Hi, my name is Erika Davies, and I’m a Registered Clinical Social Worker with a Master of Social Work from Carleton University. I work with children, specifically neurodivergent children, ranging from learning disabilities to Autism and ADHD, youth and dis-abled adults on issues related to sex and sexuality.

I became a social worker for so many reasons. Firstly, I think the honesty of therapy is so special. It’s a place where we have permission to unmask and be present. Secondly, my passion as a helper comes from my lived experiences. I am Queer, neurodivergent and live with a semi-visible Dis-ability that requires me to be fed through a feeding tube, which is hidden by my shirt. I coped with these experiences as a teen through drug use. 

I draw on my lived and clinical experience to help clients understand how their lives are impacted by the world we live in. I practice deep empathy and strive to meet people where they’re at. As a playful person, I am drawn to play therapy as a way of communicating that celebrates a range of emotion and is deep and fulfilling.

In the following sections, I outline what therapy could look like for you or your child. At the end of the day, though, it is a collaborative process between me and my clients.

For Parents

First of all, thank you for reading this! As a parent seeking support for your child or youth, I know you are an important member of their team. I believe it is vital to seek out the insights of parents. For children, intake will be conducted with the child and any key adults in their life who are available and can offer insight into the child’s experience. Moving forward, depending on the needs identified during intake, sessions can be conducted independently with the child or include the important adults in their lives, or be a hybrid of both. 

For youth, the age of consent for disclosure is 12. Therefore, initial consultations are held with the youth, where we decide together if there is anyone else in their life they would like to bring in to help tell their story. Youth are often in the process of creating a chosen family. They might choose anyone—from an animal to a friend to a grandparent—who they believe would help share part of their story. 

For Children (ages 6 – 12)

Children are amazing historians of their own experiences. Every day, they practice telling narratives that incorporate deep insights into their experiences, dreams, and fears through play. Play is a time when we are most able to learn. Play Therapy offers children the opportunity to share their experiences in ways they feel safe. Play creates a barrier between the self and the experience, allowing children to delve into uncomfortable realities that might not be accessible to them through words. I incorporate imaginative narrative play, reading books, and sandtray play in therapy.

Play Therapy is also profoundly helpful for contextualizing trauma. Children can express with great clarity how an imaginary character feels and often, what that character needs to feel secure. Using various clinical modalities, I can use this play to  support their increased access to safety. Play also offers opportunities for consistent attachment rupture and rebuilding, which helps support young people with attachment-related traumas or challenges.

Play is particularly vital for neurodivergent children. So frequently, neurodivergent children are asked to stop playing to assimilate with their peers. The very act of having someone engage fully in imaginative play can be inherently therapeutic for many neurodivergent children. Furthermore, autistic youth, specifically those with a persistent demand avoidance (PDA) profile, often use imaginative play to gain a sense of control in an otherwise overwhelming world. 

For Youth (ages 12 – 24)

Youth need to play too—and play can be adapted depending on the person. As discussed in my section on children, neurodivergent youth often long for someone to see and meet them in a “make-believe world” that feels safe for them.

I use Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT) and Motivational Interviewing with youth, often bringing them into the community or visiting places that are special to them. In practice, this has included rock climbing, skateboarding, going for walks, or even riding the bus together. Like children, youth are reliable historians of their own experiences and practice telling their personal narratives in ways that feel safe and comfortable.

For youth struggling with substance use, I take a harm-reduction approach and help them discover other activities they enjoy. All behavior is communication. If a young person is struggling with substance use, they are communicating a need. Creating a safe space for them to share that need allows us to collaborate on identifying alternative ways to meet it if that is their goal. 

For Dis-abled Individuals 

As a person with a semi-visible Dis-ability, I have some privilege within the able world. I have two permanent feeding tubes, which are not visible when I wear a shirt unless I am eating through one. Living with an invisible or semi-invisible Dis-ability often comes with the feeling that we need to justify our experiences as Dis-abled people. Part of my practice involves supporting individuals in navigating the hypervisibility and invisibility of being Dis-abled. 

Critical Dis-ability theory suggests that living as a Dis-abled person doesn’t have to be inherently oppressive if systems are in place to support specific needs, just as they are for able-bodied people. Unfortunately, we’re not there yet. Therapy can be a space to discuss, grieve, and brainstorm ways to adapt to a world that has thus far been unwilling or unable to adequately adapt for us. Within this context, I have found grief work, community engagement, and providing a space to discuss the “nitty-gritty” aspects of our lives we’re often told to hide, to be profoundly helpful.

Dis-ability & Sex

One area I’m especially passionate about is supporting Dis-abled individuals in celebrating their sexuality. Sexuality can be a beautiful way to reconnect with or continue to celebrate your body. We are already living outside normative structures of how we are taught a body should function which can allow for exciting creativity and playfulness within sexuality. If you’re already breaking the “rules,” sexuality can become a fun place to explore without a script.

This lack of a script might also mean we have questions that are hard to find the answers to. How do you navigate casual sex when your body invites deeper conversations? How do you discuss physical aspects of your body that people might have questions about in ways that still leave you feeling empowered? How do you advocate for a body that might be exhausted or in pain without making a partner feel isolated? Where can you access support for mobility and Dis-abiltiy affirming sex toys? These are all questions we can explore together in therapy.

‍