Mary Yan

Get relief with effective strategies to cope with your child’s behaviours and support their growth. 

Mary Yan Counselling Services offers child and family therapy in North Vancouver. Mary Yan is a Registered Clinical Counsellor and Registered Play Therapist, with 23 years experience helping families create healthy home environments.

Her training includes:

• M. Ed. In Counselling Psychology, University of British Columbia
• Registered Clinical Counsellor
• Registered Play Therapist
• BC Registered Play Therapist
• EMDR Level II
• Child-Parent Relationship Therapy
• Theraplay
• (First Canadian) Certified Synergetic Play Therapist 

Plus ongoing workshops and certifications.

Most of Mary’s work has been involved with complex issues children and families face. These include trauma, abuse, neglect, immigrant experiences, mental health, and foster care adaptation.

Though, not all who benefit from child play therapy are necessarily this extreme. Many families benefit from child-centered therapy.

If your child falls into any of the following, play therapy may be the solution:

• A bullying target or perpetrator
• Prone to separation anxiety
• Having tantrums and emotional or physical outbursts
• Suffering post-traumatic stress, or acting worried or fearful
• Falling behind in school
• Finding it difficult to socialize

Providing a supportive environment, Mary attempts to understand what kids are going through, and what they want you to know, but don’t know how to communicate. 

Mary uses models that have been employed by professional play therapists for over 80 years. One of her main approaches is Synergetic Play Therapy, a research-informed, cutting-edge model that is effective in helping children heal faster. 

Mary also believes that effective child therapy happens at home too. She teaches you tactics, and gives you ‘homework’ to do after sessions. This is so the healing process can accelerate its pace. This is necessary given the needs of the brain to practice regularly when forming new habits.

With continued effort, both within and outside of therapy sessions, you may soon begin to notice your child maintaining a steady mood, feeling comfortable with themselves, and expressing themselves effectively in their relationships with others. 

Get more than just play therapy in North Vancouver

Mary Yan’s therapy services don’t just stop at play therapy. She also offers the following:

Family Counselling

Filial play therapy - where parents are taught how to engage their kids through play therapy at home.

Family play therapy - where your family gets together to work through issues using therapeutic guidance.

Parenting support

Parent counselling - where we address personal issues you may have as a parent, that could affect your child at home.

Parent coaching - where we help you ‘find your way’ with your kids, when parenting tactics are not working as effectively as you’d like them to.

Get in touch with Mary and claim a free, 15-minute consultation to determine whether child or family therapy is right for you.