Expert Play Therapy for Children Services in Canada
Melissa Davies brings specialized play therapy training from Island Community Counselling combined with her Master of Counselling degree and registration as a Clinical Counsellor in BC (RCC #21936). She currently works with Indigenous children and families who have experienced sexual abuse and trauma, giving her direct experience with the most complex cases. Your child gets access to multiple therapeutic approaches including art therapy, mindfulness techniques, and somatic work that helps children process emotions through their bodies and creativity. This isn’t just talk therapy adapted for kids. It’s specialized training designed specifically for how children naturally communicate and heal.
You can book sessions in person at the Nanaimo clinic, online, or by phone across British Columbia. Melissa offers both 50-minute and 90-minute sessions to match your child’s attention span and needs. She provides direct billing with most extended health plans, eliminating upfront costs. The practice welcomes families from all cultural backgrounds and integrates approaches that respect different healing traditions. You start with a free 15-minute consultation to ensure the right fit before committing to treatment, and flexible scheduling accommodates school and family routines.
Understanding Your Child’s World Through Play
Children often struggle to express their deepest feelings with words alone. When your child faces anxiety, trauma, or behavioural challenges, traditional talk therapy may feel overwhelming or ineffective. At Bee Here Counselling and Therapy, we recognize that play is a child’s natural language. Through carefully guided play sessions, children can safely process difficult emotions, develop coping skills, and rebuild their sense of security.
Our play therapy approach combines evidence-based techniques with creative expression, allowing children to communicate through toys, art, and imaginative play. Melissa Davies, a Registered Clinical Counsellor with specialized training in play therapy, creates a warm environment where children feel understood without pressure to verbalize complex feelings. This method proves particularly effective for children experiencing anxiety, trauma responses, or family transitions like divorce.
What makes our approach unique is the integration of art therapy and body-based healing techniques within play sessions. Children naturally engage their whole selves when playing, and we honour this by addressing emotional, physical, and creative aspects of healing. We welcome clients from all cultural backgrounds and provide specialized support for Indigenous families through our First Nations Health Authority provider status, ensuring culturally sensitive care that respects traditional healing practices.
What Is Play Therapy for Children?
Individual counselling is one-on-one therapy between a client and trained counsellor to address mental health challenges, emotional difficulties, and life transitions. At Bee Here Counselling and Therapy in Nanaimo, BC, individual counselling provides personalized support for anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, and relationship issues through evidence-based approaches like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and mindfulness techniques. Sessions create a safe, confidential space where clients work collaboratively with their counsellor to develop coping strategies, process emotions, and build resilience. This therapeutic relationship focuses on each person’s unique needs and goals. Individual counselling differs from group or family therapy by offering undivided attention and customized treatment plans. Whether you’re managing stress, processing loss, or navigating major life changes, individual counselling supports your healing at your own pace. Services are available in-person in Nanaimo or online throughout British Columbia, Ontario, and Saskatchewan, with specialized support for Indigenous communities and culturally responsive care that honours diverse backgrounds and healing traditions.
Ready to begin your individual counselling experience? Contact Bee Here Counselling and Therapy today to schedule your consultation and take the first step toward positive change.
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Benefits of Our Play Therapy for Children
Children Express Feelings Through Natural Play
When children struggle to put complex emotions into words, play therapy becomes their voice. Through carefully guided play sessions, your child learns to process difficult experiences like family changes, school anxiety, or traumatic events in a safe, nurturing environment. Many parents notice their children sleeping better and having fewer outbursts within just a few weeks. Using age-appropriate toys, art materials, and storytelling techniques, children develop healthy coping skills while building emotional resilience that will serve them throughout their lives.
Builds Emotional Resilience and Coping Skills
Play therapy equips children with powerful tools to navigate life's challenges with greater confidence and emotional strength. Through guided play experiences, children develop healthy coping strategies that help them manage big feelings, reduce anxiety, and bounce back from difficult situations more effectively. These newly acquired skills extend far beyond the therapy room, empowering young clients to handle school stress, family changes, and peer conflicts with increased self-assurance. As children master these emotional regulation techniques through play, families often notice improved behaviour at home, better sleep patterns, and a child who feels more capable of facing whatever comes their way.
Nurturing Lifelong Resilience and Inner Wisdom
Play therapy at Bee Here Counselling creates profound shifts that extend far beyond childhood, establishing patterns of emotional intelligence and self-awareness that serve children throughout their lives. Through our holistic approach integrating mindfulness, creative expression, and somatic awareness, children develop an inner compass that guides them through future challenges with confidence and grace. This therapeutic journey nurtures not just symptom relief, but a deep connection to their authentic self, fostering the emotional resilience and interpersonal skills that become the foundation for meaningful relationships, academic success, and personal fulfilment. As children learn to trust their inner wisdom through play, they carry this transformative self-knowledge into adolescence and adulthood, creating ripple effects that strengthen families and communities for generations to come.
Builds Essential Life Skills Through Play
Play therapy equips children with fundamental life skills that extend far beyond the therapy room. Through guided play activities, children develop problem-solving abilities, learn healthy ways to express emotions, and practice social skills like sharing, taking turns, and communicating their needs. These skills translate directly into improved classroom behaviour, better friendships, and more confident navigation of daily challenges. Parents often notice their children using the coping strategies learned in play therapy—such as deep breathing techniques or using words instead of tantrums—during stressful situations at home, school, or in social settings.
