Programs and Group Therapy in Winnipeg

Reading Boot Camps

Your child will spend 6 Saturdays at the office with a Reading Tutor who will help your child catch up to current reading levels. There will also be several sessions with a psychologist to help break the barriers created by learned helplessness. We will break up the learning with fun activities and rewards!

Reading Boot Camp

6 Saturdays from 9am-12pm

Overcoming Anxiety

The anxiety group is targeted towards children from ages 7-13.

Children will learn that they are not the only ones to have these unusual thoughts or behavior. Secondly, many children who are shy and socially anxious will be exposed to the challenge of talking to others or exposing their vulnerabilities. There is no better therapy than exposure therapy – and what better way to start the process in a safe and controlled environment with other children? For many children, exposure to the group will be an added benefit.

The goal is both to learn better coping skills at the group, and to change behavior both at home and at school. Group therapy from Winnipeg’s Mind Matters Clinic can be beneficial for children battling anxiety.

Dates for upcoming sessions:
Mondays after school, 4:15-5:30

Adapting to ADHD

The Organizational Skills Group is targeted towards children from ages 8 through 16.

We will teach your child how to organize their responsibilities and maintain both an organized calendar and working space. We will then move on to enhancing attention and concentration. Finally, we will help your children develop better impulse control by teaching them how to stop and think before acting.

Reward systems will be set up for home and school, so that your child is actively seeking positive feedback for a job well accomplished. An introduction to Cognitive Behaviour Therapy will be given, with the goal to decrease black and white all or nothing thinking and to enhance self-esteem.

Please see the brochure below for more information.

New Dates for Upcoming Sessions:
Tuesday Evenings, 4:15-5:30pm

Overcoming Negativity

The overcoming negativity group is targeted towards children (ages 7-13) who:

• Are frequently unhappy, depressed, or anxious
• Focus on the negative side of situations
• Complain frequently
• Are worried about the 'what-ifs'
• Are rigid or inflexible in their thinking style
• Get stuck in a negative thought cycle
• Give up easily
• Have a negative self-image

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy techniques will be used to help children and their parents understand the role of negative thinking in creating negative mood and maladaptive behaviour. The group will teach children how to change their perceptions so that they can see the glass as being half full rather than half empty.

Dates for upcoming sessions:
Thursdays, 4:15-5:30pm

Anger Management

Anger is a feeling we all experience from time to time, though we don’t always know how to properly respond to it, especially if you have the impressionable mind of a child. Mind Matters Clinic has an anger management group in Winnipeg designed to help children ages 6-13 better understand and cope with their natural feelings of anger. It’s our hope that your child can learn to change his or her negative behavior at home or at school thanks to the positive behavior that’s promoted within this unique group session. Our clinicians have years of extensive training with children and adolescents to help them learn new techniques to better distinguish between the feelings of anger, fear, frustration and more, as well as how to deal with those feelings in a healthier way.

The Transition from Childhood to Adulthood

The transition from childhood to adulthood is often a turbulent time full of physical and emotional changes. Many pre-teens and teens will repress anger and withdraw into themselves, while others may lash out at society, their family and friends because they feel frustrated and/or confused about these rapid changes happening to their minds and bodies. They may develop a rebellious, sarcastic streak, defying all the rules and throwing temper tantrums until they get their way. Angry teens that are left angry on their own can become a serious threat to themselves and to their loved ones. Whichever category your pre-teen or teen falls into, an anger management group can help him or her pinpoint underlying issues and respond to these feelings of frustration and anger in a more positive way. Our intent is not to deny their feelings of anger, but rather to find a way for them to express these feelings in a more constructive (less violent or harmful) manner.

