Allison (Stickney) Thomson

Hello! I’m Allison

About Me

I have always been a helper. My journey started at a young age; I decided that I wanted to support young people with diverse abilities when I was 8 years old. I volunteered throughout high school with Special Olympics and Recreation Victoria before taking the Community Support Worker program at Camosun College. After graduating, I worked in a variety of group homes supporting youth and adults, in licensed daycare, and in private and public schools as an Educational Assistant until I had children of my own.

I was fortunate enough to adapt my job to include my children which allowed me to run a home licensed daycare, teach Preschool, and Junior Kindergarten. I have always loved painting and I started doing custom art for the community during this time. This is still a passion of mine and one that I believe is very healing.  In 2015, my family went through a transition, and I returned to school. I completed my bachelor’s degree in Child and Youth Care at the University of Victoria in 2019, graduating with Distinction on the Dean’s List.  I loved the journey so much and found a passion for supporting people through counselling. As a result, I began and completed my master’s in Child and Youth Care with a focus on counselling (2022). My research is “The Lived Experiences of Child and Youth Care Practitioners Who Use Tactile Objects”. I won a research grant from the Canadian Association for Play Therapy to support my engagement with this research, publishing my work in 2023. I have further research to publish relating to this topic and Synergetic Play Therapy in coming years.

Some recent work experience includes working for the Ministry for Children and Families with neurodiverse youth providing support and skills. I also worked in the public school system, both in elementary and middle school levels, as a Youth and Family Counsellor supporting children, youth, and families through a variety of needs and challenges. During my MA, I worked as an Educational Assistant in the Victoria school district and I worked for the University of Victoria as a Teaching Assistant supporting undergraduate students in Child and Youth Care courses that focus on counselling. During that time, I have had opportunities to teach, supervise and provide guidance to undergraduate students and helped the CYC faculty rewrite sections of the undergraduate curriculum. Since completing my Masters, I was employed as a professor by UVic to teach the capstone intensive CYC course.

As a wife and a mother of two teen boys and one preteen daughter, I am provided with the greatest practical experience (and joy). We live in a beautiful forest in Langford, along with our many animals (domestic and wild). I’m fortunate to live, play and work on the traditional lands of the Lekwungen speaking people as a 3rd generation settler.

I have my Master of Arts in Child and Youth Care and am Registered with the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors. I am also a BC Registered Play Therapist and Certified Synergetic Play Therapist, who receives supervision from my mentor, Charlotte King-Harris. I split my time between the Oak Bay Office and Westshore Office of VICYFCS working with children, youth, families, and adults. My past training has included Dan Siegel’s Interpersonal Neurobiology training, Masterclass Indigenous Trauma Across the Life Span, TransCare, Trauma Healing “The Body Keeps the Score” with Bessel van der Kolk, and more than 180 hrs of training within Play Therapy.

I am really excited to meet you and work alongside you. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions.