Anna Vasina, BSW, RSW, CYCP
Registered Social Worker and Child and Youth Care Practitioner | Student Therapist | Barrie, ON
When Things Are Showing Up in Every Part of Life
Sometimes the struggle is not just one behaviour, one argument, or one diagnosis.
A lot of the youth I support have been through more than most people realize. Emotional abuse. Neglect. Trauma. Feeling unwanted, unsafe, or not good enough. But what we see on the outside is constant shutdowns, lashing out, high family conflict, disappearing into substance use, or making choices that lead to negative life consequences.
I’m Anna Vasina, BSW, RSW, CYCP, a Registered Social Worker and Child and Youth Care Practitioner with 8 years of experience working in child and youth mental health in Ontario.
Why Work With Me
I have spent my career working with teens, young adults, and parents in real-life settings: community agencies, schools, hospitals, correctional facilities, live-in treatment programs, and client homes.
That background matters because life does not happen only in a therapy room.
The work has to make sense in the places where things actually happen: at home, at school, in relationships, online, in the community, and in the moments where someone has to make a different choice than the one they usually make.
My approach is authentic, straightforward, and non-judgemental. I am down to earth and easy to talk to, but I will not pretend something is working if it is not.
How I Help Youth, Young Adults, and Parents
My work is attachment-focused, trauma-informed, and relationship-based.
I pay attention to the patterns underneath what is happening now and how past experiences can shape the way someone responds to themselves, other people, and the world around them. The work is not about labelling a young person as the problem. It is about understanding what has happened, what they have had to do to survive, and what is now getting in the way of who they want to become.
I also use Cognitive Behaviour Therapy and Motivational Interviewing when they fit. In plain language, that means we may look at thoughts, feelings, choices, patterns, and motivation for change without forcing someone into a version of themselves they are not ready for.
I adapt my approach to the person in front of me.
Some clients need practical tools. Some need space to talk honestly. Some need movement, nature, creativity, or a less traditional way into the work. My goal is to help clients find greater safety in their world and in their bodies, build confidence, challenge limiting beliefs, and begin to show up more of their true selves.
Availability:
In-person therapy in Barrie and virtual therapy across Ontario
Services:
Individual therapy for youth and young adults, parent support, and support around parent-youth relationships
Specialties:
Trauma
Strained parent-youth relationships
Self-worth
Substance use
Self-harm
Offending behaviours
Emotional abuse and neglect
Exploitation and human trafficking
Gang involvement
Anxiety and depression
Other mental health concerns
What Working With Me Feels Like
It is honest and relational.
I work hard to build a therapeutic relationship in which clients feel safe enough to be real. Not polished. Not perfect. Real. My work is shaped by the belief that people need connection before they can really start to change—especially young people who have been judged, labelled, missed, or misunderstood.
If you or your family are dealing with trauma, conflict, harmful coping, substance use, self-harm, offending behaviours, or the feeling that something has to change, we can begin there.
Therapy does not have to be about having the right words right away. It can start with one honest conversation about what is happening and what kind of support might actually help.
A Bit About Me
Outside of being a therapist, I am a parent of two neurodivergent children. I dance. I love being creative. I am outgoing, and I bring that realness into the room.
My work is shaped by the belief that people need connection before they can really start to change—especially young people who have been judged, labelled, missed, or misunderstood.
I care about helping people explore the parts of themselves they have been taught to hide. I care about helping families find their way back toward each other when things feel strained or unsafe. And I care about doing that in a way that does not feel clinical, cold, or disconnected from real life.
You do not have to know exactly how to explain what is going on before you start. We can start with what is happening now.
Start Therapy in Barrie or Online Across Ontario
I offer in-person therapy in Barrie and virtual therapy across Ontario for youth, young adults, and parents.
If you or your family are dealing with trauma, conflict, harmful coping, substance use, self-harm, offending behaviours, or the feeling that something has to change, we can begin there.
Therapy does not have to be about having the right words right away. It can start with one honest conversation about what is happening and what kind of support might actually help.
Clinical Training & Credentials
-
Registered Social Worker, Ontario
Child and Youth Care Practitioner
Master of Social Work, in progress
Honours Bachelor of Social Work, Lakehead University
Bachelor of Child and Youth Care
Child and Youth Care Advanced Diploma with Honours
Children’s Mental Health Certificate
-
Anna has completed training in areas that support her work with youth, young adults, and parents, including:
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, CBT Level 1
Motivational Interviewing within Youth Justice
Triple P, Positive Parenting Program for children and teens
Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale
Collaborative Problem Solving
InterRAI Child and Youth Mental Health Assessment
Adverse Childhood Experiences and Resilience
Adolescent Suicide Prevention and Intervention
Human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation of vulnerable youth
Supporting transgender and gender-nonconforming youth
Anishinaabe Mino’ayaawin, Foundations in Cultural Safety
Perinatal Mental Health Certificate
Full-Spectrum Doula training
Come as you are, not as you think you should be
If you’re tired of circling the same questions, schedule a consultation with Driftwood Psychotherapy. In-person therapy is available in Barrie, with virtual therapy across Ontario.