Research shows that group therapy works. In many cases these outcomes can be as good, if not better, than individual psychotherapy interventions. Group work normalizes a clients experience, but also allows them to benefit from the lessons brought to the group by peers or when the facilitator is responding to other members of the group. Some lessons are also just easier to demonstrate and experience in a group format. As a bonus, group interventions can be a far more cost efficient way to access support.

Below is a list of some of the groups currently being run at FLEX. Some of these programs are therapeutic based, while others are provided in a workshop format. You can sign up directly through our website or contact us for more information. Some groups are provided in a hybrid format, pairing both group and individual supports within a single low cost package.
FLEX is currently redesigning our group therapy and workshop programs. The programs listed below reflect past offerings at FLEX. Please contact us to inquire about upcoming programming and to be put on a contact list for future versions of these programs.

Group Therapy

Managing student anxiety:
A group for college and university students
Just enough anxiety gets us moving and helps us avoid procrastination. Too much anxiety, causes avoidance, impairs our ability to reach our full potential, or only allows success through suffering.

FLEX's 4-week Managing Student Anxiety group is designed for post-secondary students who would like to learn strategies to manage stress and anxiety in a non-threatening, supportive environment. Learn how to understand anxiety and its effects, and how to make it work for you, not against you.

You will learn:
  • The purpose/function of anxiety
  • Good self-care habits
  • Cognitive-behavioural strategies
  • Mindfulness skills

​Date: TBA. Contact us for waitlist.
Length: 8 hours total, 4 sessions at 2 hours each

Location:
FLEX Psychology
170 Red Maple Road, Unit 2
Richmond Hill, ON
Facilitators: Carolyne Lee and Jessica Danilewitz
​
This program is intended to be therapeutic in nature. It may be covered by your extended health plan as a Psychological Service.​​
start fresh:
A learning therapy group for bright students
Start the semester off right with a new toolkit of strategies and techniques that will transition you from "being smart" to "acting smart". The goal of the strategy/transition program is to provide you with techniques that allow you to work quickly, but still obtain top notch results:
  • Note-taking techniques - Learn how to take notes that not only help you learn, but prepare you for studying.
  • Reading strategies - Discover ways to read your textbooks and novels more quickly, with increased comprehension, and improved memory.
  • To-do's and to-don't's - Advanced techniques to keep track of what needs to be done and when
  • Project management and organization - How to break any project down into smaller and more manageable steps while avoiding procrastination.
  • Studying techniques - Learn how to make a study schedule, to organize yourself for studying, and the best way to get information and make it stick.
  • Test-taking techniques - Getting information in is only part of the problem. Learn how to extract and convey all that you know during tests.

Our initial workshop day(s) will cover all of the topics listed above. The month (4-5 weeks) following the workshop the student will participate in online sessions with the facilitator to help implement the strategies and adapt them to their current course-load. Finally, attendees are welcome to attend (at no additional cost) the exam study workshops offered prior to college/university and high school finals. Those workshops will help reinforce the exam training from the initial workshop prior to this high stakes testing period.

Date: August 26th and 29th, 2018; Alternative Date (if sufficient demand) - August 19th and 22nd, 2018

Length: 10 hours total. Initial workshop is 6 hours (Two three-hour sessions); Online approximately 2 hours (Four thirty-minute sessions); Exam workshop is 2 hours.

Location:
FLEX Psychology
170 Red Maple Road, Unit 2
Richmond Hill, ON

Facilitators: Michael Decaire and Jessica Danilewitz

Cost:
Pre-Registration/Payment - $500 (Inclusive of the group session, online individual therapy sessions, and exam workshop)
After Start Date - $600 (Inclusive of the group session, online individual therapy sessions, and exam workshop)

Who should attend: FLEX's Student Workshop and Therapy Group series was designed specifically for the bright and gifted population. Attendees should be students who are motivated to succeed, but are perhaps not obtaining the results they want. It is a program designed for those who are working hard, are smart, but are perhaps not working smart. It's about teaching the bright and gifted how to leverage their strengths to be strategic, solution focused, and efficient.

