Children who struggle with emotion regulation can benefit from practicing self-regulation skills during calm moments so they are accessible during times of emotional distress.

Ideas to try:

• Create a “chill out zone” with items like fidgets (stress balls, glitter jars, putty, bubbles for breathing, etc.). See FDMT for quality fidgets
• Daily mindfulness or meditation practice using apps like Insight Timer or Calm. Research shows just 10 minutes of daily meditation can reduce anxiety as effectively as medication for some individuals.
• For younger children (ages 4–9): Mindmasters 

Tips for parents

• Avoid problem-solving or rationalizing while your child is dysregulated (“in the red zone”).

Recommended books

• The Whole Brain Child by Dan Siegel
• Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child by John Gottman
• The Power of Showing Up by Daniel J. Siegel

ADHD & executive functioning
Children with ADHD may struggle more with emotion regulation. Helpful resources:

• CADDAC
• Understood.org
• Executive Functioning & ADHD tips

Children need connection with their parents, especially during challenging times. Emotion coaching helps parents:

• Validate and label emotions
• Teach that emotions vary in intensity
• Encourage safe expression of feelings

Community Resources

• Triple P Parenting: Designed for parents of pre-teens and teens. Self-paced learning, including videos, workshops, and activities.
• Parents’ Lifeline of Eastern Ontario (PLEO): Support for parents and caregivers navigating children’s mental health challenges. 
• Parent Support Line: A free and confidential non-medical service, providing support to parents who are navigating challenges related to child development and child behaviour. 

Online Resources

• Webinar on emotion coaching (start at 54:40)
• Gottman’s Emotion Coaching Course
• Becky: Good Inside | Instagram: @drbeckyatgoodinside
• Catch-Up on Kids Mental Health Podcast  
• Ask Lisa: The Psychology of Parenting  Podcast
• How We Feel App

Self-care for parents

• Practice self-compassion and mindfulness using apps like Insight Timer
• Webinar on self-compassion (start at 13:21)

Books

• Brainstorm: The Power and Purpose of the Teenage Brain by Daniel J. Siegel
• The Teenage Brain: A Neuroscientist’s Survival Guide by Frances E. Jensen
• How to Talk So Teens Will Listen & Listen So Teens Will Talk by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish
• Get Out of My Life, But First Could You Drive Me and Cheryl to the Mall? by Anthony Wolf 
• Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls Through the Seven Transitions into Adulthood by Lisa Damour
• Under Pressure: Confronting the Epidemic of Stress and Anxiety in Girls by Lisa Damour
• Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys by Dan Kindlon and Michael Thompson 
• The Way of Boys: Raising Healthy Boys in a Challenging and Complex World by Anthony Rao and Michelle Seaton 

Books for guidance

• Trust Me, Mom – Everyone Else is Going! by Roni Cohen-Sandler.
• Breathe Through This by Eline Snel
• Screen-Smart Parenting by Jodi Gold

Screen time & connection

• Use family handouts and technology contracts to maintain healthy boundaries.

Helping children manage anxiety

• Teach children to label their worries and recognize they have control over them.
• Practice gradual exposures to anxiety-provoking situations (start with low-intensity challenges).
• Use mindfulness and self-regulation strategies.
• Consider a “worry jar” to schedule weekly worry time.
• Shield children from distressing news.

Books for children & teens

• What to Do When You Worry Too Much by Huebner

Books for parents

• Freeing Your Child from Anxiety by Tamar Chansky
• Breaking Free of Childhood Anxiety and OCD by Eli Lebowitz

Tips

• Encourage leadership roles at home
• Spend regular one-on-one time with your child/teen
• Use child-directed play or casual time together to foster open conversations

Free Apps

• Finch: Self-care habits and self-compassion
• What’s Up?: CBT and ACT tools for building coping skills  
• Insight Timer: Meditation and mindfulness for building resilience

Books for Adults and Parents

• The Self-Esteem Workbook for Teens by Lisa M Schab
• The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown  
• Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself by Kristin Neff  
• Emotional Agility by Susan David  
• The Whole-Brain Child by Daniel J. Siegel & Tina Payne Bryson  
• No-Drama Discipline by Daniel J. Siegel & Tina Payne Bryson  
• Raising Resilience by Christopher Willard 

Books for Teens

• The Anxiety Survival Guide for Teens by Jennifer Shannon  
• Conquer Negative Thinking for Teens by Mary Karapetian Alvord & Anne McGrath  
• The Self-Compassion Workbook for Teens by Karen Bluth  

Books for Children

• The Huge Bag of Worries by Virginia Ironside (ages 5–9)  
• Wilma Jean the Worry Machine by Julia Cook (ages 5–9)  
• My Many Coloured Days by Dr. Seuss (emotional literacy; ages 3–6)  

Crisis and Urgent Support

• National Eating Disorders Helpling (NEDIC): Call 1-866-633-4220 or visit NEDIC. Available 8AM-9PM on weekdays, 12PM-5PM on weekends. Bilingual, all ages. 

