Carolyn Plater-Zyberk, RSW, MSW

Registered Social Worker

She/her/hers

Accepting new clients for in-person and virtual appointments

Many of the children, teens, young adults, and parents I work with spend a tremendous amount of energy trying to hold things together.

For children, that might mean making it through the school day only to come home completely overwhelmed. For teens, it can look like appearing high-functioning on the outside while privately struggling with anxiety, perfectionism, low self-esteem, friendship difficulties, or the constant pressure to keep up. Young adults often come to therapy feeling exhausted by self-doubt, people-pleasing, academic or career stress, and the feeling that no matter how hard they try, they never quite feel good enough.

Parents often arrive carrying their own worries. You may have tried reassurance, accommodations, consequences, conversations with teachers, and countless strategies to help your child navigate anxiety, emotional outbursts, school avoidance, bullying, or emotional shutdowns. Watching your child struggle while feeling unsure how to help can be exhausting and heartbreaking.

I work with children, adolescents, young adults, and parents to better understand what is happening beneath these struggles and build practical tools for moving forward. Together, we develop emotional awareness, coping strategies, confidence, resilience, and healthier ways of responding to life’s challenges. My goal is to create a space where clients feel genuinely understood while also gaining skills they can use in everyday life.

My approach is warm, collaborative, and practical, drawing from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy, mindfulness-based approaches, trauma-informed care, and strengths-based practices. When working with children and adolescents, I often involve parents as supportive partners in the process so that meaningful change can extend beyond the therapy room and into everyday family life.

Over time, clients often begin to feel more grounded, confident, and emotionally capable. Children learn to better understand and manage their feelings. Teens and young adults develop greater self-confidence, flexibility, and self-understanding. Parents gain tools, insight, and reassurance that they do not have to navigate these challenges alone.

When I’m not in session, I’m usually writing, teaching, or chasing my two little ones around — they are, without question, my greatest teachers. I’ve travelled to more than thirty countries, love a good true crime podcast, and eat mostly plant-based — with the occasional, entirely necessary, piece of real cheese.

Experience

Carolyn is a Registered Social Worker with more than fifteen years of experience supporting children, adolescents, young adults, parents, and families. Her background includes work in hospital emergency departments, community mental health, schools, crisis intervention, child and youth therapy, and family support services. Carolyn holds a Master of Social Work specializing in Health and Mental Health from the University of Toronto, completed through their Collaborative Graduate Program in Addiction Studies, along with a Post-Graduate Diploma in Addictions from McMaster University and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Psychology from York University.

In addition to her psychotherapy work, Carolyn is a published researcher with more than eighteen peer-reviewed publications focused on addiction and mental health, and has taught at Humber College, McMaster University, Durham College, and CAMH’s TEACH program. She is a certified trainer in ASIST, SafeTALK, and Mental Health First Aid, and a trained yoga instructor who weaves mindfulness and gentle somatic practices into her clinical work where it feels right for the client.