This program is intended to be therapeutic in nature and is designed to remediate learning disorders and related exceptionalities. It may be covered by your extended health plan as a Psychological Service if the participant has received a diagnosis that would be considered compromising to their learning.
SOCIAL SUCCESS:
AN INTERACTIVE GROUP FOR CHILDREN AGES 7 TO 10
Designed for children experiencing difficulty socializing with their same-age peers, this theme-based group was designed to be highly engaging and to provide real world practice socializing with other children.

It is an engaging and play centric program that will keep your child engaged, focused, and learning.

Your child will build on the following skills:
  • Self-esteem and self-worth
  • Emotional self-expression
  • Active listening and responding skills
  • Turn-taking and patience
  • Eye contact and body language
  • Communication and conversation skills

Date: Thursdays, November 9th to 30th, 5:30pm to 7pm
Length: 6 hours total, 4 sessions at 1.5 hours each

Location:
FLEX Psychology
170 Red Maple Road, Unit 2
​Richmond Hill, ON

Facilitator: Amy Friedman
Assistant: Zahava Bagola
​
This program is intended to be therapeutic in nature. It may be covered by your extended health plan as a Psychological Service.​​​
GROUPS Coming Soon TO FLEX:
  • Mindful Parenting
  • Mindfulness for Teens
  • Mindful Maintenance

Workshops

STUDY SMART:
AN EXAM PREP WORKSHOP FOR HIGH SCHOOL AND POST-SECONDARY
​FLEX is excited to offer a focused training on exam preparation, study techniques, and test-taking strategies. Anchored in the neuro-science of how we acquire and retrieve memories, students will leave with an understanding of how early they should start preparing for exams, how to design and implement effective study schedules, and how to work strategically during examinations to show all that they know. Test anxiety will also be discussed, with a demonstration of techniques to resolve anxiety and keep your brain "online".

Date: Two options - May 6, 2018, 10am to 12pm or 1pm to 3pm

Location:

FLEX Psychology - 170 Red Maple Road Unit 2, Richmond Hill, ON

Cost: $50 (This session is a education lecture and is not covered by insurance plans for psychology)

Presenter: Jessica Danielwitz
This low cost workshop is an education lecture and would not be covered by insurance plans for psychology.
KEEP CALM AND STUDY ON:
A test anxiety workshop
Nearly all of FLEX's students report that test anxiety is impairing their performance during studying and on examinations. They note that anxiety is lowering thier confidence, impeding their focus and memory, and causing them to "blank out" on tests and exams.

Few know that a little bit of anxiety is a good thing and that it motivates us to study and work hard to obtain the marks we want. Unfortunately, the threshold between "good" anxiety and "debilitating" anxiety is a easy one to cross over.

​Attendees will learn how to harness the good anxiety, while stepping away or back from the bad. They will learn practical techniques that will keep their brains online, their focus on the task at hand, and foster success in their studies.

This workshop is a good fit for both secondary and post-secondary students.

​Date: TBA. Contact us for waitlist.

Location:

FLEX Psychology
170 Red Maple Road, Unit 2
Richmond Hill, ON

Pre-Registration Cost: $50 (This session is a education lecture and is not covered by insurance plans for psychology)
Post-Registration Cost: $70  (This session is a education lecture and is not covered by insurance plans for psychology)

Presenter: Jessica Danielwitz
This is a low-cost lecture and not a therapeutic contact. The session costs are not likely covered by your extended health plan.
WORKSHOPS COMING SOON TO FLEX:
  • Understanding Academic Perfectionism
  • Managing Stress and Anxiety for Students
  • Emotional Regulation
  • Concussion: Strategies for Learning and Mental Health
  • Learning Disabilities 101: Understanding Different Learning Styles and What They Mean
  • An Introduction to Mindfulness