During my 34 years of experience working with the Halifax Centre for Education as a classroom teacher, administrator, Resource and Learning Centre Teacher, I have worked with many students of various abilities. This includes individuals with Autism, Downs Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, Diabetes, Epilepsy, degenerative neurological disorders, auditory and/or visual impairments, children who are non-verbal, and children exhibiting behavioural concerns. My approach is child and family centred. Our initial complementary 15-minute consultation will be by phone or in person, depending on need. We will focus on the strengths and challenges of your child and determine if I can be of help as you move forward. I have extensive experience assessing a child’s individual needs, current understanding and functioning, adapting and developing individual programs to meet academic, behavioural, social, emotional, medical, and physical needs of students. With support from parents/guardians, I assess needs and set goals for learning. Learning is supported through a blend of interactive activities as well as concrete and visual supports to help keep children engaged and motivated.

During my 34 years of experience working with the Halifax Centre for Education as a classroom tea... Read More

Cynthia Riley 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 on the 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 Autism Spectrum 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.

Cynthia Riley is the owner of Shifting Tides Play Therapy in Bedford, Nova Scotia. She is a Certi... Read More