Drew Watson, BSc

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

Welcome! My name is Drew and I am an intern psychotherapist at Counselling & Co. My goal is to provide you with a safe space to explore life’s challenges while fostering connection and healing.

As a student nearing the end of my master’s studies with an extensive knowledge base on child and family development, I am here to empower and support children, youth, families, and parents to reach their full potential.

My passion for working with children and families began early in life and since then, has been reinforced through my education, personal, and professional experience. I would describe myself as a true empath as building connections and helping others has always brought meaning to my life.

From working with children and youth with developmental disabilities, mental health challenges, behavioural issues, emotional disturbances, trauma, and grief, I have learned strategies and approaches to best fit your unique therapeutic needs. 

My personal experiences and undergraduate research on Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), have been a driving force motivating me to work with children and adolescents with developmental disabilities. Additionally, with a deep understanding of the unique challenges faced by children and youth with autism spectrum disorders, ADHD, learning disabilities, and other developmental conditions, I am passionate about supporting my clients to develop important life skills, improve self-regulation, and build meaningful relationships with peers and family members. 

In addition to my passion for individual work with children and youth, I deeply understand the importance of family and parental therapeutic work. Through my professional experience, I have become aware of the impact of family dynamics and interpersonal familial relationships on individual family-member development.  

Why Work With Me

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

In family work, I provide a warm and nonjudgmental space for family members to communicate openly, work to understand one another on a deeper level and collaborate to reach mutual goals. Whether your family is facing major life transitions, parenting struggles, sibling conflict, or one of the many additional challenges a family encounters together, I will be compassionate and supportive in moving forward. Together we will work towards creating a realistic plan that addresses the needs of all those involved.  

In both individual and family therapy, I am committed to guiding parents through difficult times by building upon strengths and fostering a collaborative approach to problems at hand. I believe that therapy can be a powerful tool for parent’s personal and familial growth. My goal for working with parents is to help them navigate both the challenges and joys of raising children. As a therapist who values holism, I support parents to gain deeper insight into their child’s needs and behaviours, while also focusing on parental emotional well-being.

Professional Background

I am a Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario. I am currently nearing the completion of a Master of Arts degree in Counselling Psychology through Yorkville University. I hold a Bachelor of Applied Science degree with a major in Child, Youth, and Family, and a minor in Psychology from the University of Guelph. 

Things I bet you didn't know 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.