Community Supports

• CHEO Eating Disorders Program: Ask for a referral to this program from your family doctor, visit 1Call1Click, or go to CHEO Emergency Department, to connect with services. 
• The Royal Ottawa Eating Disorders Program: Adults only, ask for a referral via your family doctor. In the meantime resources are available on their website as well.
• Hopewell Eating Disorder Support Centre: Provides support groups and art therapy programs to individuals 17+ years old.
• Body Brave: Canadian organization offering free, evidence-based eating disorder support groups and resources virtually.  

Books & workbooks

• My Body, My Self for Girls – Lynda Madaras
• The Body Image Workbook for Teens by Julia V. Taylor
• 101 Ways to Help Your Daughter Love Her Body by Brenda Richardson
• When Your Teen Has an Eating Disorder – Lauren Muhlheim
• Skills-Based Caring for a Loved One with an Eating Disorder by Janet Treasure, Gráinne Smith and Anna Crane
• Off the C.U.F.F.: Parent Skills Book by Nancy Zucker
• Help Your Teenager Beat an Eating Disorder by James Lock and Daniel Le Grange 
• I Like Myself! by Karen Beaumont 
• Bodies Are Cool by Tyler Feder 
• Smaller Sister by Maggie Edkins Willis 
• Good Enough by Jen Petro-Roy 
• Louder Than Hunger by John Schu 

Tips

• Maintain a business-like relationship with your co-parent
• Reduce conflict in front of children
• Children’s Bill of Rights – Robert Emery

Ottawa-Based Support

• Family Services Ottawa: Provides various services for families, youth, and children navigating major life transitions. 
• School-Based Mental Health Workers: If your child is struggling, their school is a great first point of contact. Both the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) and the Ottawa Catholic School Board (OCSB) have mental health workers and social workers available to students. Ask your child’s principal or guidance counsellor for a connection to these services. 
• Ottawa Centre for Resilience: Divorce support programming is available pre and post divorce, for all conflict levels. Support is available for all family members (children, teens, parents, step-parents, etc.) who are impacted by divorce. They provide assessments for custody and access, parenting capacity assessment, and voice of the child reports. They also provide Safe Habour therapy, and family law consultation. 

Tools

• Our Family Wizard App: A platform that allows parents to communicate, share journals, track expenses, and more in a safe virtual space. 
• Families Change: Age-appropriate help for families dealing with separation and divorce. Parent, teen, and child activities and supports are available here. 
• Family Transitions, Triple P Online: Online learning modules for parents navigating separation and divorce. 

Books

• Two Homes, One Childhood by Robert Emery
• Overcoming the Co-Parenting Trap by Moran & Sullivan
• Overcoming the Alienation Crisis by Moran & Sullivan
• Mom’s House, Dad’s House by Isolina Ricci  
• The Co-Parenting Handbook by Karen Bonnell & Kristin Little  
• Putting Children First by JoAnne Pedro-Carroll 

• Preparing Your Child For a Psycho-Educational Assessment
• Talking to Your Child About Testing
• L’évaluation en neuropsychologie: Tout savoir sur ce qui se passe dans le bureau des neuropsychologues 
• L’évaluation en neuropsychologie pour les enfants

• 988 Suicide Crisis Helpline: Call or text 988 for immediate, bilingual support for all ages.
• Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868 or text CONNECT to 686868 for bilingual, 24/7 support for those under age 20.
• Hope for Wellness Helpline: Free, 24/7 crisis and mental health counselling for all Indigenous people of all ages across Canada. Services available in English, French, Cree, Obikway, and Inuktitut. Call 1-855-242-3310 or visit Hope for Wellness Helpline for online services.
• Trans Lifeline: 24/7 peer support for and by trans and non-binary people, without police involvement. Available to people of all ages. Call 1-877-330-6366 or visit Trans Lifeline
• ConnexOntario: Free, 24/7 support for mental health, addictions, and gambling concerns for people of all ages in Ontario. Call 1-866-531-2600, text CONNEZ to 247247, or visit ConnexOntario
• Ottawa Rape Crisis Centre: 24/7 crisis support for victims and survivors of sexual assault of all ages. Call 1-877-544-6424 or visit Ottawa Rape Crisis Centre

