Drew Watson, BSc, MACP

Empowering and supporting children and families through fostering connection, mutual understanding, and healing.

Welcome! My name is Drew. With a background in child and youth work and extensive knowledge of child and family development, I am passionate about supporting children, teens, families, and parents as they grow, discover their strengths, and create meaningful change.

My professional experience has included working with children and youth with developmental disabilities, mental health challenges, behavioural and emotional difficulties, trauma, ADHD, autism, and grief. I have also spent significant time in the world of children’s grief work, supporting children, teens, and families following the death of someone important to them.

My personal experiences and undergraduate research on ADHD have also shaped my passion for working with neurodivergent children and teens. I understand that every child has their own way of experiencing and moving through the world, and I want therapy to be a place where they can better understand themselves, feel supported in who they are, and strengthen their relationships with the people around them.

I also deeply value working with parents and families. Raising children can bring tremendous joy alongside some incredibly difficult moments. I help families become curious about what is happening underneath emotions and behaviours, better understand one another, and strengthen the connection between them.

What We Can Work On Together

• Feel more confident and comfortable with who you are

• Make sense of big emotions when they feel hard to manage

• Explore ADHD, autism, or being neurodivergent in a way that honours how your brain works

• Work through worry, stress, or things that feel overwhelming

• Process the death of someone important to you and the many emotions that can come with grief

• Build confidence in friendships and other important relationships

• Strengthen connection and communication

• Understand what your child may be communicating through their emotions or behaviour

• Find new ways to respond to your child during difficult moments

• Feel more connected and confident in your relationship with your child

What Therapy With Me Is Like

I work closely with children, teens, adults, and families to create a safe, inclusive, and empowering environment for my clients to thrive emotionally and socially. I aspire to provide my clients with an environment where they are encouraged to express themselves, explore their strengths and associated coping strategies, and build resilience. I highly value personalized care and know that each child and adult that I work with requires a specialized approach.

In my work with children and teens, I rely on a person-centred approach, deeply listening to and considering my clients’ goals, interests, characteristics, and needs. For some children and youth, I rely on play-based methods where we include games, art, crafts, and pretend play in our sessions. I pride myself on being creative when it comes to finding activities that align with each client’s desired therapeutic outcomes and play preferences.

In With adults, parents, and families, I bring authenticity, curiosity, and humour into the room. We may slow things down to understand emotions and patterns, explore what is happening underneath difficult interactions, or work toward stronger communication and connection within your relationships.

A Little More About Me

• I love to express myself through cooking. The combination of delicious and creative food, time to decompress while chopping or whisking, and the joy of mealtime with loved ones cannot be beaten!

• I spent much time in my undergraduate studies participating in research projects focused on mental health in childhood and helping professionals, ADHD, and social justice movements for individuals with mental health diagnoses.

• I love dogs (especially my two pups)! I would love to incorporate dogs into my therapeutic work in the future.