Play therapy
Registered Play Therapist with the Canadian Association for Play Therapy, supporting children and families through developmentally responsive, creative, and caregiver-informed care.
About Varenya
Varenya Kuhathaas, MSW, RSW, is a Registered Social Worker, Registered Play Therapist with the Canadian Association for Play Therapy, and EMDR-trained therapist offering therapy for children ages 6-10, preteens, teens, adults, couples, and families across Ontario.
Varenya works with children, preteens, teens, adults, couples, parents, and families navigating anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, ADHD and executive functioning, emotional regulation, parenting stress, family transitions, attachment-based concerns, cultural identity, and relationship stress.
Therapy with Varenya may include reflection, coping tools, body and emotion awareness, caregiver consultation, creative strategies, trauma-informed processing, EMDR when clinically appropriate, and approaches informed by CBT, DBT, and Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT).
Certifications and training
Registered Play Therapist with the Canadian Association for Play Therapy, supporting children and families through developmentally responsive, creative, and caregiver-informed care.
EMDR-trained therapist offering trauma-informed EMDR when it is clinically appropriate, safely paced, and supported by preparation and grounding.
Trained in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, and Emotionally Focused Therapy, with each approach adapted to the client, couple, or family.
Clinical focus
Anxiety, stress, low mood, grief, trauma, relationship patterns, life transitions, self-esteem, parenting strain, communication concerns, and old coping strategies that no longer feel sustainable.
Big feelings, worry, withdrawal, school stress, grief, emotional regulation, ADHD-related challenges, family change, identity, and social pressure.
Support for caregivers who want to understand behaviour, strengthen connection, reduce conflict, and respond with more clarity at home.
LGBTQ+ allied, racial justice allied, and culturally responsive therapy that makes room for identity, culture, family context, language, and belonging.
Therapy starts with understanding what is happening and what would make life feel more manageable. Some sessions focus on identifying patterns. Some focus on coping skills, grounding, communication, or emotional regulation. Some move toward deeper trauma processing when the timing, goals, and safety are in place.
Sessions are adapted to the person in front of her: an adult naming old patterns, a teen under school and social pressure, a child showing distress through behaviour, or a caregiver trying to respond differently at home.