About Joy Steem

There is something profoundly meaningful about being invited into people’s stories — especially the stories of children and families finding their way through life’s challenges. My work as a counsellor is
shaped by deep respect for the dignity, complexity, and resilience of every person I meet.

 

With children and youth, I aim to create spaces that feel safe, curious, and alive with possibility. For younger kids, this might mean exploring feelings through play, imagination, and storytelling. With teens, it often means a mix of honesty, humour, and real conversation about what it means to be human amid all the messiness of growing up. I’m passionate about helping  people discover who they are and live into that identity, even when life makes it hard to know or trust themselves. I believe my clients are the experts of their own stories — I’m here to help them find their voice, make meaning, and explore strategies that fit for them and their world. I value partnering with parents in ways that honour both their care and the challenges they navigate, and I understand that families take many forms, all of which shape how young people experience the world.

 

My background in spiritual care, restorative justice, and writing has taught me the value of presence, peace, and the kind of listening that allows people to feel truly known — and therefore to live more confidently into their true selves.

 

In the therapy room, I bring a warm, collaborative, and flexible presence. I work from a family systems perspective, recognizing that our relationships and environments shape how we see ourselves and others. My approach draws from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Narrative Therapy, Neuroscience and Satir in the Sand Tray (NSST), and Play Therapy.