For families who are not sure whether the conflict at home is a phase or something more, and for young people who are tired of every conversation turning into an argument. Psychologists registered with the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP). In-person sessions in Edmonton and St. Albert. Virtual sessions available across Alberta.

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You Might Be Wondering Whether Oppositional Defiant Disorder Counselling Is Right for Your Family

You may be going back and forth about whether what is happening at home is ordinary pushback or something that needs more support. Maybe you read about oppositional defiant disorder late one night and felt both recognized and uneasy. A label like that can feel unfair to a child you love. You might also be quietly asking yourself whether this is about your parenting.

Perhaps everyday moments, like leaving for school or ending screen time, have started to feel like battles. You may notice yourself bracing before you ask for anything. Some caregivers describe feeling more like a referee than a parent. And if you are the young person reading this, you may feel like adults are always on your case and nobody is really listening.

Patterns like these are common in families under strain. They make sense when stress, frustration, and repeated conflict have built on each other over time. They do not mean a child is a bad kid, and they do not mean a parent has failed. Behaviour is one part of a young person, not the whole of who they are.

If you are trying to work out whether talking with someone could help, this page may be a useful starting point. It explains what counselling for these concerns looks like here, what it does not include, and how to find out more. You can read as much or as little as you need.

Who We Help

People come to this page from different places. Some are ready to book. Some are not sure their situation "counts." Some are reading on behalf of a child, grandchild, or student. The lists below may help you sort out whether this service fits.

This service may be a good fit for:

• Caregivers dealing with frequent arguments, refusals, or angry outbursts at home
• Children and teens who feel stuck in constant conflict with parents, teachers, or other adults
• Families who want a calmer way to talk about rules, routines, and expectations
• Caregivers who disagree with each other about how to respond and want a shared plan
• Families who have heard the term oppositional defiant disorder, with or without a diagnosis, and want support with day-to-day life
• Relatives, foster or kinship caregivers, and others gathering information for a young person they care about

This service may not be the right fit for:

• Crisis situations. If anyone is in immediate danger, please use the crisis resources below.
• Forensic or legal needs. Court reports, custody evaluations, and other legal work are outside this counselling service.
• Diagnostic questions on their own. Counselling does not provide a diagnosis. Psychological assessments are a separate service.
• Court-ordered or justice-system programming. Programs required by a court or the youth justice system are outside this service. The admin team can talk with you about what we do and do not offer.

If You Need Help Right Now

Counselling is not designed for emergencies. If there is an immediate safety concern, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department. If conflict at home has become physically unsafe, or you are afraid of someone in your household, the resources below are available any time.

• 911 for immediate danger
• Alberta Mental Health Help Line: 1-877-303-2642 (24/7)
• Family Violence Info Line (Alberta): 310-1818 (24/7, toll-free)
• Kids Help Phone for children and youth: text CONNECT to 686868 (24/7)

Wholesome Psychology is not an emergency or crisis service.

What This Service Is

Oppositional defiant disorder counselling is ongoing talk-based support for children, teens, and caregivers when conflict, anger, and pushback are wearing on daily life. Sessions may focus on recurring conflict, emotional regulation, communication, and family routines. The work is collaborative and client-centred, which means goals are shaped with you rather than handed to you.

ICD-11 includes oppositional defiant disorder as a diagnostic category within disruptive behaviour or dissocial disorders (World Health Organization [WHO], n.d.). ICD-11 also separates presentations with and without chronic irritability and anger (WHO, n.d.). A diagnosis, when one is being considered, involves a careful professional assessment of patterns over time. You do not need a diagnosis to start counselling.

Here is what this service does not include:

• It is not a diagnostic or assessment service. Counselling is not a substitute for a formal psychological assessment, and this page does not imply that one is included. If diagnostic questions come up, Child and Youth Assessment Services are a separate service.
• It is not a legal or investigative process. Therapists do not investigate events or take sides in family disputes.
• It is not crisis intervention. Urgent safety concerns go to the crisis resources above.

The pace is set by you and your child, not by the therapist. What you share stays confidential within legal and ethical limits, which your therapist explains in the first session. You can read more in the confidentiality section below. Therapists work within their own training and scope of practice, and they may suggest other supports when a concern falls outside it.

Signs Ongoing Oppositional Behaviour May Be Affecting You and Your Family

These are patterns families often describe. They are not a checklist, and none of them on its own means a young person has a particular condition. Concerns like these can have many possible explanations, including family stress, developmental changes, school experiences, learning needs, and health concerns.

