Our Family Counselling Services

Step 1: Your First Connection with Us

Welcome to Turning Tides Counselling & Life Coaching. We're glad you're considering family counselling. This first step is all about getting to know you, understanding what brings your family here, and exploring how we can support your journey together.

What Happens in Step 1

Your first session is a chance for us to meet and for you to meet Kotone, your Registered Therapeutic Counsellor. Think of it as a conversation rather than an interrogation. We'll spend time learning about your family, what matters to you, and what you hope to achieve through counselling.

During this initial meeting, Kotone will:

• Create a safe, welcoming space where everyone feels heard and respected
• Learn about your family's unique story, relationships, and what brought you here
• Understand your family's strengths and the challenges you're facing
• Discuss what you'd like to work towards together
• Explain how family counselling works and what to expect moving forward
• Answer any questions you have about the process

What to Expect

Your first session lasts 50 minutes. It's designed to be comfortable and collaborative. Kotone uses a care approach informed by trauma research, which means she understands that families often carry difficult experiences. She creates an environment where it's safe to be honest about what's happening in your family.

You might discuss communication patterns, conflicts, or deeper concerns like grief, loss, or past hurts. There's no pressure to share everything at once. This first meeting is about building trust and understanding where your family is starting from.

Sessions can happen online or in person at our Vancouver location, whichever works best for your family.

Frequently Asked Questions About Getting Started

Do we all have to come to the first session?

It helps if everyone who's involved in the family concern can attend. However, we can work with what's possible for your family. Some families start with one or two members present, and others join in later sessions. Let us know what works for you.

What if we're nervous about counselling?

That's completely normal. Many families feel uncertain before their first session. Kotone is experienced in helping families feel at ease. She understands that talking about family struggles can feel vulnerable, and she creates a non-judgmental space where that vulnerability is met with compassion.

Will everything we say be kept private?

Yes. Confidentiality is fundamental to our work. What you share in sessions stays between you and Kotone, with very limited exceptions (such as if there's immediate risk of harm). We'll explain confidentiality in detail during your first session, including how it works when family members are present together.

What if we don't feel like it's the right fit?

The relationship between your family and your counsellor matters. If after your first session you feel it's not the right match, we can discuss that openly. Your comfort and trust are essential to meaningful work together.

How much does this cost?

Family counselling sessions are affordable and accessible. Pricing details are available when you book. We also work with major insurance providers, so coverage may be available based on your individual policy. A sliding scale option is available upon request.

Can we do sessions online?

Absolutely. Our family counselling services are available online, which means you can participate from home. Online sessions are just as effective as in-person meetings, and many families find them more convenient.

What if we're not sure we're ready?

We offer a free 20-minute consultation before your first full session. This is a chance to ask questions, share a bit about what's happening in your family, and see if family counselling feels right for you. There's no obligation. This conversation helps us understand your needs and helps you feel more confident about taking this step.

What Makes Our Approach Different

Kotone brings over five years of experience working with families navigating trauma, relationship challenges, self-esteem concerns, and major life transitions. She uses approaches grounded in research and tailored to your family's specific needs.

Her methods include Internal Family Systems work, which helps family members understand themselves and each other more deeply. She also draws on other evidence-based approaches like cognitive behavioural work and acceptance and commitment therapy, always adapted to what your family needs most.

Most importantly, she understands that families are resilient. Even when things feel stuck or painful, there are strengths within your family waiting to be discovered and built upon.

How to Get Started

Ready to take the first step? Here's how simple it is:

Option 1: Book Your Free 20-Minute Consultation

Use our online booking platform to schedule a brief conversation with Kotone. This is your chance to ask questions and see if family counselling is right for your family.

Option 2: Schedule Your First Full Session

If you're ready to dive in, you can book your first 50-minute session directly through our online platform.

Option 3: Reach Out with Questions

If you'd like to talk before booking, we're here to help.

