Elsa Monteiro

Elsa’s work with children:

Elsa Monteiro has worked with children, adolescents and adults for over 20 years. She has been involved in children’s and adolescent mental health since 1991. Elsa has collaborated with many children, adolescents and their caregivers in their recovery from child sexual abuse, physical abuse, family violence, and peer violence. Elsa has also participated in collaborative conversations with children and their families in response to family conflict situations, separation and divorce, and the death of a loved one. Elsa promotes conversations that strengthen parent-child relationships. Elsa has particular interest in bullying and continues to consult with children and adolescents and support them in nurturing healthy peer relationships.

Elsa’s work with adults:

Elsa’s work with adults highlights individuals’ resiliency in overcoming and transforming various life challenges including unresolved childhood and adult experiences of trauma, loss, neglect, and abuse, separation and divorce, addictions, bullying, stress and burn-out in the workplace, and illness and death of a family member. Elsa collaborates with her clients as they navigate their recovery from feelings of grief, depression, anxiety, anger and shame to hope and feelings of competency and pride

Elsa’s work values and interests:

Elsa values conversations with children and adults that seek to activate people’s own knowledge, skills and resources to address their concerns.

Elsa’s work with clients gives voice to stories of resiliency and resistance.

Elsa’s work with clients gives voice to stories of multi-generational trauma and recovery.

Elsa embraces a strength-based therapeutic approach that responds to issues of social justice while practicing traditional and contemporary models of counselling, such as family therapy, play therapy and other expressive arts modalities, cognitive behavioural therapy, trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy, brief solution-focused approaches, narrative therapy and other evidenced based/informed therapeutic models.

Psychotherapy services available in English and Portuguese.