Building Lifelong Inner Strength and Resilience
Play therapy at Bee Here Counselling empowers children to become their own agents of healing and growth. Through creative expression and guided play, children discover their innate capacity to navigate challenges with confidence and grace. The self-awareness, emotional regulation skills, and problem-solving abilities developed during play therapy sessions become powerful tools that children carry forward throughout their lives. This transformative process nurtures a deep sense of self-efficacy, helping young clients build the resilience and inner wisdom needed to thrive independently as they grow into capable, emotionally intelligent individuals.
Looking for support with our Play Therapy for Children?
Let’s have a caring conversation.
Like bees that find their way home, we all seek a place of comfort and belonging. At Bee Here Counselling and Therapy, we create that safe space where you can simply ‘Be’ – authentically yourself. Together, we’ll explore your path to healing, pollinating your life with new perspectives and nurturing growth one step at a time. We serve Play Therapy for Children to anyone within the Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Saskatchewan or Ontario with multiple types of insurances accepted and covered.
Our Process for Play Therapy for Children
Initial Contact and Consultation
- Begin with a free 15-minute phone consultation to discuss your child's needs and determine if play therapy is the right fit for your family
- Share your concerns about your child in a safe, judgment-free conversation with Melissa, who understands that reaching out takes courage
- Learn about play therapy approaches and how they can support your child's emotional development and healing journey
- Ask any questions you have about the process, scheduling, or what to expect during sessions
- Discuss practical details including session formats (in-person in Nanaimo or online), scheduling options, and insurance coverage for counselling services
- Receive guidance on how to prepare your child for their first session in an age-appropriate, reassuring way
- Schedule your child's first 50-minute intake session at a time that works best for your family's routine
- Feel confident knowing that this initial step is completely pressure-free and designed to ensure both you and your child feel comfortable moving forward
Assessment and Goal Setting
- Complete gentle intake questionnaires designed specifically for children's developmental stages and family dynamics, helping us understand your child's unique world and experiences
- Engage in collaborative conversations with both child and caregivers to identify strengths, concerns, and hopes for therapy in a warm, non-judgmental environment
- Observe your child's natural play patterns and communication style through age-appropriate activities that feel fun rather than clinical or intimidating
- Use simple mood and behaviour tracking tools that help us understand how your child experiences emotions and relationships in their daily life
- Develop personalized therapy goals together as a team—child, family, and therapist—ensuring everyone feels heard and valued in the process
- Create a customized treatment plan that honours your child's pace, interests, and cultural background while addressing specific therapeutic needs
- Establish clear expectations for the play therapy journey, including session frequency, family involvement, and ways to measure progress that celebrate small victories
- Build trust and rapport through this assessment phase, ensuring your child feels safe, understood, and excited about their therapeutic adventure ahead
Active Treatment Phase
- Structured Play Sessions: Each 50-minute session begins with a brief check-in, followed by child-led play activities using therapeutic toys, art materials, and games that allow natural expression of feelings and experiences
- Therapeutic Play Activities: Engage in sand tray therapy, dollhouse play, creative art projects, and storytelling exercises that help children process emotions, develop coping skills, and work through challenges in a safe, supportive environment
- Progress Monitoring and Adjustment: Regular observation and documentation of play themes, emotional responses, and behavioural changes, with flexible treatment adjustments based on the child's evolving needs and developmental progress
- Parent and Caregiver Involvement: Periodic family sessions and regular communication with parents to share insights, teach supportive techniques, and ensure therapeutic progress extends into the home environment
- Skill Building Through Play: Focus on developing emotional regulation, social skills, problem-solving abilities, and self-confidence through guided play experiences that feel natural and enjoyable to the child
- Between-Session Support: Provide families with simple play-based activities, creative exercises, and mindfulness techniques that children can practice at home to reinforce therapeutic gains and maintain emotional well-being
- Collaborative Goal Setting: Work with both child and family to establish achievable, age-appropriate goals that empower the child's sense of agency while addressing specific concerns like anxiety, trauma responses, or behavioural challenges
Step 4: Progress & Completion
- Regular progress check-ins using child-friendly assessment tools help track emotional growth, behavioural improvements, and social skill development throughout the therapeutic journey
- Completion readiness is determined collaboratively with parents and children when therapeutic goals are met and the child demonstrates consistent use of healthy coping strategies in daily life
- Gradual session spacing allows children to practice new skills independently while maintaining therapeutic support during the transition period
- Follow-up sessions are available on an as-needed basis to reinforce progress and address any emerging challenges during major life transitions or developmental changes
- Parents receive comprehensive resources and strategies to continue supporting their child's emotional well-being at home, ensuring lasting therapeutic benefits
- Maintenance support includes seasonal check-ins and access to brief consultation sessions to prevent regression and celebrate continued growth milestones
- Children develop lasting self-awareness and emotional regulation skills that serve as protective factors throughout their developmental journey into adolescence and beyond
- Successful completion often results in improved family relationships, enhanced school performance, and increased confidence in the child's ability to navigate future challenges independently
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