Contact Us

Phone: (1) 778-321-6058

Email: info@turningtidestoday.com

Online Booking: Book your session here

Website: www.turningtidestoday.com

About Your Counsellor

Kotone Natasha Frankowski is a Registered Therapeutic Counsellor licensed by the Province of British Columbia. She holds a certification from Evergreen Certifications in trauma work and has completed a Professional Counselling Diploma from Rhodes Wellness College. Her practice is grounded in care informed by trauma research, and she's committed to creating a safe, inclusive space for all families, including LGBTQ+ families.

Our family counselling services are available across British Columbia, from Metro Vancouver to Vancouver Island, the Fraser Valley, Interior BC, Northern BC, and beyond, through both online and in-person options.

What Happens After Step 1

After your first session, Kotone will have a clearer picture of your family's needs. Together, you'll create a plan for moving forward. Some families benefit from weekly sessions, while others prefer every other week. The pace and frequency are something you'll decide together, based on what your family needs and what works with your schedule.

You'll also receive between-session email support if you need it, helping you stay connected to your progress and any insights that emerge between meetings.

Family counselling is a journey, and Step 1 is simply the beginning. We're here to walk alongside your family as you move towards greater understanding, connection, and healing.

Step 2: Getting to Know Your Family's Story

Welcome to the intake phase of your family counselling journey. This is where we begin to understand what brings your family here, what matters most to you, and what you hope to achieve together. Think of this step as the foundation where we build trust and clarity about the path forward.

What Happens During Your First Sessions

Your first session with us is about connection, not interrogation. We'll spend about 50 minutes together in a warm, welcoming space where every family member's voice matters. Here's what you can expect.

• We'll start by learning your family's story. Who you are, what your relationships look like, and what brought you to seek support right now.
• We'll explore the challenges you're facing together, whether that's communication breakdowns, conflict patterns, or navigating life changes.
• We'll listen for your family's strengths and values, the things that already hold you together.
• We'll talk about what healing and growth could look like for your family.
• We'll explain how we work, what our approach involves, and how we can support you moving forward.

This isn't about labelling or diagnosing. It's about understanding your unique family system and what will help you thrive.

How We Get to Know Your Family

Our approach to understanding your family draws on years of experience working with families navigating trauma, relationship challenges, and life transitions. We use thoughtful conversations and reflections to build a clear picture of what's happening in your family right now.

We pay attention to communication patterns, emotional connections, and the ways your family has learned to cope with stress. If your family has experienced trauma, we're trained to recognize how that shows up in your relationships and daily life. We also notice what's working well, because those strengths become part of your healing.

Throughout our time together, we use evidence-based approaches that have helped families like yours. These include Internal Family Systems work, which helps family members understand their own inner worlds; somatic approaches that help your nervous system find calm; cognitive and behavioural techniques that build new patterns; acceptance and commitment work that clarifies your values; and relational therapy that strengthens your connections with each other.

What to Bring and How to Prepare

Preparing for your first session helps us make the most of your time together. Here's a simple checklist to get ready.

You don't need to have everything figured out. Many families come in feeling uncertain or overwhelmed. That's completely normal and exactly why you're here.

Setting Goals Together

After we've spent time getting to know your family, we'll work together to set goals for your counselling. These aren't goals we impose on you. They come from what matters to your family.

Your goals might sound like this: 'We want to communicate without yelling,' or 'We want to feel safe and connected again,' or 'We want to understand each other better,' or 'We want to heal from what happened to us.' Whatever your family needs, we'll shape our work around those intentions.

We'll break these bigger hopes into smaller, achievable steps. This helps you see progress and stay motivated. We'll also check in regularly about whether our approach is working for you and adjust as needed.

Common Concerns About This Process

Will this feel like therapy or like we're being judged? Our approach is collaborative and supportive. We're not here to judge your family or tell you what to do. We're here to help you understand each other better and find your own path forward.

What if one family member doesn't want to come? We can work with whoever is ready. Sometimes one person's shift creates ripples through the whole family. We'll talk with you about what makes sense for your situation.

How long does this intake process take? Your first session is 50 minutes. We may have a second or third session where we continue learning about your family and refining our goals. Most families feel ready to move into active counselling within one to three sessions.

