Grow IQ Counseling
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Individual and Family Support
At Grow IQ Counseling, I help caregivers listen and understand the young people in their lives. This leads to a reduction in stress and conflict, builds or restores the familial bonds, and helps everyone work through challenges collaboratively.
I specialize in Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS), a trauma-informed evidenced-based practice with the goal of improving relationships. The approach has been proven to improve parent-child relationships and encourage skill development in young people where more conventional behavior modification approaches have been unsuccessful. The increase in language and communication skills, emotion and self-regulation, attention, memory, social skills and cognitive flexibility lead to a reduction in undesired behavior and stress.
Organizational and Community Support
Natasha Tatartcheff-Quesnel is a Certified Trainer and Consultant. She provides training in Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS) and site-specific consultations in English and French. She is committed to implementing the CPS approach in Canada and the United States. She has trained and provided implementation support to numerous sites, including police and fire departments, children’s aid societies, parent organizations, mental health agencies, and educational institutions. These coaching and training efforts aim to provide compassionate care and ultimately improve outcomes for young people and their families.
About Me
Hi, I’m Natasha (she/her). I received my Bacholor of Social Work and Master’s of Social Work from Carleton University in Ottawa, and completed my fellowship at Think:Kids in the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital.
I live in Ottawa, Ontario with my husband and two sons. I grew up in a large family of French Canadian/European descent. Family is at the center of everything I do. I am fortunate to be close to mine, especially my siblings, who are incredible human beings. My family loves the outdoors, traveling and staying active. My boys have always been very athletic and pursued all kinds of sports. They both became competitive freestyle skiers, and my youngest was on the Ontario Park and Pipe team. My eldest has become a Class 5 whitewater paddler and traveled to various countries to descend rivers and waterfalls. Their love of sport has allowed me to give back by volunteering in the sports community. I have been the Vice-President of the Board and Program Coordinator with Fortune Freestyle and an Official for Freestyle Ontario. While not a ski lover myself, it keeps me from hibernating all winter.
My Collaborative Problem Solving training helps me understand why some athletes struggle at times. I can, in turn, help the community understand these athletes more compassionately. It’s been wonderful to take my work experience and diversify it to an entirely different environment.
Frequently Asked Questions
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The first several appointments are mainly to get to know you and your family, as well as the goals you have for counseling. This includes further explanations on the workings of counseling and the Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS) approach. This will also allow us to decide whether we are a good fit for each other and whether the CPS approach is right for you.
Following these first few appointments, I will be able to recommend next steps, including the creation of a collaborative plan to accomplish your counseling goals. Using the CPS framework, we try to accomplish these goals within 8-12 sessions.
Some families also choose to return after these sessions for a boost, or to help them manage a particularly challenging situation.
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All of these disciplines can provide therapy and promote the health and well being of their clients. However, the mian diferences are:
Social workers cannot diagnose mental health disorders but psychologists can.
Psychiatrists have medical degrees and can diagnose as well as prescribe medication.
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A referral from a physician is not required to access services. However, it is recommended to check with your extended health insurance provider to confirm if they require a referral to cover the service.
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Appointments are offered virtually through a secure platform (Jane).
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Yes, virtual appointments are provided to clients anywhere in Ontario. However, I am a liscenced social worker in the province of Ontario only and cannot see cleints living outside the province.
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Yes, the consent of all guardians for a young person under 16 years of age is required to receive services, unless a court order indicates otherwise. However, you can request parenting services for yourself. Please note that adolescents over 16 years of age will have to consent to services for themselves.
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No, the intake appointment is only with the parent/caregiver(s). The young person is then offered an individual meeting with me. In subsequent sessions, we will likely meet with the parent/caregiver(s) and the young person at the same time.
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Usually, the first 2-3 sessions are with the caregiver(s) only. I will also meet with the young person at least once individually during that time frame when possible.
Subsequent sessions can be a combination of individual and joint sessions, depending on the work we decide to do together. Every family is unique, and we will develop a plan based on your unique needs. If we determine that the young person should see me individually, we would proceed based on their age and consent.
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For young people that are 11 years old and under, parents typically accompany the child and provide consent on their behalf.
From 12 years old and up, the young person must consent to the presence of the parent/caregiver(s).
We often encourage young people from 12-15 to allow parent/caregiver(s) to attend at least a part of the first session to review informed consent and hear about how counseling works. Parent/caregiver(s) can remain for the whole session if the young person would like them to.
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Yes, confidentiality is a cornerstone of counseling. This applies both to adults and young people. If you want to speak with your social worker about private information, you can decide who has or doesn’t have access to this information.
However, there are certain circumstances where a social worker has an obligation to inform, such as if a person is in danger of harming themselves or others. This can include; a duty to warn intended victims, report suspected child abuse, or disclose information if they get subpoenaed by court.
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Each appointment is 180$ for 50 minutes.
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We have a 24-hour cancellation policy, meaning we require at least 24 hours notice if you would like to cancel or reschedule an appointment.
Providing less than 24 hours will result in being charged the full session fee.
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No, unfortunately services are not covered by OHIP.
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Most extended health plans provide coverage for social work services. It is recommended to check with your provider regarding the maximum amount payable and percentage of the fee that is covered.