SUCCESS IN STEPS
PSYCHOTHERAPY & COACHING
Sylvia is a compassionate, dedicated and extremely knowledgeable professional who helped us implement specific strategies in our family. We feel much more confident now as parents and the stress level in our family has gone down so much! We are grateful for everything she has done for us!
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Tracey, Mother of two boys.
Life prior to making the call...to Sylvia.
Life was hectic. But not the good hectic where people and daily life fall into place.
The kind of hectic which can make even the most organized and regimented (me) parent frazzled. Add in twin girls (my girls were 5 1/2 when I first met Sylvia, they will be 8 in February 2021.)
I love my girls. Parents love their kids. But let’s be honest...I spent a lot of time not liking my girls. If you’ve ever felt that you do t like your kids...believe me, it’s a crappy feeling. They’re YOUR kids! Why wouldn’t you like your own kids?
...because they don’t listen. And when they don’t listen, I yell. Not just the run of the mill yell, a serious yell. I hated yelling at my girls. It scared them. It scared me. The amount of guilt I would feel after yelling was becoming too much for me, and for them.
How would I ever get them to listen (the first time) without me telling? Was this even a possibility?
I didn’t want to read a 500-page book on parenting tips. I didn’t want to attend a course of evening child-rearing classes. did a google search one night in desperation for someone to help me. For someone to give me the proper tools so I could parent effectively. I did a quick google search a few days later and found myself reading about Steps to Success, an Ottawa based company owned by Sylvia Coratoo. As I read her philosophy, I began to feel there was hope and I remember feeling so relieved that someone like her existed. I reached out to Sylvia a few days later and booked her for a home visit a few weeks after that. Sylvia is amazing. She listened to me speak, and cry. Parenting is so hard. No one wants to feel as though they are drowning as a parent and failing in a relationship with their kids.
Sylvia was easy to work with. She boosted my parenting moral, gave me tried and true parenting tips as well as set me up for parental success. It is now over 2 years since our first meeting and we still touch base monthly.
​
I am thankful for finding the support I need (and continue to use) in Sylvia. If your family goal is to have a happy, fictional and respectful home environment, I highly and strongly recommend hiring Sylvia.
​
Jennifer, Mother of twin girls.
I cannot recommend Sylvia highly enough. We have contracted her services twice in the last 4 years when things in our home were out of control.
First in 2017 when our young son was having rages that were bringing the family to our knees and another time in 2020 when the chaos of the COVID lockdown triggered my son’s defiance, anger and destructiveness again.
When I initially reached out to Sylvia in 2017 our home was so chaotic and my husband and I felt so much despair. We so desperately wanted what she was offering but it was a big investment and initially, we tried to do it on our own. Finally, things got so bad we committed to three months of her services. It was the best investment we ever made. We did our part of documenting each incident with our son and Sylvia diligently analyzed our experiences and helped us make sense out of the chaos - what our son’s unexpressed needs were; how we were reinforcing the problems; and most importantly how could we change the terrible situation. Things changed dramatically. We redirected his energy into healthy outlets, we helped him understand and cope with his feelings and we stopped doing the things that were contributing to the problem. Our goal at the end was to be able to take a trip without the kids, something that felt impossible at the start. We went away for a whole week to a special family event and both our kids were well and safe with a trusted babysitter.
In 2020 we had slipped back into some bad habits with the stress of the COVID lockdown. We worked with Sylvia for one month and got control back in our home. Our son’s behaviour is back in line, we feel good about how we are parenting and our relationship with our son is strong again.
Each time we invested in Sylvia’s service it was a financial sacrifice. And it has been the best investment we could have made. She is knowledgeable, professional and kind. It felt like she was on our team and we wouldn’t hesitate to use her services again if the occasion arises (which we hope it doesn’t!!).
​
Sarah, Mother of two.
When you’re stuck in the thick of parenting it can be hard to see your way out. Sylvia helped us create the path and guided us forward when we were feeling constantly overwhelmed and kind of hopeless. Her innate ability to help us understand our children better, to use really simple strategies that were effective to ease some of our difficulties, and to help us understand the importance of structure and predictability that would make our family life run more smoothly was so incredibly valuable to us. Not only did she help us in the moment, she gave us the tools and know-how to apply a lot of it to future situations and chaos.
Understanding the motivation behind behaviours and being able to react to them accordingly instead of out of frustration has meant we are better at defusing meltdowns, from both parents and children. Her ability to help us recognize what we’re already doing well and helping us to feel supported as we made changes made everything feel so much more doable and reminded us to celebrate our wins along the way. We highly recommend Sylvia for helping families figure out how to find the joy in their families again.
