Family relationships can be some of the most rewarding and most complicated connections in our lives. Whether you're navigating parent-child conflict, blending families, adjusting to major life transitions, or simply feeling stuck because family members seem to be speaking different languages under the same roof, you're not alone.
At Inner Sphere Wellness, we understand that families are beautifully messy, wonderfully complex systems where every person brings their own perspective, needs, and experiences to the family unit.
Our family therapy services provide a supportive space where your whole family can explore what's not working, improve communication, and work together toward healing and stronger relationships.
When Family Dynamics Feel Tangled
What is EMDR Therapy?
How Family Counselling Supports Your Family System
We know that no two families are the same. Some families seek support during crisis moments, big conflicts, stressful events, or painful ruptures in relationships. Others attend family therapy because they want to strengthen their family dynamics before small challenges become bigger ones. Wherever your family is on that spectrum, we meet you there with curiosity, honesty, and zero judgment.
We work with families, couples, and extended families, navigating:
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Parent-child or parent-teen conflict and communication issues
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Blended families, adjustments and step-parenting challenges
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Divorce, separation, or co-parenting dynamics
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Major life transitions (moves, job changes, illness, loss)
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Sibling rivalry and relationship patterns
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Child's behaviours and emotional regulation challenges affecting the whole family
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Intergenerational conflicts and family patterns
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Supporting other family members with mental health issues like anxiety, depression, or trauma
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Family issues related to self-esteem and feeling stuck
Our Approach to Child and Family Therapy
Just like our individual counselling services, we don't believe in cookie-cutter solutions. Your family has its own rhythm, history, and unique constellation of personalities, and we bring a trauma-informed, anti-oppressive lens that celebrates family structures in all shapes and sizes. When you attend therapy with us, we create space for everyone's voice to be heard, helping family members better understand each other's perspectives, identify patterns that no longer serve them, and build new communication, coping, and parenting skills for long-term success. Our family therapist uses a range of approaches tailored to your family's needs, sometimes working with the whole family together, other times meeting with parents separately, or focusing on specific relationships within the family.
Our approach combines talk therapy with practical strategies, including:
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Curiosity over judgment – We explore what's happening in your family system with genuine interest, not blame
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Authenticity – We encourage real, honest conversations in a safe container
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Playfulness – Even serious work can have moments of lightness and creativity (we may incorporate play therapy techniques for younger children)
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Systems thinking – We look at how family members influence and impact each other
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Strengths-based support – We help you build on what's already working in your own life and relationships
Who Provides Family Therapy & Counselling Services
Sophie Koolen, our Registered Clinical Counsellor and Registered Dietitian with a Master's Degree in counselling, specializes in working with families, youth (age 12+), children, and adults. Sophie provides comprehensive family counselling and parental support for parents of children as young as 5, helping caregivers navigate parenting challenges and strengthen their family relationships.
Our counselling approach integrates evidence-based methods, including commitment therapy techniques, helping family members understand their roles within the family and develop practical strategies for lasting change.
Here are the questions we’re asked about Family Therapy
Not at all. It’s about the well-being of the whole "system". When one person carries anxiety or trauma, it ripples through the home. We help you find the rhythm and communication skills to support one another through those heavy seasons.
Please know you aren’t alone. Seeking support isn’t a sign of failure; it’s an act of deep love. We’re here to help you untangle what feels knotted and discover new possibilities together.
From youth behavioural struggles and parenting overwhelm to the impact of divorce or major life transitions, we provide a compassionate space to move forward.
It is very common for one person to feel hesitant or worried about being blamed for the family's messiness. Because we look at the whole system, we can still begin the work even if not everyone is ready to join yet. We might start by meeting with the parents separately to develop new strategies or focus on the family members who are ready to participate.
We believe that family members constantly influence and impact each other. When one person is struggling, it ripples through the whole "sphere" of the home. By working together, we can identify patterns that are not serving you and help everyone build the communication skills needed for long-term success.
