Create PAUSE Counselling
Specializes in mental health & wellness therapy for youth, young adults, and their families.
Services are accessible in our St Thomas/Elgin counselling space or virtually to those living throughout Ontario.
🌿 What to Expect
🤝 Welcome – Your First Contact
Reaching out for support can feel vulnerable—and that’s okay. At Create PAUSE Counselling, we understand how hard this first step can be. Melissa invites you to call or email for a free initial consultation, where you can talk about what a “life worth living” might look like for you and imagine how tomorrow could feel even 1% better.
Once you decide to book your first appointment, we’ll send you a brief referral form to complete. This will ask for some basic details (like your name, birthdate, and contact info) and give you a chance to reflect on what feels most important to explore in counselling. By completing it ahead of time, we can use your first session to focus fully on you—not paperwork.
🌱 The Beginning – Your First Session(s)
Our first session is all about getting to know you: your story, your experiences, your strengths, and your hopes. We’ll gently explore what’s been bringing you here, including any family history or background you’d like to share. Together, we’ll start shaping your individual therapy plan—a roadmap for the changes you want to see in your life.
Our goal is simple: to help you feel safe, supported, and heard every step of the way.
✨ Moving Forward – Our Journey Together
As we move into the working phase of therapy, we’ll clarify your goals and work through them together. Sessions may include skill-building, psychoeducation, and simple tools to practice between meetings—building your own personal toolkit for navigating life’s ups and downs.
From our very first session, we’ll also keep your eventual graduation from therapy in mind. Counselling isn’t forever—most people, especially youth, feel reassured knowing this. Together, we’ll regularly review your progress and, when you feel ready, we’ll plan a final session to celebrate how far you’ve come.
