I provide an environment of care and acceptance for children
​and their caregivers where transformation and healing can begin. 

What I Do
I have an integrated approach to counseling, which means I bring concepts and interventions from more than one therapeutic philosophy to my work with children.  My orientation to therapy incorporates Synergetic Play Therapy, Rogerian (or Person-Centered) Therapy, Child-Centered Play Therapy, and Interpersonal Neurobiology. My interventions are always trauma informed.

Fundamentally, I believe that children have the tools and ability within themselves to heal and to grow past whatever challenges they are facing.  In order to accomplish this, they need the right environment and support. As a play therapist, I work to create that environment in my sessions with your child. My relationships with your children are built on acceptance, understanding, respect, and honesty. 

Who I Am

Cynthia Manley
MA, RCT, CCC, CPT
Hi! My name is Cynthia Manley. I have been working as a play therapist for 6 years.  I am a Certified Play Therapist with the Canadian Association for Play Therapy and a Certified Synergetic Play Therapist. I am a Certified Counsellor with the Canadian Counselling and Psychological Association and a Registered Counselling Therapist with the Nova Scotia College of Counselling Therapists. Before I became a counsellor, I worked as a Special Education teacher. 

I love working with children and their caregivers, and I believe strongly that each child has their own unique story. Children are brilliant at finding their own path to healing when they have an environment that includes warmth, acceptance, and safety. To meet the individual needs of each child, I integrate different approaches to counselling into the playroom. All of my interventions are grounded in a child-centered approach, which means that I follow your child's lead in the healing process. I have foundational training inTheraplay, EMDR, and therapeutic yoga play.  

I believe that caregivers are crucial in helping me create the right conditions for children's healing. Caregivers are full of wisdom and expertise when it comes to their children, and I work with them to create a treatment plan that meets the needs of everyone in the life of a child. 

I am a parent of a son who is 22 years old and two step children who are 18 and 21 years old. I love to travel and I love to explore places here in the HRM. I enjoy reading, cooking and yoga.

​I acknowledge that my office is located in Mi'kma'ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi'kmaq People. This territory is covered by the "Treaties of Peace and Friendship" which Mi'kmaq and Wolastoqiyik (Maliseet) people first signed with the British Crown in 1725.

“We are like islands in the sea; separate on the surface but connected on the deep.”
                                                                           -William James

 
 


Services

I am a registered provider with Blue Cross.
I am an approved provider  for the Nova Scotia Department of Community Services. 
​I am an approved provider for NIHB and IFHP

Intake

​Ages 3-99
90 Minutes
$225  (Plus HST)
​Fees are on a sliding scale.

Caregiver Consultation

50 Minutes
$155  ​(Plus HST)
​Fees are on a sliding scale.

Clinical Supervision 
Canadian Association for Play Therapy
Online/In-person
$85.00 ​(Plus HST)

Play Therapy
​Counselling Therapy

​Ages 3-99
50 minutes
$155  (Plus HST)
Fees are on a sliding scale.

Contact Me

I look forward to hearing from you.
My office is in Bedford, Nova Scotia. 
Cynthia Manley, MA, RCT, CCC,CPT
(902) 759-5761
cmanley@shiftingtidesplaytherapy.com
​NIHB Provider # MH0314583