Not at all. We create a safe container where we prioritize curiosity over judgment. While we do the hard work of untangling difficult threads, we also incorporate playfulness and moments of lightness. Our goal is to find what is already working in your relationships and build on those strengths.
We want to meet you where you are, whether that is in person or online. We offer sessions at our Squamish office and secure virtual counselling for families located anywhere in British Columbia. This flexibility can often make it easier to coordinate everyone's busy schedules.
Session length can vary and we work with you to find the right balance that fits with your family lifestyle. We know life is busy and regular 50 minute sessions may fit best, or equally in many cases families benefit from extended sessions (75-80 mins) to give time and space for all family members to participate in a meaningful way.
It depends on your family's unique situation and goals. Sometimes we work with the whole family together, other times we might meet with just parents for parenting-focused work, or focus on specific family members who are struggling with particular challenges. We'll help you figure out what makes the most sense.
We want to meet you where you are, whether that's in person or online. We offer sessions at our Squamish office and secure virtual counselling for families located anywhere in British Columbia. This flexibility can often make it easier to coordinate everyone's busy schedules.
Simply reach out. We typically begin with an initial consultation to understand your family's unique situation, identify therapy goals, and determine whether family counselling is the right fit. From there, we'll collaborate on a plan that works for your family.
No matter your background, identity, or where you are in your journey, you're welcome here.
The Outdoor Adventurer
Living for the next summit, ride, or backcountry challenge? Therapy helps make sense of the internal terrain that's present on every adventure, supporting you through future challenges.
The Homebody
Yes, you exist — even in Squamish! Not everyone's seeking adrenaline rushes. Your quiet, interior world is just as worth exploring.
Women in the In-Between
Not quite in your 20s anymore, but "middle-aged" doesn't fit either. We offer a feminist, life-stage-aware approach to reclaiming this rich (often under-supported) era. Health, hormones, menopause, and so much more.
The Expat
Straddling cultures, missing home, navigating a new normal — therapy can be a grounding space where you don't have to translate yourself. Whether you're bringing British dry humour or longing for a deeper connection, we get it.
Caregivers, Parents & Helping Professionals
Burnout, compassion fatigue, emotional labour — if you spend your life holding others up, it's okay to need space to be held too.
First Responders
You manage high-stress, trauma-exposed roles and still have a personal life to juggle. Therapy offers a confidential space to unpack both.
Entrepreneurs & Business Folks
High-pressure work, leadership stress, impostor syndrome — therapy helps navigate the emotional weight behind high-stakes decisions and carve out that elusive work/life balance.
The "Lost Soul"
Maybe you were the Peter Pan type — seasonal work, freedom, no fixed plans. Now you want more… but you're not sure what "more" looks like. We can work with that.
The Neurospicy Crew (ADHD, Autism & Beyond)
Fast brains, unique wiring, quirky strengths — we get it. We help you better understand your brain, build on your strengths, and explore how this fits with relationships, work, and wellbeing.
Men
We know therapy can feel unfamiliar. We offer a style that suits you — whether that's private space for deep emotional work, something more grounded and pragmatic, or support accessing emotions that aren't always easy to reach.
Queer, trans, non-binary, or questioning
Whether you're out, exploring, or somewhere in between, therapy can be a space where you don't have to explain the basics. Your identity isn't up for debate — just show up as you are, and we'll meet you with curiosity and care.
Living in a body that's disabled, chronically ill, or outside the thin ideal
Whether you're navigating access barriers, medical gaslighting, or trying to rest without guilt — your body isn't the problem. Therapy is a place to be heard, supported, and real — no fixing required.
Indigenous, First Nations, and Métis
We know therapy exists within systems shaped by colonialism. Our aim is to offer space rooted in respect — for your lived experience, your knowledge, and your definition of healing.
BIPOC folks in mostly white spaces
Code-switching, cultural load, intergenerational weight — it's exhausting. Therapy can be a space where you don't have to translate or shrink your experience to fit.
