Meet the Team

  • DIRECTOR / CHICKEN THERAPIST

    As a formerly identified “gifted” student and high school drop-out and honours graduate of Mohawk College (CYW), Toronto Metropolitan University (CYC) and Wilfrid Laurier (MSW), Glynnis McNeaney is truly one of those ‘chicks’ who has always thought “outside of the cage”.  Her desire to deliver down-to-earth, humanistic counselling services has been fuelled by over twenty years of volunteer and employment experience within Ontario’s social and child welfare systems, where she delivered informal, clinical & crisis counselling creatively on the fly.

    As a single mother of three children, Glynnis recognizes the necessity of offering non-judgemental, family oriented, psycho-educational support to those seeking to expand their toolbox. In 2021, the vision of 21 Pines Restorative Education Centre was born in effort to provide outdoor, therapeutic/recreational programs for children and youth impacted by isolation protocols, after recognizing that her own children were in need of similar outlets. This vision has gradually morphed into it’s formative mission: to offer holistic therapeutic services that heal human hearts through genuine connection, nature, our stories, and one another.

    Glynnis’ personal “therapist toolbox” does include a few feathered and furry farm friends for clients of all ages to engage with. These unofficial staff members have been known to assist with challenges such as PTSD, anxiety & depression, grief & loss, family transitions & parenting, separation & divorce, addictions, sexual dysfunction & many other facets of human healing. In effort to meet clients where they are, Glynnis offers a spectrum of ancient & contemporary healing methodologies, from CBT & DBT, to connecting with the intuitive realm using meditation and mindfulness techniques.

    Glynnis is a member of both the OASW & the OCSWSSW (RSW), as well as the OACYC (CYCP).

  • PARENTING & FAMILY SPECIALIST

    Tyler Firth is our teams natural parenting guru, bringing over thirty years of experiential and formal training on young people’s psychosocial development to his logically grounded practice with 21 Pines. As a former stay-at-home dad and retired family service worker, Tyler is fueled to empower other parents to assume the most important responsibility in their lives - their children. Although Tyler earned his Master of Social Work degree many moons ago, he still humbly claims to be an “ever-learning” student of life and is passionate about supporting other dad’s along their own parenting learning journey. In 2023, Tyler launched Dad’s Do It Differently; a psychoeducational program offered to individuals and groups, tailored to assist fathers using a casual but informative, non-judgmental approach. When Tyler is not wearing his Super Dad cape, you can regularly find him volunteering at various community social welfare programs within Hamilton’s downtown core.

  • CASE CONSULTANT

    Sarah King is our super skilled Consultant & Support Worker, channeling her passion for injustice into an active liaison for families struggling to navigate complicated matters pertaining to social services such as child welfare or Developmental Services Ontario. In addition to earning two University degrees, (a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and a Bachelor of Social Work from McMaster University), Sarah has accumulated her wealth of knowledge from over 22 years of employment and a social work placement within several provincial child welfare organizations. Sarah has also worked, volunteered and participated in placements with The Victorian Order of Nurses, Canada Revenue, employment centres, hospitals, schools and nursing homes. If you find yourself overwhelmed & confused with paperwork, Sarah is your Super Hero here to save the day!!

  • INTERVENTION SPECIALIST

    Patrick Parent is one of the most dynamic, vibrant individuals that you will ever encounter, applying several evidence-based approaches that are always person-centric and trauma informed. As a husband, father and step-father to five children, Patrick has developed a keen ability to understanding complex systems and their impact on family systems. One of Patrick’s many personal gifts is his ability to engage with people from all walks of life at a meaningful, non-threatening level. Most people experience him as outgoing, warm and enthusiastic with a strong sense of empowering others. With a specialized background in both Child Welfare practice and Thai Yoga, Patrick is mindful of the use of healing energy that flows through us and applies this consciously through his work to helping families heal from the inside out.

    In addition to actively pursuing a plethora of wood-working & artistic hobbies, Patrick is also involved in the following projects relating to our professional practice, making him an excellent candidate to support complicated circumstances: ~Executive Director of Real People Foster and Family Services Inc. a Therapeutic Foster Care Agency where he matches children and youth with fantastic loving families.

    ~Consultant / Facilitator with Crisis Trauma Resource Institute where he facilitates learning in the Public arena as well as private on-site agencies. He trains in areas related to human behaviour, managing conflict and conflict mediation to name a few.

    ~Owner of Thai Massage Brantford; a master practitioner, healing bodies using energy and acupressure techniques.

    ~Trained in various techniques related to attachment theories and trauma informed approaches.

    ~Grief and Loss: therapist and trainer

    ~Trained classical musician / composer

  • ROAD SCHOLAR/PARENT-IN-PROGRESS

    Johannes (aka YO) is a salt-of-the-earth road scholar who has a demonstrated passionate for delivering grounded, psycho-educational tools to those in need of a trauma informed sound-board - with a sprinkle of non-judgmental guidance! As a full-time father to both a teenager and a toddler, Johannes has experienced nearly all of the gritty stages of parenting amidst challenging family & relational dynamics. As a former Professional Hitchhiker of Mother Earth, Johannes has travelled infinite journeys across North America, fueled the patience and mindfulness; each journey strengthening his ability to adapt & thrive under pressure. Having spent much of his life doing things differently, Johannes is excited to share his worldly knowledge & skills as a co-facilitator of our Dad’s Do It Differently program.

  • THERAPEUTIC SOUND GUIDE

    Matthew (El-Matador) Craig is our magic-music-making-man, and he could be yours too!! Having completed his Diploma in Media Arts many moons ago from Vancouver’s Institute of Media Arts, Matt has been on a soulful mission to deliver beats straight back to the hearts of lost sheep ever since. In addition to being the owner & operator of his very own sound & recording studio, Symattix Studio, (located at 57 John St South in Hamilton), Matt has consistently shared his gift for creating sound through several incredible side-projects & volunteering gigs in our community. In 2021, Matt cofounded “Everybody Dancing” - a therapeutic music program curated specifically for youth & young adults who identify on the spectrum of autism. This program is now accessibly funded by Ontario Autism Program, and we would be happy to help you navigate this! In 2023, Matt co-developed & facilitated a digital music program for Hamilton’s high-risk youth called Expressive Elements, which was offered to street-engaged users of The Living Rock Ministries, where he also volunteers in their general music & food kitchen program. As a father of two young boys, Matt is genuinely grounded in self-improvement & authentic expression - and now he’s on our team to show you how you can also use music & sound to return to your natural state of joy!!