What if we're not sure this is right for us? Before you commit, we offer a free 20-minute consultation where you can ask questions and see if our approach feels like a good fit. There's no pressure. We want you to feel confident about moving forward.

Will you keep what we share private? Yes. Confidentiality is foundational to our work. We follow strict privacy guidelines to protect your family's information. We'll explain the limits of confidentiality during your first session, particularly around safety concerns.

How We Support You Between Sessions

Counselling doesn't only happen in our office or on video calls. We support your family's growth between sessions too. After each session, you'll receive a follow-up email summarizing what we discussed and any reflections or practices we talked about. This helps you stay connected to your progress and remember key insights.

If you have questions or need support between sessions, you can reach out to us via email. We're here to support your family's healing journey.

Accessibility and Flexibility

Our family counselling is available online, which means you can access support from wherever you are across British Columbia. Whether you're in Vancouver, Victoria, Kelowna, or any community in between, we can work with you virtually. Online sessions offer the same depth and connection as in-person work, and many families find them more convenient for their schedules.

Sessions are offered at times that work for your family. We understand that coordinating schedules with multiple family members takes planning, so we're flexible about when we meet.

Ready to Move Forward

Step 2 is about building the foundation for your family's healing. By the end of this phase, you'll have a clear understanding of how we work, what your goals are, and what to expect as we move into active counselling together.

Your family's story matters. Your hopes for connection and healing matter. We're honoured to walk alongside you.

Next step: Book your free 20-minute consultation or your first session through our online booking platform at https://www.colib.io/booking/turning-tides-coaching-counselling. If you have questions before booking, reach out to us at info@turningtidestoday.com or call 778-321-6058.

Step 3: Your Healing Journey Unfolds

Therapy Sessions and Active Treatment

You've shared your story. You've set your goals. Now comes the meaningful work of transformation. In Step 3, your family begins the actual therapeutic process where real change takes root.

What Happens During Your Sessions

Each session lasts 50 minutes and follows a thoughtful structure designed to support your family's unique needs.

The Therapeutic Approaches We Use

Our family counselling draws from several evidence-based approaches, all woven together with care informed by trauma research. We meet your family where you are.

• Internal Family Systems (IFS) informed work helps each family member understand the different parts of themselves. Maybe one part wants connection while another part protects through distance. We help these parts work together rather than against each other.
• Somatic approaches recognise that emotions and stress live in our bodies. We help your family notice what's happening physically when conflict arises, so you can respond differently.
• Cognitive Behavioural approaches look at the thoughts, feelings, and actions that shape your family's patterns. When you shift one, the others shift too.
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy helps your family clarify what truly matters and move toward those values, even when things feel difficult.
• Dialectical Behaviour Therapy teaches skills for managing intense emotions and building stronger connections, especially helpful when family members struggle with emotional regulation.

All of these approaches are grounded in care informed by trauma research. If your family has experienced trauma, we honour that. We create safety first. Everything else builds from there.

Specific Therapeutic Activities You'll Experience

Therapy isn't just talking. It's experiencing new ways of being together.

• Communication exercises where family members practise listening without planning what to say next, and speaking from the heart instead of from defensiveness.
• Emotion identification work that helps each person name what they're feeling and why, building emotional awareness across your family.
• Strength-spotting conversations where we deliberately notice what your family does well. These moments matter. They remind you of your resilience.
• Values clarification activities that help your family remember what binds you together and what you're working toward.
• Play-based interactions if your family includes children. Play is how young people process and heal. It's powerful and natural.
• Mindfulness and grounding practices that help family members stay present and calm, especially when conversations get tender or challenging.

Your Homework: Practices Between Sessions

The real transformation happens at home. Between sessions, your family continues the work through thoughtful practices.

Reflective journaling invites each family member to notice patterns, emotions, and moments of connection. You don't need to be a writer. Simple observations count.

Communication practice might mean setting aside time for a family conversation using the tools you've learned. Maybe it's a weekly check-in where everyone shares one thing they appreciated about each other that week.

