Alyson Clark is a Registered Social Worker with an Honours Bachelor of Social Work degree from Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University). Alyson has completed Certified Trauma Integration Clinician training through ATTCH Niagara and focuses her counselling on supporting children and youth to live happy and healthy lives while processing traumatic events.

Alyson has worked in the youth homelessness, human trafficking, domestic violence and disability sectors in Toronto and Niagara . She has also worked within the Indigenous community in Niagara, providing counselling for children and youth. Alyson works from a trauma-informed lens to explore life experiences and mental health/behavioural struggles in a safe and culturally appropriate space.

In her spare time, Alyson teaches yoga and spends time with her cat, Charlie. She enjoys travelling, reading, Raptors basketball and going to the beach

Alyson Clark is a Registered Social Worker with an Honours Bachelor of Social Work degree from To... Read More

Justis Krar (BMus, MTA) is a Certified Music Therapist and professional musician. After completing an internship with a multi-disciplinary team at the Royal Hospital for Neuro-Disability in London, United Kingdom, he returned to Canada and began working with clients in one-on-one and group settings.

His clinical experiences range from supporting clients in neuro-rehabilitation, complex long-term care and those with learning and physical disabilities.

Justis utilizes the guitar, songwriting and music technology in his clinical work to assist clients in communicating and expressing their thoughts and feelings.

A central tenant of Justis’s work is accessibility, particularly the need for diverse means and methods of creating music. His research on inclusion in community music has been published in the International Journal of Community Music and in the anthology Community Music at the Boundaries (Wilfrid Laurier University Press).

Before studying music therapy, Justis completed a diploma in Music Industry Arts at Fanshawe College and toured North America, the UK and Europe with the band Single Mothers. He loves to talk about guitar pedals and will happily deconstruct the rhythms of any Meshuggah song.

Justis Krar (BMus, MTA) is a Certified Music Therapist and professional musician. After completin... Read More

I am a dedicated psychotherapist working with children, teens, and parents to help foster well-being, healing, and positive growth. I employ a variety of modalities and therapeutic techniques, including play therapy, CBT, narrative therapy and family systems, to effectively meet the unique needs of my clients. My approach is grounded in trauma-informed care, ensuring that I create a safe and supportive environment for all to express themselves and work through their challenges. In my practice, I engage children and teens through play and creative methods, helping them explore their thoughts and feelings in a comfortable and safe way. This trauma-informed approach empowers them to share their experiences, build confidence, and develop their own solutions. I recognize that each individual's journey is unique, so I tailor my techniques to the specific needs of each child and teen while involving their parents to foster collaboration. I also provide valuable resources and support for parents, helping them understand their child's emotions and behaviours in the context of trauma. By promoting open communication and teamwork, we work together to create a nurturing environment that encourages healing and growth. My holistic approach equips families with the tools they need to thrive, building resilience and confidence as they navigate their personal development journeys together.

I am a dedicated psychotherapist working with children, teens, and parents to help foster well-be... Read More

Myra Rados is a Registered Psychotherapist (CRPO), a Professional Art Therapist (DTATI), an EMDR Therapist (ENVISION), a Sandplay Therapy Intern (CAST), a MARI Practitioner and provides individual, family, and group workshops at the Kristen French Child Advocacy Centre of Niagara.

She offers an empathic and a dynamic art psychotherapy approach, providing evidence-based interventions for clients of all ages. Myra offers a supportive, person-centred, inclusive approach with various psychodynamic modalities for children and youth.

Myra combines interventions in an eclectic manner using various art materials/expressive mediums tailored for clients who are ready to engage in their healing process.

Each client is invited to build up their inner resources in engaging ways often accessing innate healing abilities, and then tackling concerns or conditions in a safe space together.

Art therapy is a progressive and science-based psychotherapy profession. It compliments neurological-based findings and aids (1) emotional regulation for stress/anxiety, (2) the stabilization of mood/impulsive behaviours and conditions, (3) improves low mood, and (4) art therapy provides an adaptive response to alleviate trauma symptoms in body and mind.

Myra has helped children and adolescents in many agencies of care in the Niagara, Hamilton and Halton Region, who have employed a forensic psychology and medical model during treatment. Often children and adolescents have found Art Psychotherapy to be an engaging, accessible, and empowering form of treatment for a myriad of comorbidities or concurrent diagnoses when talk therapy and, or psychosocial education interventions run their course.

The treatment objective is to achieve positive mental health when a presenting issue/behaviour is stabilized first. A secure therapeutic relationship has validity for all ages, concerns, and for the management of symptoms of various mental health conditions and, or other cognitive/developmental concerns.

Myra practices informed consent, and this involves empowering clients to recognize the importance of their social and cultural identities that are complimented by relevant settings and treatment goals, to strengthen decision-making and problem-solving abilities. This approach can modify risk behaviours optimizing a healthy belief system(s), increasing greater self-autonomy, creating empathy for self and others, and improving self-confidence; to lead a life client’s have envisioned for themselves.

Jungian psychology, positive psychology, existential, somatic art therapy, Kalffian sandplay, trauma-informed, DBT-informed, CBT-informed, and mindfulness art therapy interventions are at the root of the approaches in her practice.

She also offers various arts-based assessments for children and adults to improve treatment plans and identify symptoms of various DSM-5 conditions, which supports current diagnosis. Symptoms are identified by pictorial developmental assessments which can determine acute or chronic stages of mental health and illness. She employs MARI® (Mandala Assessment Research Instrument), PPAT-FEATS (14 key features), the Kwiatkowska Six-Picture Family Art Therapy Evaluation and the Horovitz BATA Assessment (i.e., identifies existential crises) when needed to direct treatment. MARI is applied in both art and sandplay therapy to improve various stages of treatment. It provides the client with a mandala picture or a map of one of the 12 stages of life (with symbols and colours) clients are experiencing, and it helps to identify what clients are working through, augmenting a treatment plan.

Myra is looking forward to working with children and youth meet their treatment goals at the Kristen French Child Advocacy Centre of Niagara.

Myra Rados is a Registered Psychotherapist (CRPO), a Professional Art Therapist (DTATI), an EMDR ... Read More