There are a myriad of resources available to you so that you can better understand your issues or concerns. This page will continually be updated. Refer back often.

Grief Counselling:

Dallas Shirley, MA, RCC, BCRPT, is a counsellor who specializes in grief counselling for children and adults. Go to her site to learn more.

For children:

150 Top African American Children’s books. https://aalbc.com/books/children.php

Reading Materials

Simmons Counselling Services recommends the following books, articles, and websites to read that may be pertinent to the issues you are facing.

Individual

• Mindsight: The New Science of Personal Transformation by Daniel J. Siegel
• The Dance of Anger by Harriet Lerner
• The Mindful Way Through Depression by Mark Williams, John Teasdale, Zindel Segal, and Jon Kabat-Zinn

Children and Families

• An Overview of Child Play Theory by Johanna Simmons
• A Child’s First Book About Play Therapy by Marc A. Nemiroff and Jane Annunziata
• Creative Dining Experiences by Johanna Simmons
• Family Ties that Bind by Ronald Richardson
• T’is the Season – Tips for Keeping Your Sanity During The Holiday Season by Eleanore Elton and Johanna Simmons
• How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and How to Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber – a must on any parnet’s bookshelf.
• Keys to Parenting Your Anxious Child by Katharine Manassis
• No Drama Discipline by Daniel J Siegel
• Parenting from the Inside Out: How a Deeper Self-understanding Can Help You Raise Children Who Thrive by Daniel J. Siegel
• Parenting Without Training Wheels by Eleanore Elton and Johanna Simmons
• Peaceful Piggy Meditation by K.L. Maclean

• Parenting in the 21st Century: The Neuro-Informed™ Parenting by Johanna Simmons (pre-order now)

• Siblings Without Rivalry by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish – another must have.
• Starbright: Meditations for Children by M.Garth
• Teaching Young Children About Empathy by Eleanore Elton and Johanna Simmons
• Twenty Things Adopted Kids Wish Their Adoptive Parents Knew by Sherrie Eldridge

Professional Articles

• A is for Anger by Johanna Simmons (published in BC Play Therapy Association Imprints Magazine, Spring 2011 Issue)
• Moving Toward Regulation Using Synergetic Play Therapy by Johanna Simmons (published by The Canadian Journal of Counselling and Psychotherapy, July 2020)
• Technology in the Playroom: A Healing Experience by Johanna Simmons (published in Association for Play Therapy Play Therapy Magazine, Fall 2012 Issue and BC Association for Clinical Counsellors Insights Magazine, Spring 2013 Issue)

Counselling Associations and Organizations

• British Columbia Association of Clinical Counsellors
• British Columbia Play Therapy Association
• Justice Institute of BC
• Synergetic Play Therapy Institute
• Systematic Training for Effective Parenting