It takes a whole village to raise a child.
I help people find it within themselves to move toward change.
I believe that at our core, we are all striving for balance. My mission is to support and empower children and teens to effectively achieve personal growth, to acknowledge and bear witness to the experiences of their life. Treatment is grounded in interpersonal neurobiology, attachment and play therapies that help uncover the root of dysregulated behaviours, and move back to balance.
Sarah MacDonell ~ RPC, RST, AC-EPT, MBSR-P
Clinical Director
I help child and teen clients learn to cope with life’s difficulties in a way that fosters confidence and builds trust in their own capabilities. I support caregivers with the necessary tools for effective communication, co-regulation and education to better connect with your child.
Specialized and trained by internationally renowned Marie-José Dhaese, Lisa Dion, and David Grand, I use a variety of modalities and techniques to suit the presenting concerns and goals for change. Play-, Expressive-, or Synergetic Therapies, Emotions-Focused therapy, Gestalt, CBT and DBT-informed therapy can allow your child to move through life’s challenges by promoting self-awareness and distress tolerance. I work from a trauma-informed lens, and creating connection and safety underlies the foundation of my practice.
In addition, for teens and adults coping with complex trauma (early life traumas, (C)PTSD, abuse, etc.) - or those who are not comfortable ‘speaking to a therapist’ about internal struggles - I offer Brainspotting, which is a brain-based treatment, rather than psychological. This approach works with stuck or unprocessed traumatic events stored in the lower brain and the body by directly accessing the central nervous system. Brainspotting is a physiological treatment which has immense psychological, emotional, and physical effects. This unique treatment offers the client the opportunity for rapid trauma healing without reliving or speaking about the trauma.
Specialized Areas of Focus:
(in addition to child & youth play- and expressive play-therapies)
Behavioural Challenges
Self-Harm and/or Suicidal Ideation
’Aggressive’ Behaviours
Adverse Early Life Trauma
PTSD / Trauma
Professional Credentials
* RPC (Registered Professional Counsellor)
* RST (Registered Sand Therapist)
* Member of the CPCA (Canadian Professional Counsellors Association)
* Member of CCPA (Canadian Counselling & Psychotherapy Association)
* Member of BCPTA (BC Play Therapy Association)
* Member of WASTP (World Association of Sand Therapy Professionals)
* AC - EPT, Associate Certificate: Expressive Play Therapy, Marie-José Dhaese/Justice Institute of BC (JIBC)
* MBSR-P, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Practitioner
Specialized Training in Child-Teen therapy, brain development and neurosciences including:
* Associate Certificate: Expressive Play Therapy, Marie-José Dhaese/JIBC
* Therapeutic Play cert., Institute of Child Psychology
* Brainspotting: Neuroexperiential Model for Rapid Trauma Healing, David Grand PhD
* 2025 Canadian Association for Play Therapy (CAPT) Annual Conference, attendee
* 2024 Suicide Prevent Summit: Suicide in Schools, Prevention, Assessments, Neuroscience-based Treatment, Mental Health Academy
* 5th Annual Innovative Child Therapy Symposium with T. Kottman, L. Dion, L. Lowenstein, attendee
* Synergetic Play Therapy: Revolutionize Play & Therapeutic Practice with Children; Healing Medical Trauma in Play Therapy
* Parenting - Compassionate Discipline cert., Institute of Child Psychology
* Brain Story: Child Brain Development & Neuroscience certification, University of Oxford & Alberta Family Wellness Initiative
* Attachment-Based Play Therapy cert., BC Play Therapy Assoc.
* SafeTALK Crisis cert., Canadian Mental Health Assoc.
* Safe Zone Project ally & trained
* Trauma Informed Care, Somatics cert.
* Non-Violent Communication (NVC) cert.
* DSM-V-TR-A, DSM-V Industry cert.
* Stenberg College, Counselling Therapy Dipl. with Distinctions
* Justice Institute of B.C
* University of Waterloo
* Queen’s University