About Me
|
Michelle Baer, (she/her) MA, RP, CCC
Registered Psychotherapist Canadian Certified Counsellor Child and Family Therapist I am a child and family therapist, and Registered Psychotherapist offering individual, group and family psychotherapy services. My areas of expertise are Play Therapy and Creative Arts Therapy with children ages 3-12 years, and youth ages 13-17 years. I practice in a child-centred, client-centred, strengths-based, and 2SLGBTQ+ positive space. Please read below for more information on my background, qualifications, and projects. |
Michelle Baer (she/her)
|
In-Person counselling available in Guelph, ON and Virtual Counselling serving children, youth, families across Ontario. Contact Michelle to discuss what option might be best for your child and family.
Professional Qualifications:
I am a Registered Psychotherapist (RP) with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO) and a Certified Canadian Counsellor (CCC) with the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA). I am a Member of the North American Drama Therapy Association (NADTA) and a Play Therapy Intern (PTI) Member of the Canadian Association for Child and Play Therapy (CACPT). I completed a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology/Drama (University of Alberta, 2006) prior to obtaining a Master of Arts in Creative Arts Therapies, Drama Therapy (Concordia University, 2008). As a theatre and psychology student, I became very interested in how the two fields could work together. From personal experience I came to understand the boundless potential of the creative arts in healing, growing, learning and thriving. I became more and more interested in working with children and families, and decided to specialize by obtaining my Child and Play Therapy Certificate with the Canadian Association for Child and Play Therapy, and Theraplay Level 1 (Theraplay Canada).
Experience and Areas of Competence:
Throughout my undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate studies, I gained clinical expertise in facilitating individual, group, and family therapy. Since 2006, I have worked as a therapist with diverse populations and organizations serving children, youth, and adults in Toronto, Montreal, London (UK) and Accra (Ghana).
I currently (since 2022) provide Virtual Teleplay services for Family First Play Therapy Centre (Bradford & Burlington, ON), offering counselling services for children, youth and families who may live too far to travel to such services, or feel more comfortable accessing support from the comfort of their home.
From February 2020-2022, I was the Child Therapist at Woolwich Counselling Centre (WCC) where I successfully pivoted to providing Virtual Teleplay Counselling for children, youth and families. During my time at WCC, I developed and facilitated the first 2SLGBTQ+ Support Group "Be You" for youth in this rural community, sharing my personal and professional expertise. I also facilitated group therapy for children with anxiety using CBT and creative arts therapy techniques, as well as working with hundreds of children and youth experiencing high levels of anxiety and/or depression during the ongoing pandemic, towards feeling more calm and joy in their lives.
For 9 years, I was the child & family therapist at Applegrove Community Complex in Toronto, facilitating a creative arts and play therapy group for children (aged 3-5 years) experiencing social, emotional, and/or behavioural challenges. From 2010-2016, I worked with medically compromised children, youth, and their families as the therapeutic clown at the Trillium Health Partners – Credit Valley Hospital, Mississauga. My experience has provided me with specialized skills in working with children who are experiencing illness, grief, loss, anxiety, and trauma within a medical context. I completed a play therapy internship with Liana Lowenstein, RSW, MSW, CPT-S, at Regesh Family and Child Services in Toronto, providing play therapy for children and families experiencing a wide range of issues such as trauma, bereavement, separation and divorce, attachment difficulties, anxiety, ADHD and other learning disorders, autism and other developmental concerns.
I have published articles in Playground (Canadian Association for Child and Play Therapy) and Dramascope (NADTA), presented at conferences on my work as a drama therapist and play therapist, and taught workshops in therapeutic clowning, participatory video, and meditation and yoga.
Professional Qualifications:
I am a Registered Psychotherapist (RP) with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO) and a Certified Canadian Counsellor (CCC) with the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA). I am a Member of the North American Drama Therapy Association (NADTA) and a Play Therapy Intern (PTI) Member of the Canadian Association for Child and Play Therapy (CACPT). I completed a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology/Drama (University of Alberta, 2006) prior to obtaining a Master of Arts in Creative Arts Therapies, Drama Therapy (Concordia University, 2008). As a theatre and psychology student, I became very interested in how the two fields could work together. From personal experience I came to understand the boundless potential of the creative arts in healing, growing, learning and thriving. I became more and more interested in working with children and families, and decided to specialize by obtaining my Child and Play Therapy Certificate with the Canadian Association for Child and Play Therapy, and Theraplay Level 1 (Theraplay Canada).
Experience and Areas of Competence:
Throughout my undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate studies, I gained clinical expertise in facilitating individual, group, and family therapy. Since 2006, I have worked as a therapist with diverse populations and organizations serving children, youth, and adults in Toronto, Montreal, London (UK) and Accra (Ghana).
I currently (since 2022) provide Virtual Teleplay services for Family First Play Therapy Centre (Bradford & Burlington, ON), offering counselling services for children, youth and families who may live too far to travel to such services, or feel more comfortable accessing support from the comfort of their home.
From February 2020-2022, I was the Child Therapist at Woolwich Counselling Centre (WCC) where I successfully pivoted to providing Virtual Teleplay Counselling for children, youth and families. During my time at WCC, I developed and facilitated the first 2SLGBTQ+ Support Group "Be You" for youth in this rural community, sharing my personal and professional expertise. I also facilitated group therapy for children with anxiety using CBT and creative arts therapy techniques, as well as working with hundreds of children and youth experiencing high levels of anxiety and/or depression during the ongoing pandemic, towards feeling more calm and joy in their lives.
For 9 years, I was the child & family therapist at Applegrove Community Complex in Toronto, facilitating a creative arts and play therapy group for children (aged 3-5 years) experiencing social, emotional, and/or behavioural challenges. From 2010-2016, I worked with medically compromised children, youth, and their families as the therapeutic clown at the Trillium Health Partners – Credit Valley Hospital, Mississauga. My experience has provided me with specialized skills in working with children who are experiencing illness, grief, loss, anxiety, and trauma within a medical context. I completed a play therapy internship with Liana Lowenstein, RSW, MSW, CPT-S, at Regesh Family and Child Services in Toronto, providing play therapy for children and families experiencing a wide range of issues such as trauma, bereavement, separation and divorce, attachment difficulties, anxiety, ADHD and other learning disorders, autism and other developmental concerns.
I have published articles in Playground (Canadian Association for Child and Play Therapy) and Dramascope (NADTA), presented at conferences on my work as a drama therapist and play therapist, and taught workshops in therapeutic clowning, participatory video, and meditation and yoga.