While these are my professional credentials, I’m no different from the people I see. Like everyone else, I’m human. I’ve been through both wonderful and difficult experiences that have shaped who I am and how I help. I embrace the following philosophies that guide what I do and how I help:

• I believe that you are worthy of love and care
• I believe that emotions heal when they are witnessed and validated
• I believe that change is possible when you allow yourself the space to do the work
• I believe that therapy should address the person as a whole – their mind, body, and spirit
• I believe that loving and accepting ourselves for who we are, scars and all, is one of the most courageous things we can do
• I believe we do better when we feel better

What to Expect in Your First Emotion-Focused Family Therapy (EFFT) Session with Dr. Adam Kayfitz

Reaching out for support as a parent can bring up a lot of emotions. You may be worried about your child, exhausted by ongoing struggles, unsure what else to try, or concerned that therapy will focus on what you’ve done wrong.

Emotion-Focused Family Therapy (EFFT) takes a compassionate, collaborative approach. Rather than viewing parents as the problem, EFFT recognizes parents and caregivers as an important part of their child’s healing.

My goal is to help you better understand your child’s emotional world and feel more confident and equipped to support them.

What Happens in the First Session?

Our first session gives me an opportunity to understand what has been happening for your child and your family.

We’ll talk about the concerns that brought you to therapy, what you’ve already tried, patterns you’ve noticed, and what you hope will be different. I’ll also want to understand what happens during difficult moments — both for your child and for you.

Together, we’ll begin looking beneath your child’s behaviour to understand what may be happening emotionally.

Anger, withdrawal, defiance, perfectionism, anxiety, school avoidance or emotional shutdown can sometimes be ways that children and teens communicate distress that is difficult to put into words.

Understanding the emotions underneath a behaviour doesn’t mean every behaviour is acceptable. Instead, it helps us respond to both the behaviour and the emotional need underneath it.

Will I Be Blamed?

No.

Many parents come to therapy already wondering whether they’ve done something wrong. Often, they’ve been working incredibly hard to help their child and simply don’t know what else to try.

My role isn’t to criticize your parenting or decide who is at fault.

EFFT recognizes that parents can be powerful agents of healing and change. We’ll look together at patterns that may have developed within your family and explore different ways of responding that can strengthen connection and emotional safety.

Parents Have Emotions Too

Parenting a child who is struggling can be incredibly stressful. You may feel anxious, helpless, angry, guilty, frustrated or completely exhausted.

Sometimes parents know how they want to respond but find themselves reacting differently in the moment. You may become overly anxious, shut down, avoid conflict, become more controlling than you’d like, or feel as though you’re constantly walking on eggshells.

In EFFT, we can explore these reactions without judgment. Understanding what gets activated for you can help you respond more intentionally when your child is struggling.

What Might We Work On?

Depending on your family’s needs, I may help you learn how to:

• Understand the emotions underneath your child’s behaviour
• Validate your child’s emotional experience
• Respond to meltdowns, shutdowns, anxiety or conflict
• Set limits while maintaining emotional connection
• Recognize your own emotional blocks
• Repair after difficult interactions
• Strengthen trust and connection within your family

The goal isn’t to become a perfect parent. It’s to understand what’s happening more clearly and have more tools available when difficult moments arise.

Does My Child Need to Attend?

Not always.

An important feature of EFFT is that meaningful therapeutic work can happen directly with parents and caregivers.

There may be times when it makes sense for me to meet with your child or for family members to attend together. In other situations, our work may primarily involve parents.

This also means that your child doesn’t have to be ready or willing to participate in therapy for us to begin working toward change.

When parents begin responding differently to their child’s emotional needs, patterns throughout the family can begin to shift.

You Don’t Need to Have the Answers

You don’t need to know exactly what’s wrong, understand everything about EFFT, or know how to fix things before you come.

That’s part of what therapy is for.

Our first session is an opportunity to slow things down, understand what’s happening for your child and your family, and begin identifying a way forward.

My goal is for you to leave feeling heard, supported and less alone, with a clearer understanding of how we can work together to support your child and strengthen your family.

Hours

9:30am-4pm Monday
3pm-9pm Tuesday
9am-2:30pm Wednesday
9am-4pm Thursday
9am-4pm Friday

Insurance

Psychological services are not covered by provincial health insurance but may be covered by some private insurance plans. Clients with such insurance may be able to be reimbursed for some of the costs of psychological services. Clients are responsible for checking and understanding the details of their own policy to insure the limits of their coverage. I do not direct bill insurance companies, but issue a receipt for psychological services that clients may submit for reimbursement. Please note that some insurance companies require a physician’s referral to reimburse psychological services. Check out our FAQ page for more detail on what to ask your insurer.

Qualifications & Affiliations

Ph.D. Clinical Psychology (Child Clinical subspecialty), University of Windsor, 2011
Master Degree Clinical Psychology, University of Windsor, 2008
Bachelor of Arts, Honours, Psychology, Wilfrid Laurier University, 2004
Registered Psychologist with Nova Scotia Board of Examiners in Psychology, R0740, 2013