Theresa Fraser

Lives in Nova Soctia and owns practices in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. She is a Play Therapy Supervisor and was a past President of the Canadian Association for Play Therapy for almost 8 years in two separate terms. She is a published author of many books/ book chapters, and is Co- Editor of the national Playground Magazine. She is an approved provider of training for CAPT. She supervises folx across Canada and in Australia. 

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Grant Gear

Grant (he/him) is a Registered Social Worker and currently works with the
Nunatsiavut Government, specializing in mental wellness with Inuit children, youth, and families. He is currently working on certification as a Play Therapist with the Canadian Association for Play Therapy (CAPT). Grant supports children, youth, and families with emotional challenges from intergenerational trauma, developmental trauma, grief & loss, and shame & guilt. He also advocates for creating and maintaining inclusive and safe spaces (2SLGBTQIA+). Grant presents
and consults regionally, provincially, and nationally about Play Therapy. In Grant’s spare time he enjoys reading, spending time in nature, travelling, and drum dancing.
Grant is excited about the formation of the Atlantic Canada Play Therapy
Association (ACPTA) and the networking for the continuation of promoting the powers of play and connecting with other Play Therapists and students. Grant resides in the province of Newfoundland & Labrador. Pinnguagumaven? Would you like to play?

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Christina Rodrigue

Is an  RCT-C in Nova Scotia who is working towards her certification as a play therapist. She has additional training in Theraplay, AutPlay, and Accelerated Resolution Therapy. She currently works in a practice in Bedford. She works with children and youth, specializing in working with adoptive families and neurodivergent folx."

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Cynthia Manley 

Cynthia Manley is the owner of Shifting Tides Play Therapy in Bedford, Nova Scotia. She is a Certified Play Therapist and Play Therapist Supervisor through the Canadian Association for Play Therapy as well as a Registered Counselling Therapist in Nova Scotia. She earned her Master of Arts in Professional Mental Health Counselling from Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon. She wrote a chapter titled, “ Less Zoom More Zen: Blending Mindfulness and Yoga into Virtual Group Therapies for the book Using Teleplay in Virtual Care. Her play therapy space was
featured in the Spring/Summer 2021 edition of Playground magazine. She currently serves onthe boards of a couple of regulatory and professional organizations and edits articles for Playground Magazine.
Cynthia brings a variety of personal and professional experiences to her work with young children. She was a Special Education teacher in California, British Columbia, and Oregon before becoming a counsellor. In California, the majority of her students with special needs were the children of migrant farm workers from Mexico. Her students had diagnoses of AutismSpectrum Disorder, Traumatic Brain Injury, various processing disorders, and intellectual disabilities. Cynthia raised a child on the Autism Spectrum who identifies as transgender. She is a first- generation child of an immigrant and, as an adult, immigrated to Canada from the US.
Through working with families in these various settings, she has seen the complexities involved with social locations and the intersections of people’s lives: culture, race, class, and gender being just a few. For Cynthia, supporting children is always rooted in her Rogerian theoretical orientation. Integrating Interpersonal Neurobiology and embodied approaches into Child- Centered Play Therapy, Cynthia strives to follow the child’s lead, meet them where they are, and bring honesty, care, and empathy to her time in the playroom.​

 

Lori Wareham- Mulrooney

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Lori has worked as a social worker in Newfoundland & Labrador for 22 years. Lori holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Community Rehabilitation and Disability Studies, a Bachelor of Social Work, and a Master of Social Work. Lori is a Registered Social Worker with the Newfoundland

and Labrador College of Social Workers, and a Certified Play Therapist through the Canadian Association for Play Therapy. Lori is EMDR trained with a specialization in Parent-Child Attachment and integration of EMDR, Poly-Vagal Theory, and Play Therapy. Lori is pursuing certification in TBRI ® Trust Based Relational Intervention, through the Karyn Purvis Institute

of Child Development with an expected completion date of October 2024.

Lori has dedicated her career to working with children, adolescents & families who have experienced adversity. In 2022, after 20 years working within the Regional Health Authority,

Lori transitioned into the non-profit world as a Therapist under the Wellness Division of Amal Youth & Family Centre Inc. This has allowed Lori to return to her roots in community work

within an organization that is responsive and creative to the needs of individuals, families, and

our community.