is no easy thing and comes with associated interpersonal, physical, and emotional upheaval. Many youth feel they have the support to navigate this successfully, but up to 25% feel that their mental health experience has changed since 2019 and has been impacted not by normal teenage development, but also by COVID.

Most mental health issues begin to present and can be diagnosed in those ages 14-25. This means that teen years and early adulthood are key times to prioritize self-care and mental health. In this article, our depression counselling Calgary therapists who specialize in working with youth (those age 15-24) provide some guidance and suggestions for supporting yourself and/or your youth if you are a parent.

Improving Kid’s Mental Health: Tips from Anxiety Counselling Calgary Therapists

What comes to mind when you think about parenting? For some people, they envision their own childhood and the associated memories and experiences. For others, they are filled with memories of what they have already gone through as parents-the joys and challenges. For others, they immediately feel anxiety and are filled with concern because they are currently navigating some tougher times with their child(ren).

15 Tips from Parent-Child Counselling Calgary Therapists

Parent-Child relationships are complex and constantly evolving as the people grow and change. These are some of the most integral relationships in our lives, yet often we don’t spend much time focusing on what can strengthen them and make them better until issues arise.

Parent Counselling Calgary

Here at Sana Psychological, we are happy to support parents at whatever stage of the journey of parenthood you are in. You can learn more about our Parent Counselling Calgary support below.

Prepare for Back-to-School With Advice from an Anxiety Counselling Calgary Therapist

September. Some people hear the word and smile, with visions of falling leaves, pumpkin spice, and cozy sweaters coming to mind. For others, September evokes fear, stress, and anticipatory discomfort. These feelings depend on the person, their experience, and their relationship with anxiety and stress. For those who are higher in anxiety and stress, perhaps they have even sought out anxiety counselling before, there is a greater likelihood of the September Scaries. Here we have some tips for you from Meghan Nimmo, therapist at Sana Psychological, for parents, youth, and individuals who are looking to reduce their anxiety levels and transition into September comfortably.

What to Look for in an Eating Disorder Therapist in Calgary and Beyond

Eating Disorder rates are on the rise since the COVID pandemic. It is estimated that at least 600,000-900,000 people are struggling with an Eating Disorder in Canada at any given time and this number is likely higher than we know due to the ongoing shame, secrecy, and stigma that still exists with this health condition. Women are 10x more likely to struggle (or at least be open about their struggle) than men and youth are the highest risk age group. Eating Disorders must be taken seriously as they can be fatal if left untreated, with mortality rates for those with anorexia being as high as 10-15% (stats from Eat Well Health Centre blog).

Parenting, Kids And Youth Experts at SanaPsyc

Featured

Gayatri Kainth, Registered Psychologist

Book With Gayatri→

Currently Accepting New Clients for couples & relationship work, as well as kids, youth and adults navigating anxiety, depression, caregiving, BFRBs, and more or you are looking for hypnotherapy

Meghan Nimmo, Registered Provisional Psychologist

Book With Meghan →

Currently Accepting New Clients for Couples and Youth 12+ and Adults navigating chronic pain, medical trauma, anxiety, esteem, and more

Tamara Kreptul, Canadian Certified Counsellor

Book With Tamara →

Currently Accepting New Clients for kids, youth and adults navigating crises, addiction, relationship challenges, health issues, and more

Amanda Nelson

Amanda is passionate about growth, big-picture ideas, and putting together strategic marketing plans for businesses that want to scale.

Amanda’s philosophy is to love what you do, to never say no to new opportunities without hearing them first, and to treat others as she would like to be treated.

She is forward-thinking and intuitive when it comes to what a business needs to level up its marketing game. Amanda is a single mother to a spunky boy, she is obsessed with plants (210+ houseplants), and loves relaxing at home after a fulfilling day of work.

https://www.theartofb.ca

Parenting, Kids & Youth Mental Health Resources

Does My Child Need Counselling? A Self-check Quiz

Helpful e-books, worksheets and guides

Download For Free!

Additional Resources & Reading

Parenting

Apps

Kids & Youth Mental Health

Apps

From The Blog

Parenting, Kids And Youth Experts at SanaPsyc

Yes! I’d love to receive free wellness tips, resources & more!

Shop Amazon & Support Mental Health!

100% Of The Commission From Your Purchases Will Support Mental Health & Addiction Recovery in Calgary

Parenting, Kids & Youth Mental Health Resources

Does My Child Need Counselling? A Self-check Quiz

Helpful e-books, worksheets and guides

Download For Free!

Additional Resources & Reading

Parenting

Apps

Kids & Youth Mental Health

Apps

From The Blog

Parenting, Kids And Youth Experts at SanaPsyc

Grief And Loss Mental Health Resources

Trauma Mental Health Resources

Yes! I’d love to receive free wellness tips, resources & more!

Shop Amazon & Support Mental Health!

100% Of The Commission From Your Purchases Will Support Mental Health & Addiction Recovery in Calgary