Sandbox Family Solutions

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Sandbox Family Solutions Sandbox Family Solutions is a group of collaborative clinicians in Ottawa. Reach out for more info!

We offer a variety of services including individual, couples, and family therapy, and divorce-centered services such as mediation and parenting coaching.

A parenting plan is about more than deciding how parenting time is divided. It’s about working through the details that ...
10/09/2026

A parenting plan is about more than deciding how parenting time is divided. It’s about working through the details that can make co-parenting smoother and help prevent misunderstandings down the road.

The more specific your plan is, the less room there may be for confusion, assumptions, or disagreements about what happens next.

Here are some important details to consider:

✔️ Exchange times and locations: What time will exchanges take place? Where will they happen? Who is responsible for transportation, and what happens if a parent is running late?

✔️ Holidays and special occasions: How will you divide holidays, birthdays, long weekends, and school breaks? When does holiday parenting time begin and end, and how does it affect the regular parenting schedule?

✔️ School closures and sick days: What happens when school is unexpectedly closed, a child is too sick to attend, or a scheduled PA day changes the usual routine?

✔️ Communication between parents: How will you share important updates? What communication method will you use, and what is a reasonable timeframe for responding to non-urgent messages?

✔️ Extracurricular activities: Who is responsible for transportation, attendance, and costs? How will activities be managed when they fall during the other parent's parenting time?

✔️ Schedule changes and missed parenting time: How much notice is needed to request a change? How will you handle unexpected conflicts, and will missed time be rescheduled?

✔️ Decision-making and information sharing: How will you communicate about medical appointments, school concerns, and significant decisions? How will both parents stay informed?

✔️ Future planning: What happens when children start a new school, activities change, or their needs evolve? How will you approach reviewing and updating the plan?

It’s often the small details that lead to the biggest disagreements. Taking the time to work through these scenarios when creating a parenting plan can help parents establish clear expectations and reduce the need to revisit the same issues repeatedly.

Family mediation provides an opportunity to work through these practical considerations, identify potential areas of conflict, and develop parenting arrangements that are realistic, detailed, and focused on the children’s best interests.

Because a parenting plan shouldn't just outline the schedule. It should help you navigate everyday life.

Parenting through separation is hard- especially when you’re trying to be the steady parent for your child while navigat...
10/05/2026

Parenting through separation is hard- especially when you’re trying to be the steady parent for your child while navigating your own emotions.

As a single parent, you may be carrying a lot: the logistics, the emotions, the schedule changes, and the uncertainty of what comes next. And in the middle of all of that, your child still needs to feel safe, loved, and free to be a child.

One of the most important things you can do is shield your child from adult conflict.

That can mean:
💛 Avoiding negative comments about the other parent in front of your child.
💛 Not asking your child to take sides or carry messages between parents.
💛 Giving your child permission to love and enjoy their relationship with both parents.
💛 Keeping adult conversations (especially disagreements) between the adults.
💛 Letting your child talk about their feelings without feeling like they need to protect you.

You don’t have to pretend that separation is easy. Your child can know that things are changing and that you have feelings too.

But they shouldn’t have to carry those feelings for you.

You can be honest about your own experience while still creating a safe space for your child to have theirs.

And if co-parenting conflict is making that difficult, you don't have to navigate it alone. Support from a family professional can help you find ways to communicate, manage conflict, and keep your child at the centre of your parenting.

Divorce involves a lot of big decisions—but for children, it’s also a major emotional transition. ❤️While lawyers can he...
10/01/2026

Divorce involves a lot of big decisions—but for children, it’s also a major emotional transition. ❤️

While lawyers can help parents navigate the legal side of separation, a family professional can offer a different perspective: What does this change mean for the children, and how can we support them through it?

From reducing exposure to parental conflict to creating parenting plans that reflect a child’s individual needs, having a family professional involved can help keep children’s well-being at the centre of the conversation.

Our latest blog explores how a family professional can support parents—and, most importantly, their children—through separation and divorce.

👉 Read the full blog to learn more about taking a child-centred approach to the separation process. https://sandboxfamilysolutions.ca/blog-child-centered-divorce/

Big feelings don’t equal bad behaviour. 💛When a child is yelling, crying, shutting down, refusing, or having a meltdown,...
10/01/2026

Big feelings don’t equal bad behaviour. 💛

When a child is yelling, crying, shutting down, refusing, or having a meltdown, it can be easy to focus on the behaviour we’re seeing.

But behaviour is often communication.

A child may not yet have the words or skills to say:
“I’m overwhelmed.”
“This is harder than I expected.”
“I don’t know how to handle what I’m feeling.”
“I need help.”

