Cynthia Riley
Play Therapist
Discipline Play Therapist, Counselling Therapist
Credentials
Certified Play Therapist (CPT)
Certified Play Therapist Supervisor (CPTS)
Certified Synergetic Play Therapist
Canadian Certified Counsellor (CCC)
Registered Counselling Therapist (RCT)
Special Education Specialist Credential
Cross-cultural Language and Academic Development Certificate — California
Nova Scotia Teaching Licence
Regulatory College / Licence
Registered Counselling Therapist- Nova Scotia College of Counselling Therapists
Canadian Certified Counsellor- Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association
Professional Memberships
Areas of Focus
Child and family counselling
Trauma-informed counselling
Attachment and parent-child relationships
Emotional regulation
Trauma processing in children
Neurodiversity-affirming therapy
Parent coaching and caregiver support
Child behavioural and emotional support
Child mental health and emotional development
Family counselling
Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP)
Integrative Attachment Family Therapy
Theraplay-informed intervention
EMDR-informed therapy
AutPlay Therapy
Populations Served
Children
Adolescents
Parents and caregivers
Families
Neurodivergent children and families
Children and families navigating trauma or difficult experiences
Families experiencing attachment or relationship challenges
Children experiencing emotional or behavioural challenges
Parents seeking support with their child's emotional development
Therapists seeking clinical supervision toward becoming a Certified Play Therapist in Canada
Languages
🇨🇦 English
About Cynthia
Cynthia Riley is a Registered Counselling Therapist, Canadian Certified Counsellor, Certified Play Therapist, and Certified Play Therapist Supervisor who has dedicated her career to supporting children and families. Her approach centres on relationships; understanding each child's experiences, strengthening connection, and working collaboratively with caregivers to create the conditions children need to feel safe, supported, and understood.
Cynthia brings extensive experience with children to her therapeutic work. Before becoming a counselling and play therapist, she spent 20 years as a Special Education teacher, supporting children within educational systems in California, Oregon, and British Columbia. This background gives her a valuable understanding of child development, learning, behaviour, family systems, and the environments children navigate beyond the therapy room.
Play is central to Cynthia's approach because children do not always process or communicate their experiences in the same ways adults do. Through Play Therapy, children can use developmentally appropriate forms of expression while building emotional awareness, regulation, connection, and coping skills within a supportive therapeutic relationship.
Cynthia has particular expertise in attachment, trauma, emotional regulation, and parent-child relationships. She recognizes that a child's behaviour often needs to be understood within the broader context of their experiences, relationships, nervous system, development, and environment rather than viewed simply as something that needs to be stopped.
Her approach is integrative and individualized. Depending on the needs of the child and family, Cynthia draws from her training in Synergetic Play Therapy, Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy, Integrative Attachment Family Therapy, Theraplay, EMDR-informed approaches, and AutPlay Therapy. These approaches allow her to adapt therapy while keeping relationships, emotional safety, and the individual child at the centre of the process.
Caregivers are an important part of Cynthia's work. She works collaboratively with parents to help them understand what their child may be communicating through emotions and behaviour, strengthen parent-child relationships, and develop ways of responding that support connection and regulation outside the therapy room.
Cynthia also brings a neurodiversity-affirming perspective to her work. Her goal is not to make children conform to a predetermined idea of how they should behave or communicate, but to understand the individual child and help families identify supports that respect their needs, strengths, identity, and ways of experiencing the world.
As a Certified Play Therapist Supervisor, Cynthia also supports clinicians who are developing their skills in Play Therapy and working toward certification in Canada. This supervision role reflects her experience not only providing therapy, but also supporting the development of other professionals in the field.
As both a clinician and a parent, Cynthia understands that family life can be complex. She wants caregivers to feel that they have a partner in the therapeutic process; someone who will listen, help make sense of what is happening, and work alongside them to identify a way forward.
Outside of work, Cynthia enjoys travelling, exploring new places around the Halifax Regional Municipality, and practising yoga. She is also the parent of an adult son.
Advanced Training & Certifications
Cynthia has completed advanced training across play therapy, attachment, trauma, family therapy, and approaches designed specifically for working with children and caregivers.
Certifications & Specialized Training
Certified Play Therapist (CPT) — Canadian Association for Play Therapy
Certified Play Therapist Supervisor (CPTS) — Canadian Association for Play Therapy
Certified Synergetic Play Therapist — Synergetic Play Therapy Institute
AutPlay Therapy Certification
EMDR Child Specialist Training — Agate Institute
Additional Clinical & Professional Training
Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy — Level 1
Integrative Attachment Family Therapy — Levels 1 and 2
Theraplay
EMDR foundational training
Attachment-focused therapeutic approaches
Trauma-informed practice
Emotional regulation and parent-child relationship support
Professional Background & Supervision
Before entering counselling and play therapy, Cynthia spent 20 years working as a Special Education teacher across multiple educational systems. Her education background continues to inform how she understands children's development, behaviour, learning, communication, relationships, and participation at school.
Her professional background includes:
20 years of Special Education teaching experience
Special Education Specialist Credential
Cross-cultural Language and Academic Development Certificate
Nova Scotia Teaching Licence
Clinical supervision for therapists developing Play Therapy competencies
Supervision toward Certified Play Therapist requirements in Canada
Parent and caregiver support
Child and family counselling
Cynthia's counselling practice and clinical supervision are guided by the ethical standards established by the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association Code of Ethics.
Accessing Services
Cynthia provides Play Therapy and Counselling Therapy through Allied Therapy for children, adolescents, parents, caregivers, and families.
She provides:
In-person services at Allied Therapy's Bedford clinic
Virtual counselling and parent support across Nova Scotia
Clinical supervision for eligible professionals developing their Play Therapy practice
Cynthia may be particularly helpful for families looking for support with emotional regulation, trauma, attachment, parent-child relationships, behavioural or emotional challenges, neurodivergence, or difficult experiences that a child may not be able to process through conversation alone.
Direct Billing & Funding Options
Counselling Therapists in Allied Therapy's practice are registered providers with Blue Cross and Blue Cross VAC.
Counselling Therapists in the practice are also approved providers for the Nova Scotia Department of Opportunities and Development.
Cynthia is an approved provider for:
Eligibility and coverage depend on the individual program or benefit plan. Families should confirm their coverage and applicable requirements before beginning services.
Book with Cynthia
If your child or family is looking for support with emotional regulation, trauma, attachment, behaviour, parent-child relationships, or mental health, Cynthia can help you understand what may be happening and explore an appropriate path forward.
Book a Play Therapy consultation with Cynthia
Not sure whether Play Therapy or Counselling Therapy is the right place to start? Contact Allied Therapy and our team can help you determine an appropriate next step.