• Small requests, like getting dressed or turning off a game, often turning into long arguments
• Feeling like you are walking on eggshells to avoid the next blow-up
• A child or teen who seems easily annoyed or angry much of the time, and who may also seem unhappy about how things are going
• Calls or notes from school about conflict with teachers or classmates
• Caregivers disagreeing with each other about how firm or flexible to be
• Feeling worn down, guilty, or unsure whether you are handling things the right way
• Brothers and sisters feeling caught in the middle or left out
• Fewer easy moments together, with most conversations centred on rules and consequences
• For young people: feeling blamed, unheard, or like nothing you do is good enough

Recognizing your family in this list does not mean something is permanently wrong with anyone. Patterns like these often grow out of stress and repeated conflict, and they can shift. Structured support can give everyone room to slow down, understand what is happening, and try something different together.

How Treatment Works Here

• Find your therapist. You can use the Match with a Therapist tool or browse therapist profiles. If you would rather talk it through, the admin team can help at 780-904-4880.
• Book your first session. The first session covers confidentiality and its limits, consent, and what you hope to work on. It is also a chance to see whether the therapist's style feels like a reasonable fit for your family.
• Build your plan together. You and your therapist shape a plan that fits your family. Depending on age and needs, this may include sessions with the young person, with caregivers, or both.
• Ongoing sessions. Sessions are 50 minutes. Follow-ups are often scheduled weekly or bi-weekly, then adjusted as appropriate.
• Progress check-ins. Your therapist reviews how things are going with you along the way. The plan can change as your family's needs change.

There is no fixed number of sessions. Counselling is a shared process, and your voice, and your child's voice, matter at every stage. You can find more practical detail on the Getting Started with Therapy page.

Evidence and Approaches

Families often ask which therapy works best for oppositional behaviour. We want to be direct about this. The research reviewed for this page was limited, so we describe how counselling is organized here rather than ranking specific therapy models. If you want to know about a clinician's training in a particular approach, you can ask the admin team or the therapist directly.

Counselling for Disruptive Behaviour Concerns

What it helps with: Counselling can provide a space to talk through recurring conflict, emotional regulation, communication, and family routines.

Evidence summary: ICD-11 includes oppositional defiant disorder as a diagnostic category within disruptive behaviour or dissocial disorders (WHO, n.d.). Psychotherapy for disruptive behaviour disorders is a topic of ongoing professional research ("Evidence-Based Psychotherapy," n.d.). The material reviewed for this page did not include study results, so we make no claim about how well any specific approach works.

Limitations: This page cannot say which approaches work best, for whom, or how quickly. Responses vary from one young person and family to the next.

Caregiver Involvement

What it helps with: Caregiver involvement gives parents and other caregivers a role in planning, when this is appropriate, agreed upon, and consistent with consent and the young person's needs.

Evidence summary: The research reviewed for this page did not include evidence on specific caregiver-focused programs, so we do not describe or recommend one here. Including caregivers reflects Wholesome Psychology's collaborative approach to planning, not a research finding.

Limitations: Whether and how caregivers take part depends on the young person's age, consent, and needs. Your therapist can explain how they approach this.

Collaborative, Client-Centred Planning

What it helps with: A collaborative plan keeps the young person's perspective, strengths, and goals in view alongside caregiver concerns.

Evidence summary: Wholesome Psychology describes its counselling as collaborative and client-centred, with goals discussed in the first session and a plan built together. This describes how care is organized at the clinic. It is not a research claim about outcomes.

Limitations: This way of working does not suit every family in the same way, and fit with a particular therapist matters.

Related pages you may find useful include Behavioural Issues Counselling, Parenting Support, and Family Issues Counselling.

What Results to Expect

Change in family patterns is rarely a straight line. A calmer week can be followed by a harder one, especially around transitions like a new school year. Setbacks are a normal part of the process, not a sign that counselling has failed.

Some families notice shifts sooner, while others find that longer-term support fits their situation better. Outcomes vary. They can depend on what is happening at home and at school, other stresses in the family, how involved each person is able to be, and the fit between your family and your therapist.

No therapy can guarantee a particular outcome. If the fit does not feel right, you can ask about changing therapists or trying a different approach at any time.