​
Lara, Mother of three.
We didn't have any hesitations to contact Sylvia as she had come highly recommended.
Since working with Sylvia our son who has autism is now potty trained, he communicates his frustrations and he understands he doesn't get his way by whining and screaming. At first, I was a little unsure if we would reach our goals, but I was proven wrong :) We love how easy and comfortable it was to work with her, even when she came into our home it was like she was a family friend hanging out which took off a lot of pressure. Working with Sylvia has helped so much in our daily lives as parents to two young kids. It has given us confidence and tools to help us through difficult times. We could never thank her enough :) Her knowledge and experience are outstanding, I would recommend her to family, friends and colleagues who might be struggling as a parent with behaviours.
​
Ashley, Mother of two.
As parents, we have a much better understanding of our children's function of behaviour, and the most appropriate way to respond to it. With our middle son, in particular, we have observed a reduction in the duration and frequency of negative behaviours after employing what Sylvia suggested. We continue to enjoy outings as a complete family (the baby is the only one who may cry in the car).
We truly enjoyed her practical and non-judgmental approach (of both parent and child). Sylvia has excellent communication skills and is readily available. She is able to dissect a problem so that the best possible solution(s) can be determined. Her clinical experience is vast and easily apparent, her personality is warm and very approachable (toward parent and child). Sylvia is a "thinker" -always having ideas when our son would throw a curveball. As a parent, I feel more confident to manage negative behaviours - especially in public. The latter is always the most challenging but I feel less guilty because I know that it is the best for my children. Here is what I have to say to others if they are thinking about connecting with Sylvia, YES, YES, YES! A definite recommendation to other parents, teachers and allied health professionals that work with children (OT, SLP). It was an absolute pleasure to work with her, she left such an impression on us that we often find ourselves saying: "Remember what Sylvia said"...
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Patricia, Mother of three.
contact me today if you want to achieve success in steps
As parents, we have a much better understanding of our children's function of behaviour, and the most appropriate way to respond to it. With our middle son, in particular, we have observed a reduction in the duration and frequency of negative behaviours after employing what Sylvia suggested. We continue to enjoy outings as a complete family (the baby is the only one who may cry in the car).
We truly enjoyed her practical and non-judgmental approach (of both parent and child). Sylvia has excellent communication skills and is readily available. She is able to dissect a problem so that the best possible solution(s) can be determined. Her clinical experience is vast and easily apparent, her personality is warm and very approachable (toward parent and child). Sylvia is a "thinker" -always having ideas when our son would throw a curveball. As a parent, I feel more confident to manage negative behaviours - especially in public. The latter is always the most challenging but I feel less guilty because I know that it is the best for my children. Here is what I have to say to others if they are thinking about connecting with Sylvia, YES, YES, YES! A definite recommendation to other parents, teachers and allied health professionals that work with children (OT, SLP). It was an absolute pleasure to work with her, she left such an impression on us that we often find ourselves saying: "Remember what Sylvia said"...
​
Patricia, Mother of three.
Sylvia is a compassionate, dedicated and extremely knowledgeable professional who helped us implement specific strategies in our family. We feel much more confident now as parents and the stress level in our family has gone down so much! We are grateful for everything she has done for us!
​
Tracey, Mother of two boys.
Life prior to making the call...to Sylvia.
Life was hectic. But not the good hectic where people and daily life fall into place.
The kind of hectic which can make even the most organized and regimented (me) parent frazzled. Add in twin girls (my girls were 5 1/2 when I first met Sylvia, they will be 8 in February 2021.)
I love my girls. Parents love their kids. But let’s be honest...I spent a lot of time not liking my girls. If you’ve ever felt that you do t like your kids...believe me, it’s a crappy feeling. They’re YOUR kids! Why wouldn’t you like your own kids?
...because they don’t listen. And when they don’t listen, I yell. Not just the run of the mill yell, a serious yell. I hated yelling at my girls. It scared them. It scared me. The amount of guilt I would feel after yelling was becoming too much for me, and for them.
How would I ever get them to listen (the first time) without me telling? Was this even a possibility?