That doesn’t mean every behaviour is okay or that children don’t need boundaries. It means that sometimes, understanding what’s underneath the behaviour is an important part of helping a child learn to manage it.

Child therapy can provide children with a safe, supportive space to explore their emotions, develop coping strategies, build emotional regulation skills, and better understand what they’re experiencing.

Sometimes the goal isn’t to make the big feelings disappear.

It’s to help children learn what to do with them. 💛

If your child is having a hard time managing big emotions or navigating a challenging transition, child therapy may be a helpful place to start.

Big feelings can be hard to navigate... especially when you’re still learning what to do with them.Children and youth ca...
09/28/2026

Big feelings can be hard to navigate... especially when you’re still learning what to do with them.

Children and youth can experience anxiety, stress, big emotions, changes at home or school, friendship challenges, family transitions, and so much more. Sometimes they need a little extra support to understand what they’re feeling and find healthy ways to cope.

At Sandbox Family Solutions, our child and youth counsellors provide a safe, supportive space where young people can feel heard, build coping skills, develop confidence, and work through the challenges they’re facing.

Counselling isn’t about “fixing” a child. It’s about giving them the tools, support, and space they need to grow. 🌱

If your child or teen is having a difficult time, you don’t have to navigate it alone. We’re here to help.

Separation can bring difficult conversations, strong emotions, and disagreements about what comes next. When communicati...
09/24/2026

Separation can bring difficult conversations, strong emotions, and disagreements about what comes next. When communication becomes challenging, it can be hard to see a path forward.

Mediation provides a structured and supportive space for parents to work through disagreements, explore options, and create practical parenting arrangements that reflect their family’s unique needs, all while keeping their children at the centre of the conversation.

At Sandbox Family Solutions, our mediators support families through separation, parenting, and other family-related matters. We have a number of mediators with availability to help families navigate challenging conversations and work toward solutions that are realistic and sustainable.

If you or someone you’re supporting is experiencing ongoing conflict during separation, mediation may be one option to consider.

📩 Reach out to learn more about how we can support your family.

🍂 The leaves aren’t the only thing changing this fall.New routines. Shorter days. Busy schedules. Big emotions.As we tra...
09/21/2026

🍂 The leaves aren’t the only thing changing this fall.

New routines. Shorter days. Busy schedules. Big emotions.

As we transition into a new season, take a moment to check in with yourself, too. How are you really doing?

You deserve support in every season. 🤎

Separation is a legal process, but it's also a family process. While lawyers can address the legal pieces and financial ...
09/18/2026

Separation is a legal process, but it's also a family process.

While lawyers can address the legal pieces and financial professionals help with the money piece, a family professional focuses on the people behind the process- specifically the children.

A family professional can help parents
✨ Understand how separation may be affecting their children
✨ Navigate difficult conversations and reduce conflict
✨ Develop healthier ways to communicate and co-parent
✨ Create parenting arrangements that reflect their children’s unique needs
✨ Keep the focus on the children when emotions run high

The goal isn't to decide who is right and who is wrong- it's to help parents move through separation with a greater understanding and a path forward that works for the whole family.

🚌 Back to school, big feelings. 🍎The backpacks are packed, the routines are changing, and everyone is getting back into ...
09/10/2026

🚌 Back to school, big feelings. 🍎

The backpacks are packed, the routines are changing, and everyone is getting back into the swing of things, but for many kids, the transition back to school can bring some BIG emotions.

Our latest blog shares practical ways to recognize what's underneath the behaviour, create predictability, stay connected, and help your child build the skills they need to navigate the challenges of a new school year. ❤️

👉 Read the full blog: https://sandboxfamilysolutions.ca/back-to-school-big-feelings-helping-your-child-navigate-the-transition/

And remember: the first few weeks don't have to be perfect. They just have to be a beginning.

Back to school can bring big transitions for children and youth. 📚A new school year can come with new routines, friendsh...
09/08/2026

Back to school can bring big transitions for children and youth. 📚

A new school year can come with new routines, friendships, expectations, and challenges. If your child or teen could benefit from additional support, you don’t have to navigate it alone.

Sandbox Family Solutions is currently accepting new child and youth therapy clients.

Our licensed therapists offer support for children and youth experiencing challenges with anxiety, mood, ADHD, executive functioning, self-esteem, life transitions, social skills, and relationships.

📍 In-person and virtual appointments available
✨ New client availability now open

Reach out to learn more or book an appointment.

Address

1528 Stittsville Main Street, Unit A
Ottawa, ON
K2S1N9

Telephone

+16136211589

Website

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