Free Counselling 

• Youth Services Bureau Walk-In Clinic: Free counselling, crisis support, and mental health services for young people Ottawa.
• Walk-In Counselling Clinic & Counselling Connect: Free, short-term, same-day or planned mental health support services. Available by phone, in-person and virtually. Offered in English, French, and other languages.
• Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health: Culturally adapted, comprehensive mental health and wellness services for Indigenous individuals and families.

Community Health Centres

Ottawa’s Community Health Cenres offer free, bilingual support including mental health counselling, social work, and system navigation with no referral requires. Call or text 211 to be connected to the Community Health Centre in your area.

Therapy Related Tools 

• DBT Coach: Review DBT skills, keep diary cards, and use an SOS as needed.
• Bounce Back Ontario: Learn mental health coping skills through online videos and modules using a CBT framework.
• CIMHS Bliss: Free, 8-session online CBT program for depression. Self-guided, no registration requires. Developed by Canadian researches and designed to use between therapy sessions or while waiting.

Wellness Apps

• Insight Timer: A free app offering thousands of guided mediations, sleep music, and breathing exercises from teachers worldwide. It’s ideal for stress relief and relaxation.
• GLO APP (2SLGBTQIA+ Youth): Community-developed app for 2SLGBTQIA+ youth. This app was purpose-built for this community by the community itself.

Ottawa-Based Services

• Odawa Native Friendship Centre: Community services, social supports, and programming for Indigenous people in Ottawa. Call 613-722-3811 or visit Odawa Native Friendship Centre
• Tungasuvvingat Inuit: Ontario-wide nonprofit organization serving Inuit people. Services include social support, counselling, crisis intervention, cultural programming, and youth programs. Call 613-565-5885 or visit Tungasuvvingat Inuit
• Inuuqatigiit Centre for Inuit Children, Youth and Families: Inuit-specific community supports and services for children, youth, and families. Visit Inuuqatigiit Centre for Inuit Children, Youth and Families

Adult & Parent Books

• Legacy: Trauma, Story, and Indigenous Healing by Suzanne Methot
• Decolonizing Trauma Work by Renee Linklater
• You Are the Medicine: 13 Moons of Indigenous Wisdom, Ancestral Connection, and Animal Spirit Guidance by Asha Frost
• The Seven Circles: Indigenous Teachings for Living Well by Chelsey Luger

Teens & Young Adults Books

• Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley
• The Medicine of Peace: Indigenous Youth Decolonizing Health and Resisting Violence by Anthology

Children’s Books

• We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom and Michaela Goade
• We Sang You Home by Richard Van Camp
• Shin-chi’s Canoe by Nicola I. Campbell
• Dragonfly Kites by Tomson Highway
• The Jingle Dress by Deidre Havrelock and Aly McKnight

Counselling and Community Resources

• Centretown Community Health Centre: Access gender affirming care and guidance.
• Family Services Ottawa Around the Rainbow: Provides education, counselling, and support to 2SLGBTQIA+ families and individuals.
• Kind Space: A community centre in Ottawa offering resources, educational programming, and social support.

Parent Books

• Transgender Children and Youth: Cultivating Pride and Joy by Elijah C. Nealy
• This Is a Book for Parents of Gay Kids by Danielle Owens-Reid and Kristin Russo
• Trans Bodies, Trans Selves by Laura Erickson-Schroth

Children’s Books

• From the Stars in the Sky to the Fish in the Sea by Kai Cheng Thom
• Phoenix goes to School by Michelle Finch and Phoenix Finch
• The Gender Wheel by Maya Christina Gonzalez

Crisis Support (available 24/7) 

• Ottawa Rape Crisis Centre: 613-562-2333 
• Sexual Assault & Partner Abuse Care Program: 613-798-5555 ext. 13770 — Ottawa Hospital Civic Campus (EN/FR)
• Assaulted Women’s Helpline: 1-866-863-0511 — Ontario-wide (200+ languages)
• Interval House Ottawa: 613-234-8511 — Shelter for women and children 
• Unsafe at Home Ottawa: A secure text and online chat service for women and members of the 2SLGBTQ+ communities in Ottawa who may be living through increased violence and abuse (EN/FR).