I didn’t want to read a 500-page book on parenting tips. I didn’t want to attend a course of evening child-rearing classes. did a google search one night in desperation for someone to help me. For someone to give me the proper tools so I could parent effectively. I did a quick google search a few days later and found myself reading about Steps to Success, an Ottawa based company owned by Sylvia Corzato. As I read her philosophy, I began to feel there was hope and I remember feeling so relieved that someone like her existed. I reached out to Sylvia a few days later and booked her for a home visit a few weeks after that. Sylvia is amazing. She listened to me speak, and cry. Parenting is so hard. No one wants to feel as though they are drowning as a parent and failing in a relationship with their kids.
Sylvia was easy to work with. She boosted my parenting moral, gave me tried and true parenting tips as well as set me up for parental success. It is now over 2 years since our first meeting and we still touch base monthly.
​
I am thankful for finding the support I need (and continue to use) in Sylvia. If your family goal is to have a happy, fictional and respectful home environment, I highly and strongly recommend hiring Sylvia.
​
Jennifer, Mother of twin girls.
I cannot recommend Sylvia highly enough. We have contracted her services twice in the last 4 years when things in our home were out of control.
First in 2017 when our young son was having rages that were bringing the family to our knees and another time in 2020 when the chaos of the COVID lockdown triggered my son’s defiance, anger and destructiveness again.
When I initially reached out to Sylvia in 2017 our home was so chaotic and my husband and I felt so much despair. We so desperately wanted what she was offering but it was a big investment and initially, we tried to do it on our own. Finally, things got so bad we committed to three months of her services. It was the best investment we ever made. We did our part of documenting each incident with our son and Sylvia diligently analyzed our experiences and helped us make sense out of the chaos - what our son’s unexpressed needs were; how we were reinforcing the problems; and most importantly how could we change the terrible situation. Things changed dramatically. We redirected his energy into healthy outlets, we helped him understand and cope with his feelings and we stopped doing the things that were contributing to the problem. Our goal at the end was to be able to take a trip without the kids, something that felt impossible at the start. We went away for a whole week to a special family event and both our kids were well and safe with a trusted babysitter.
In 2020 we had slipped back into some bad habits with the stress of the COVID lockdown. We worked with Sylvia for one month and got control back in our home. Our son’s behaviour is back in line, we feel good about how we are parenting and our relationship with our son is strong again.
Each time we invested in Sylvia’s service it was a financial sacrifice. And it has been the best investment we could have made. She is knowledgeable, professional and kind. It felt like she was on our team and we wouldn’t hesitate to use her services again if the occasion arises (which we hope it doesn’t!!).
​
Sarah, Mother of two.
When you’re stuck in the thick of parenting it can be hard to see your way out. Sylvia helped us create the path and guided us forward when we were feeling constantly overwhelmed and kind of hopeless. Her innate ability to help us understand our children better, to use really simple strategies that were effective to ease some of our difficulties, and to help us understand the importance of structure and predictability that would make our family life run more smoothly was so incredibly valuable to us. Not only did she help us in the moment, she gave us the tools and know-how to apply a lot of it to future situations and chaos.
Understanding the motivation behind behaviours and being able to react to them accordingly instead of out of frustration has meant we are better at defusing meltdowns, from both parents and children. Her ability to help us recognize what we’re already doing well and helping us to feel supported as we made changes made everything feel so much more doable and reminded us to celebrate our wins along the way. We highly recommend Sylvia for helping families figure out how to find the joy in their families again.
​
Lara, Mother of three.
We didn't have any hesitations to contact Sylvia as she had come highly recommended.
Since working with Sylvia our son who has autism is now potty trained, he communicates his frustrations and he understands he doesn't get his way by whining and screaming. At first, I was a little unsure if we would reach our goals, but I was proven wrong :) We love how easy and comfortable it was to work with her, even when she came into our home it was like she was a family friend hanging out which took off a lot of pressure. Working with Sylvia has helped so much in our daily lives as parents to two young kids. It has given us confidence and tools to help us through difficult times. We could never thank her enough :) Her knowledge and experience are outstanding, I would recommend her to family, friends and colleagues who might be struggling as a parent with behaviours.
​
Ashley, Mother of two.
Sylvia is excellent at what she does. She helped us successfully potty train our very stubborn and difficult 4 yr old and was super kind, compassionate and helpful. My daughter loved her, and we loved working with her. I would absolutely hire her again for behavioural consultation and advice.
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Bonnie, Mother of one.
Sylvia is Ottawa's Super Nanny ~ She has transformed our family from a state of absolute chaos to actually enjoying being around our kids! We didn't think it was possible, until now. We can't thank you enough!
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Dave, Father of two.