Emotion regulation exercises help individual family members manage big feelings. Breathing techniques. Grounding practices. Movement. Whatever helps your nervous system settle.

Values-based activities keep your family connected to what matters. This might be a shared meal, a walk together, or time spent on something you all care about.

Psychoeducational reading or reflection deepens your understanding of how families work, how trauma affects relationships, and how healing happens. We provide materials tailored to your situation.

These practices aren't mandatory. They're invitations. You choose what resonates with your family and what feels sustainable. The goal is progress, not perfection.

How We Track Your Progress

You'll know you're moving forward because you'll feel it. But we also make progress visible together.

In our early sessions, we have conversations about where your family is now and where you want to be. As we continue, we notice the shifts. Are family members talking differently? Are conflicts resolving faster? Is there more laughter? More ease?

We might use simple reflection tools to check in on how you're feeling about specific areas like communication, trust, or emotional safety. These aren't formal tests. They're conversations that help us see what's working and where we might adjust our approach.

You'll also receive follow-up emails between sessions where we summarise what we discussed and highlight the insights that emerged. These become your reference guide for the work you're doing at home.

Progress isn't always linear. Some weeks feel like breakthrough moments. Other weeks feel like you're treading water. Both are part of the journey. We celebrate the breakthroughs and we hold steady during the plateaus.

The Therapeutic Relationship Matters Most

Here's what we know: healing happens in relationship. The safety you feel with your counsellor, the trust you build, the sense that someone truly understands your family's story. That's where the magic lives.

Our family counselling at Turning Tides is built on this foundation. You're not clients receiving treatment. You're people we're honoured to walk alongside as you heal and grow together.

Your counsellor, a Registered Therapeutic Counsellor trained in approaches informed by trauma research, brings both expertise and genuine care to every session. You'll feel seen. You'll feel heard. You'll feel like your family's story matters, because it does.

Ready to Begin?

Step 3 is where your family's transformation becomes real. It's where new patterns take root. It's where you discover that change is possible.

Our family counselling services are available across British Columbia, delivered online to ensure accessibility and comfort for your family. Whether you're in Vancouver, Victoria, Kelowna, or anywhere across the province, we're here to support your healing journey.

Book your first session today through our online booking platform. Your family's next chapter is waiting.

Book Your Family Counselling Session

Step 4: Progress Evaluation and Completion

You've reached an important milestone in your family counselling journey. Step 4 is where we pause to reflect on the progress your family has made, evaluate how far you've come together, and determine whether you're ready to move forward independently or if continued support would be beneficial.

Understanding Your Progress

Throughout your sessions with our trauma informed counselling team at Turning Tides Counselling & Life Coaching serving all of British Columbia, your family has been working toward meaningful change. We look at progress not as perfection, but as movement in the direction of your goals.

During this evaluation phase, we examine several key areas:

• Communication improvements between family members, including how you express needs and listen to one another
• Conflict resolution skills you've developed and how you're using them in real situations
• Emotional regulation and how family members are managing difficult feelings
• Healing from past wounds and whether trauma responses are becoming less intense
• Relationship satisfaction and the quality of connection within your family unit
• Individual growth each person has experienced alongside the family work

Signs You May Be Ready for Completion

Families often ask us how they'll know when they're ready to complete counselling. There's no single answer, but here are meaningful indicators:

You're managing conflicts with greater ease. When disagreements arise, your family now has tools to navigate them without becoming overwhelmed or reverting to old patterns. You might still have moments of tension, and that's completely normal. What matters is that you're handling these moments differently.

Communication feels more open and honest. Family members are expressing themselves more clearly, and others are listening with genuine interest rather than defensiveness. You're asking questions to understand, not to argue.

Trauma responses are less controlling. If your family has been working through the effects of past trauma, you're noticing that these experiences have less power over your daily interactions. Triggers still exist, but they're manageable.

You're solving problems together. Your family is tackling challenges as a team rather than fragmenting into separate camps. You're brainstorming solutions and supporting one another through difficulties.