Ottawa-Based Services 

• Ottawa Rape Crisis Centre (ORCC): Counselling for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence.
• Ottawa Victim Services: Support for crime victims including sexual assault (EN/FR). 

Navigation Tools 

• ShelterSafe.ca: National shelter directory to find nearest women’s shelter.
• 211: Connect to Ottawa-specific social supports 

Many of the services below offer interpretation and translation. If language is a barrier, call 211 and ask for services in your language. 211 Ontario supports over 150 languages. 

If you are looking for a counsellor who shares your cultural or linguistic background, OCISO’s counselling program and the Walk-In Counselling Clinic’s newcomer stream are the strongest starting points. You can also search Psychology Today (psychologytoday.com/ca) and filter by language.

• OCISO – Ottawa Community Immigrant Services Organization: Ottawa’s largest and most comprehensive immigrant and refugee services organization. Serves over 10,000 newcomers annually from 120 countries, in over 50 languages. Four locations in Ottawa across the city.
• YMCA Newcomer Information Centre Ottawa: Provides information and referrals on immigration, citizenship, employment, health, education, housing, and more. Services are available in multiple languages.
• Immigrant Women Services Ottawa: A community based agency serving immigrant and racialized women.
• Community Legal Services of Ottawa: Legal clinic providing free legal services for persons with low income, living in Ottawa.
• CCI Ottawa: Settlement agency offering a wide range of services for newcomers to help you settle, thrive and become active members of Ottawa’s community.

Community Services

• Naseeha Mental Health Helpline: Free, 24/7 Muslim therapy, all ages.
• Black Mental Health Canada: National organization focused on mental health supports for Black Canadians. 
• Muslim Family Services of Ottawa: Provides culturally responsive programs and services for Muslim families, couples, youth, and individuals.
• Jewish Family Services: JFS serves all backgrounds, offering many languages including Farsi and Arabic for counselling support, settlement, mental health, and immigration.

Books for Children and Youth 

• A Kid’s Book About Racism by Jelani Memory 
• Something Happened in Our Town by Marietta Collins 
• The Talk by Alicia D. Williams 
• Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds & Ibram X Kendi 
• This Book is Anti-Racist by Tiffany Jewell 
• All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir 
• Under My Hijab by Hena Khan 
• Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry 
• All Because You Matter by Tami Charles 

Books for Adults and Parents

• The Unapologetic Guide to Black Mental Health by Rheeda Walker 
• My Grandmother’s Hands by Resmaa Menakem 
• Parenting at the Intersections by Priya Saaral and Jaya Ramesh 

Ottawa-Based Services 

• CHEO Extensive Needs Services: This program is designed to reduce barriers that families sometimes face when navigating the health care system with complex needs and provide access to individualized treatment that is timely, evidence-based, and trauma-informed. Families can self-refer.
• City Of Ottawa – Special Needs Resources: Resources for families navigating the system of care. 

Books for Parents

• The Explosive Child by Ross W Greene 
• Taking Charge of ADHD by Russell Barkley 
• Uniquely Human: A Different Way of Seeing Autism by Barry Prizant 

Books for Children

• All My Stripes: A Story for Children with Autism by Shaina Rudolph and Danielle Royer 
• Too Much! An Overwhelming Day by Jolene Gutierrez 
• My Brother Charlie by Holly Robinson Peete and Ryan Elizabeth Peete 

Books about trauma can bring up strong emotions and difficult memories. Please read at your own pace, take breaks when you need to, and consider starting these books alongside a therapist rather than alone. 

Books for Adults

• The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk 
• Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thinking by Pete Walker 
• Trauma and Recovery by Judith Herman 

Books for Parents of Traumatized Children

• The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog by Bruce Perry 
• Trauma-Informed Parenting by Bonnie Golightly 
• Parenting from the Inside Out by Daniel J. Siegel and Mary Hartzell 

Books for Children

• A Terrible Thing Happened by Margaret M Holmes (ages 4-8) 
• Once I Was Very Very Scared by Chandra Ghosh (ages 4-8) 

Books of Teens

• PTSD Recovery Workbook for Teens by Megan MacCutcheon 
• Stuff that Sucks by ben Sedley 
• The Self-Compassion Workbook for Teens by Karen Bluth 
• Strong at the Heart: How it Feels to Heal from Sexual Abuse by Carolyn Lehman