Confidentiality and Privacy

What you share in counselling is kept confidential, within limits set by law and professional ethics. Psychologists in Alberta are regulated by the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP) and follow the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) Canadian Code of Ethics for Psychologists. Other clinicians follow the standards of their own regulatory or certifying bodies.

Two Alberta laws are relevant to how personal and health information is protected. The Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) generally applies to private organizations, including private clinics. The Health Information Act (HIA) applies to health information held by designated custodians and their affiliates, such as Alberta Health Services. Which law applies depends on the setting and the type of information.

There are some situations where a clinician may be required to share information without consent:

• When there is a risk of serious harm to you or to someone else
• When there is reason to believe a child is being abused or neglected, which must be reported under Alberta's Child, Youth and Family Enhancement Act
• When a court orders the release of records

When a child or teen is in counselling, the therapist will explain at the start what caregivers will and will not be told, and how consent works for that young person. Your therapist reviews all of these limits in the first session. You are welcome to ask questions about privacy, records, or caregiver involvement before you share anything personal.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does my child, or do I, have to go over every incident in detail?

No. You and your child decide what to share and when. Many families find it more useful to focus on present-day patterns and what they would like to be different, rather than retelling every argument. Your therapist will not push anyone to talk about something before they are ready.

Is what we share kept private, including what my teen tells the therapist?

Counselling is confidential, with a few legal exceptions. These include a risk of serious harm, suspected abuse or neglect of a child, and a court order. At the start, your therapist will explain what caregivers will and will not be told, so everyone knows the ground rules. The confidentiality section above has more detail.

How many sessions will we need?

There is no fixed answer. Some families come for a shorter stretch of focused support, and others find longer-term work more helpful. Your therapist will review progress with you regularly, and you can adjust the frequency or focus as things change.

What if the therapist is not the right fit for my child or for us?

Fit matters, especially for a young person who may already feel wary of adults. If it does not feel right, you can let the admin team know, and they can help you find a different clinician. New clients may access their first session at 50% off to help find the right therapeutic fit.

Can we access counselling online?

Yes. Virtual sessions are available across Alberta, and the same confidentiality standards apply. You can talk with your therapist about which format suits your child's age and comfort. More information is on the online counselling page.

Can counselling tell me whether my child has oppositional defiant disorder?

No. Counselling can be a place to talk through your concerns and consider whether an assessment might be useful, but it does not provide a diagnosis. Psychological assessments are a separate service. If diagnostic clarification is your main goal, the admin team can tell you about Child and Youth Assessment Services.

What if my child refuses to come?

This is common, and it does not have to stop you. Caregivers may be able to start by meeting with a therapist on their own, to talk through what is happening and plan next steps. You can ask the admin team about options, or read about Parenting Support.

Does my child need a diagnosis to start counselling?

No. Families come to counselling for recurring conflict, communication difficulties, emotional regulation concerns, parenting questions, or school-related stress, whether or not a diagnosis is present.

Meet Your Clinicians

Wholesome Psychology has clinicians with several credential types. These include Registered Psychologists, Registered Provisional Psychologists, Registered Social Workers, Certified Canadian Counsellors, Mental Health Therapists, and Student Therapists. All psychologists are registered with the College of Alberta Psychologists. Registered Provisional Psychologists practise under the supervision of a senior registered psychologist, and Student Therapists are master's-level practicum students working under clinical supervision.

Clinicians' training and areas of focus vary. You can review individual profiles on the Our Therapists page, or use the Match with a Therapist tool for help choosing. The admin team can also tell you who currently works with children, youth, and families: call 780-904-4880.

Children and Youth

Wholesome Psychology offers counselling for children, adolescents, and young people. Therapists who work with younger clients use age-appropriate approaches, which may look different for a seven-year-old than for a teenager. Where appropriate and agreed upon, clinicians also work with caregivers to support a steadier environment at home.

You can learn more on the Child and Youth Counselling and Teen Therapy pages.

Exploring Next Steps

If you would like to learn more, or you feel ready to begin, here are a few ways to start:

• Book a session online
• Match with a therapist
• Call the admin team at 780-904-4880
• Email info@wholesomepsychology.ca
• Read Getting Started with Therapy

You are welcome to call with questions before deciding anything. Starting the conversation is enough.

New clients may access their first session at 50% off to help find the right therapeutic fit.

References

• Evidence-based psychotherapy for disruptive behavior disorders. (n.d.). PubMed record.
• World Health Organization. (n.d.). ICD-11 for mortality and morbidity statistics (6C90 Oppositional defiant disorder).