Individual family members feel more secure. There's a sense of safety and belonging that wasn't present before. People feel heard, valued, and accepted for who they are.

You're maintaining progress between sessions. The skills you've learned are becoming automatic. You're not waiting for your next appointment to apply what you've discovered.

The Completion Conversation

When your family appears to be approaching completion, we have a dedicated conversation about this transition. This isn't a sudden goodbye. Instead, we thoughtfully discuss what completion looks like for your specific family.

We'll review the journey you've taken together. We'll acknowledge the courage it took to show up, be vulnerable, and work toward change. We'll celebrate the specific victories your family has achieved, both large and small.

We'll also ensure you feel confident about moving forward. If there are any remaining concerns or skills that need strengthening, we address those before you transition to independence.

Your Maintenance Plan

Completing counselling doesn't mean the work stops. It means you're ready to continue the work independently, with the tools and insights you've gained. We create a personalized maintenance plan for your family.

Your maintenance plan includes:

• Key strategies to practise regularly that have been most helpful for your family
• Communication practices to keep your family connected and understanding one another
• Conflict resolution approaches you can use when disagreements arise
• Self-care routines for individual family members to maintain emotional wellbeing
• Recognising warning signs that might indicate when additional support could be helpful
• Specific activities or rituals that strengthen your family bond

We provide this plan in writing so you can reference it whenever you need a reminder of what works for your family.

Ongoing Support Options

Completing your primary counselling journey doesn't mean you're without resources. Our trauma informed care approach at Turning Tides Counselling & Life Coaching means we remain available to you.

Occasional check-in sessions can be scheduled if your family faces a new challenge or life transition. Many families find it helpful to return for a few sessions when significant changes occur, such as a child leaving home, a job loss, or anniversary dates of past trauma.

Our CPTSD support group is available if family members are continuing to process complex trauma. These groups provide ongoing psychoeducation and peer support in a safe community setting.

Our therapy book club offers an affordable way to continue learning about healing and relationships through guided discussions. This is particularly valuable for families wanting to deepen their understanding of trauma recovery or relationship dynamics.

Between-session email support is available if you need guidance on applying what you've learned or if a situation arises that feels challenging.

Our family counselling services serving all of British Columbia, including Metro Vancouver, Vancouver Island, the Fraser Valley, Interior BC, Northern BC, the Kootenays, and beyond, remain accessible to you. Whether you're in Vancouver or another region of the province, you can reach out whenever you need support.

What Happens After Completion

After your family completes counselling, you'll have access to resources and reminders of the work you've done together. We encourage families to keep their maintenance plan somewhere visible, like on a refrigerator or in a shared family space.

Many families find it helpful to schedule a brief follow-up conversation three to six months after completion. This gives you a chance to reflect on how you're maintaining your progress and to address any questions that have emerged.

If your family faces a new challenge that feels beyond what you can manage independently, reaching out for additional support is a sign of wisdom, not failure. Life brings unexpected situations. Our role is to be here when you need us.

Celebrating Your Family's Growth

Before you move forward, we want to acknowledge something important. The fact that your family engaged in this process, showed up consistently, and worked toward change speaks volumes about your commitment to one another. Family counselling requires vulnerability and courage. It requires being willing to examine patterns that may have felt fixed for years. It requires choosing connection even when it's uncomfortable.

Your family has done this work. You've learned new ways of communicating. You've healed from wounds that were affecting your relationships. You've built skills that will serve you for years to come. That's genuinely significant.

Ready to Move Forward?

If you're approaching completion or thinking about scheduling a completion conversation, we're here to support that transition thoughtfully. If you'd like to discuss whether now is the right time to complete your counselling, or if you'd like to explore ongoing support options, we welcome that conversation.

You can book a session or discuss your family's next steps through our online booking platform at https://www.colib.io/booking/turning-tides-coaching-counselling.

Your family's healing journey doesn't end here. It continues as you apply what you've learned, support one another through life's changes, and build the connected, resilient family you're working toward. We're honoured to have been part of your story.