FR 
EN 
“Curious, not furious”—it’s a phrase we say often in therapy, and for good reason. Whether you’re dealing with conflict in your home, a child who’s suddenly shutting down, or an aging parent who isn’t adapting to your boundaries, it’s easy to get swept up in frustration. But what if the better path forward wasn’t through control, reaction, or fixing—but curiosity?
In family systems, one of the most common patterns we see is a deep desire to help—but it gets tangled up in fixing, rescuing, or over-functioning. For example, many parents of teens or young adults come to therapy feeling lost. They see the surface problems—school struggles, moodiness, screen time battles—and they just want to help. But their attempts to solve or intervene often leave their kids feeling like they are the problem. The result? A communication breakdown where both sides feel misunderstood.
This is where curiosity becomes a game changer. When a parent can pause and say, “What’s really going on for my child right now?” instead of “Why are they like this?” they shift the tone of the relationship from correction to connection. Similarly, teens and adult children often benefit from learning how to express their needs without cutting off or lashing out. Therapy becomes a space where both generations can explore what they truly need—and how to ask for it in ways that strengthen the relationship instead of straining it.
Families in Transitions
We see many Ottawa families in transition—whether it’s the end of the school year, planning for summer, or preparing for post-secondary shifts. These seasonal routines often surface deeper patterns around communication, mental load, and emotional regulation. These changes often stir up big feelings—grief, fear, confusion, or guilt. Whether you’re adjusting to a new sibling in the family, navigating co-parenting after separation, or managing a shift in your child’s independence, therapy can help you move through these moments with more understanding and less reactivity.
Individual therapy also offers a unique space to unpack intergenerational patterns. Clients often come in wanting to make changes—but without fully realizing the depth of what they’ve inherited. You may have grown up with an emotionally immature parent and developed people-pleasing or perfectionist tendencies as a result. That doesn’t mean you need to cut off the relationship. But it does mean you may need to stop managing others’ emotions, let go of guilt, and reclaim your energy for your own healing.
“Curious, not furious” also applies to parenting in today’s high-pressure world. It’s tempting to jump in and fix every disappointment—from losing a game to getting cut from a team—but kids build resilience when we allow them to experience real-life challenges, supported by connection rather than constant intervention. Resilient kids aren’t the ones who’ve had it easy. They’re the ones who’ve been given space to feel hard things and move through them—with someone safe by their side.
Our Resilience-Focused Approach to Therapy
At Resiliency Clinic, we believe therapy should do more than just help you cope. It should help you grow.
Resilience isn’t about being strong all the time or never struggling—it’s about developing the capacity to face life’s challenges with more clarity, more compassion, and more tools. Our approach helps clients become more aware of the patterns keeping them stuck, more empowered to make sustainable changes, and more connected to their values, boundaries, and inner strengths.
Here’s what that looks like in practice:
- Interactive sessions where therapists offer feedback, education, and reflection—not just listening
- Personalized strategies based on your goals, needs, and life stage—not a one-size-fits-all approach
- A whole-person lens that considers your history, relationships, nervous system, and identity
- A focus on practical change—not just insight, but also action
We help clients “connect the dots” between their past experiences, present struggles, and future hopes. From navigating parenting stress to healing from trauma, exploring your inner child, or setting new boundaries in adult relationships, our goal is to help you feel more confident, more supported, and more resilient over time.
Book an Appointment With Us
Meet Samaneh. She believes that by identifying and harnessing your natural strengths, she can cultivate a safe space in therapy where you can develop, heal, grow, learn, and work through whatever may have brought you to therapy. Samaneh uses a unique blend of approaches and philosophies that will best serve your unique needs. She strives to work in a client-centred way in order to honour your unique life experiences.
If you’re seeking therapy in Ottawa to help your family communicate more effectively or to better support your teen, our team can help. We offer counselling services for parents, teens, and individuals across the Ottawa area, either virtually or in-person. You can request an appointment here.