Strategies to Manage Anger More Effectively

Think of anger management therapy as a roadmap leading you on a healthier path for life. Anger management therapy helps individuals develop strategies to manage their anger more effectively. The amount of time required for attending anger management therapy is up to the individual’s progress and what he or she wishes to achieve through therapy. Enrolling your child in an anger management group therapy session can have many benefits in the future. These children will learn early on how to improve their relationships with others as well as themselves, as well as how to get angry less frequently and experience less stress and guilt over any negative feelings. Better managing feelings of anger allows individuals to feel happier and be more productive at school, work, etc.

Learn More about Our Adolescent Anger Management Group

Utilizing a variety of techniques and tools in a real life setting to help children better manage their anger and aggression, we feel our anger management therapy has led to many successful outcomes for our patients and their families. To learn more about our effective adolescent anger management group in Winnipeg, please feel free to contact Mind Matters Clinic. We are trained to help, so sign up your child(ren) today!

This group is targeted towards children from ages 6 to 13.

We teach them how to identify some of the bodily symptoms of negative emotion. Then, we learn how to more effectively distinguish between anger, frustration, disappointment, hurt, fear, and so forth. Once feelings are more accurately identified, the actions that are taken to feel better can be more successfully implemented.

Cognitive behavior therapy techniques will be used to help children better understand and more effectively cope with their feelings. Cognitive techniques, deep breathing, and alternative ways to diffuse will all be taught. At the same time, you will help us monitor and reward better self-control throughout the sessions - and, we will set you up with a system to maintain positive behavior that is learned within the group session

The goal is both to learn better coping skills at the group, and to change behavior both at home and at school.

New Dates for upcoming sessions:

Sunday Mornings
Ages 6–9: 9:30 AM – 10:45 AM
Ages 10–13: 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM

Social Skills

The Social Skills Group is targeted towards children from ages 7 to 14.

A variety of self-awareness and interpersonal skills are learned. We start off with basic social skills - maintaining eye contact, respecting personal body space, and developing a sensitivity to and understanding of subtle social cues. We then teach listening and communication skills. We work at developing the skill and self-confidence to initiate and maintain conversation with peers. The beauty of the group setting is that all of these skills can be practiced in a very realistic way.

Next, we teach some of the more individual skills that are necessary for healthier relationships – learning how to recognize ‘black and white’ and ‘all or nothing’ thinking, and developing the capacity to think in shades of grey. Finally, we teach children the skills they need to deal with teasing and bullying, and we work at enhancing their self-esteem.

Dates for upcoming sessions:
Ages 7-10: 5pm-6:30pm
Ages 11-14: 6:45pm-8:15pm

Fired up for Healthy Living

A unique, one of a kind program that unifies the mental health and physical benefits of living a healthy lifestyle. These skills are best learned and practiced in a group setting, with the supervision of skilled group leaders. The 5-week group focuses on developing an understanding of your barriers to exercise and healthy eating.

Dates to be determined, please call our office for updates

Overcoming Social Anxiety

Our 6-week program will help you understand the relationship between fear, Anxiety, and your behaviour in social situations. Together, we will work with you to develop a toolbox of skills to be able to relax, replace irrational thoughts, and reduce your Anxiety around others. Ultimately, we would like to see you feeling comfortable ‘being yourself’ with everyone that you choose to.

Dates for upcoming sessions:

Friday Night Hang

This group is designed for teens who want to connect with other teens. We provide some structured activities that are geared toward your personal interests, and anticipate that you will meet other teens who are like-minded. We will poll group members at the beginning about the games and activities that each member likes and try to accommodate each member’s needs at some point during the six-week group. Once you meet up with others at THE HANG, you can plan your own meetups with the people you connect with.

Dates for upcoming sessions:

Big Bang Therapy

Big Bang Therapy is designed to offer direct instruction in social skills for young adults who have not instinctively acquired these skills. Specific skills will be taught each week, with the opportunity to practice these skills in an environment that is more ‘natural’ than the classroom (e.g., game nights in our relaxed group room setting, outings to movies/shows and to other entertainment centres). Rehearsal will occur through guided activities, as well as through coaching from the sidelines.

Dates for upcoming sessions: