Welcome to Sunny Spot Child, Youth and Family Counselling

Sunny Spot began as a quiet dream. A counselling space where children, teens, parents and families could feel genuinely welcome, exactly as they arrived, without having to perform calm or have the right words ready.

That dream is now a small practice in Port Coquitlam, built around one simple belief: relationship comes first. Before strategies, before goals, before change, a person needs to feel safe with another person. Everything else grows from there.

Meet Sheila

Sheila Aini, MC, RCC is the founder of Sunny Spot and a Registered Clinical Counsellor. She holds a Master of Counselling and brings nine years of experience in behaviour intervention, along with trauma counselling experience at Battered Women's Support Services. You can read more about her background and approach on the About Sheila page.

Sheila's work is relationship-first, trauma-informed and neurodiversity-affirming. That means she meets each child, teen and caregiver with curiosity rather than judgment, and she pays attention to the need underneath the behaviour instead of only the behaviour itself.

What families can expect inside the space

The Port Coquitlam office is set up to feel less like a formal appointment and more like a place to settle. There is room to talk, play, draw, build, move, pause or simply take time to arrive.

Some children head straight for the art supplies or the sand tray. Some teens prefer to sit and get comfortable before saying much at all. Some caregivers come for their own conversations about parenting, burnout or family stress. There is no single right way to begin.

Relationship and safety are part of the work

Children do not need perfect words or a polished explanation of what is wrong. Often they cannot name what they are carrying yet, and that is expected. Trust is not a warm up before the real work. Trust is where the work begins.

If you would like to understand more about why children connect in their own way and time, you can read Why Children Connect Differently.

Who Sunny Spot welcomes

Sunny Spot welcomes children, youth, parents, mothers, caregivers and families from Port Coquitlam and across the Tri Cities and nearby Metro Vancouver communities. Support is available for big feelings, anxiety, ADHD, autism, emotional regulation, behaviour concerns, attachment, parent and child relationships, school stress, grief, family conflict and the emotional weight of caregiving.

You can explore child counselling, youth and teen counselling and play therapy to see what might fit your family.

How to explore fit through a free consultation

You do not need to be certain before reaching out. A free 15-minute consultation is a relaxed conversation where you can share what you are noticing and ask whatever is on your mind. There is no obligation and no pressure.

You can book a free 15-minute consultation through the Jane booking link, or learn more about the practice on the Our Philosophy page.

This article offers general information and is not a substitute for individualized care. A consultation is a gentle way to explore what support may be right for your family.

A counselling space built around relationship

Sunny Spot is a child, youth and family counselling practice in Port Coquitlam. I created it around a simple belief: when big feelings take over, connection comes first. Children and teens do not need to perform calmness, produce the right words or understand everything before they are welcomed into the room.

Relationship-first care means I pay attention to pace, safety, communication, interests and what helps each person feel more able to participate. Counselling can include talking, play, creativity, movement, quiet observation and caregiver conversation. The approach is also trauma-informed and neurodivergent-affirming, with person-first wording used across the website.

Who Sunny Spot supports

Sunny Spot supports children, teens, parents, mothers and families. Families may reach out about anxiety, emotional regulation, school stress, friendship difficulties, ADHD, autism-related overwhelm, family conflict, behaviour that feels hard to understand or a season of change. These words describe areas of support, not promises of a particular outcome or a diagnosis.

What the room is meant to communicate

The counselling environment is designed to feel warm, approachable and child-friendly rather than clinical or intimidating. Play and creative materials give children more than one way to communicate. Teens are offered respect, privacy within appropriate limits and space to connect without being forced into an adult style of conversation.

The Sunny Spot imagery of sunshine, green hills and paths reflects the practice's tone: hopeful without pretending every day is bright, playful without losing professionalism, and grounded in the idea that support can help families find a more workable next step.

How parents and caregivers are involved

Parents know their children in ways a counsellor cannot learn from a form. Caregiver insight about strengths, routines, culture, school, communication and what has already been tried helps shape the work. Involvement can include consultation, general themes, shared goals, practical home support or joint conversations when appropriate.

Children and teens also need a relationship that is not a running report to adults. Privacy and its safety limits are explained in developmentally appropriate language. The balance of caregiver involvement is discussed rather than assumed, with the young person's dignity kept central.

What beginning can look like

You do not need to arrive with the correct therapy language. It is enough to describe what has been happening in everyday terms. A consultation is for information and fit; it is not a promise that counselling is the only or best next step.

Local care for Tri-Cities families

The physical office is in Port Coquitlam, with families also coming from Coquitlam and Port Moody. These communities are mentioned to help local families understand location and access, not to suggest multiple offices. Details about the office, contact options and current booking pathway are available on the contact page.

Professional collaboration when it helps

With appropriate consent, counselling may include thoughtful communication with educators, health professionals or other members of a child's support team. Collaboration is purposeful and limited to what helps care stay coordinated. It should protect privacy and avoid making the child feel that adults are discussing them without their knowledge.

Finding your Sunny Spot

Finding your Sunny Spot does not mean eliminating every difficult emotion. It can mean having a relationship where the feeling is understood, a clearer language for what is happening, a safer way to repair, or one practical next step that reduces guessing. The work begins with curiosity about the person, not a demand that they become easier for others.

Meet Sheila, explore child counselling, youth and teen counselling or family counselling, and review practical details on the contact page. A free 15-minute consultation is the next step if you would like to ask whether Sunny Spot may fit.

What a first session can feel like

A first session is not a test you can fail. A child might play, a teen might sit quietly, a parent might do most of the talking. All of those are normal beginnings. I am paying attention to how the young person arrives, what helps them feel safer and what they are already good at, not only what is hard. There is no expectation that anyone explains everything in the first hour. Sometimes the most useful part of a first session is simply noticing that the room feels okay and that leaving is allowed too.

A family's first visit

A parent recently described their child walking in, glancing at the art supplies and then sitting close to them without saying much. By the end of the session the child had drawn a small picture and asked if they could come back. Nothing dramatic was solved that day. What happened was quieter and more important: the child experienced a space where they did not have to perform, and a relationship began. That is often how the work starts, not with a breakthrough but with a sense that this might be a safe enough place to return to.

Common questions families ask

Do I need to know what is wrong before I come in?

No. Many families arrive with a feeling rather than a clear explanation: something has shifted, things feel harder than they used to, or a child seems unlike themselves. You can describe what you have noticed in everyday words. Making sense of it together is part of the work.

Will I be involved in my child's sessions?

Caregiver involvement looks different for each family and each age. It might include regular check-ins, shared goals, parent sessions or joint conversations. Children and teens also need a relationship that is not a running report to adults, so privacy and its safety limits are discussed openly. The balance is talked about rather than assumed.

What if my child or teen does not want to come?

Reluctance is common and not a problem to be fixed by force. A parent-only consultation can be a gentle starting point, and we can talk about what might make a first visit feel more possible. Sometimes beginning slowly, with no pressure to talk, is exactly what helps a young person feel willing to return.

You can also explore our free Sunny Spot parent guides for big feelings, worry and school stress.