Mission Statement
To provide quality services that ensure children, families, and early childhood professionals have access to empathic and informed support services for childhood loss and grief.
Core Values
Family-Centred Practice: Children’s Healing Studio Ltd. recognizes families as the experts on their child. We develop relationships with families to make informed decisions about their child’s care and we use family-centred practice to inform our workshops for early childhood professionals.
Empathy: Children’s Healing Studio Ltd. leads with empathy. In order to develop individualized interventions/workshops that meet the need of each individual’s grief experience and knowledge, we believe it is important to place ourselves in the position of the receiver.
Respect for Diversity: Children’s Healing Studio Ltd. recognizes individuality. We respect and appreciate differences in ethnicity, gender, age, physical abilities, sexual orientation, education and religion. We recognize each individuals’ diverse grief perspective, experience, knowledge, and culture. We strive for each individual to feel valued, respected, and supported.
Trust: Trust is the foundation of Children’s Healing Studio Ltd. With our feet rooted in trust we strive to build relationships with clients; be honest in our communication and conduct; and allow for transparency without compromising confidentiality.
Our Team
My name is Dr. Elena Merenda and I am the owner and sole consultant at Children’s Healing Studio Ltd. I have more than 15 years of experience in early learning and therapeutic settings. My background is in early childhood education, with a specific expertise in therapeutic play and supporting families with children who have special needs, including terminal illness, grief, and diagnosed disabilities.
Opening a Children’s Healing Studio Ltd. focused on supporting children through the grieving process has always been a personal and professional goal of mine because my father died when I was sixteen years old and support from my teachers and community was nonexistent. My father was diagnosed with Lymphoma. His cancer began with a tumor on his spine and one year later, it ended with sorrow for my mom, my two younger sisters who were ten and thirteen at the time, and me. At an age when life already seemed so complicated, it suddenly became insufferable for me. I remained home from school for two weeks after my father died. I remember feeling scared to go back to school because I did not know how I would be treated or what other students would say about me. I was also unsure about how my teachers would treat me. The last thing I wanted was for them to expect less of me because of my circumstances. To my surprise and eventual disbelief and disappointment, my loss was not even acknowledged by any of my teachers. I remember walking into my first class and feeling embarrassed because the other students were looking at me and talking to each other about “the girl whose father died.” At a time when I needed someone to talk to, the teacher’s lack of acknowledgement left me feeling alienated and alone.
I was not the only child in my family to experience a difficult return to school. The middle child, who was thirteen at the time, also returned to school two weeks after my father died. The day of her return was the first time since my dad’s funeral that she saw her best friend. Upon my sister’s arrival, her best friend hugged her and welcomed her back to school. In a matter of minutes, my sister and her friend were taken to the principal’s office and my mom was called to have my sister taken home because she broke the “hands off” rule. At a time when my sister needed a hug and to feel welcomed, she was made to feel belittled. You can only imagine how my mother felt when she was called to retrieve her daughter for hugging her friend after the death of her father. Children, at any age, should not feel alone, alienated, or unsupported by their educators at such a difficult time in their lives. I truly believe my grief experience would have been very different had I received some emotional support from the adults with whom I spent most of my day.
My goal is to provide a safe space for children at the Children’s Healing Studio Ltd. The Children’s Healing Studio Ltd. is a place where children who are experiencing a wide range of difficult life circumstances can explore and express their emotions through play. It is a place where families can find professional support and advice, and a space where educators can learn how children grieve various losses and the role of the educator in supporting children through the grief process.
Christina Menel
Yoga Therapist C-IAYT, CYT
I have a passion for yoga. As a mom of 3 teenagers and a full time Autism Consultant, I understand the importance of self-care and the role it plays in our daily lives. My personal practice began as a young adult but did not become consistent until after I had my children. I kept coming back to it because of the benefits that I was feeling with both my physical and mental health. I had a strong desire to learn more.
Certified as a Yoga Teacher, from Yoga Therapy Toronto in 2016, I volunteered with my local community centre & food bank. I went on to study the impact of yoga on children and completed my Kids Yoga Teacher Training in 2017. You can find my first published work in the online journal, International Journal of Holistic Early Learning and Development discussing a yoga pilot project with children and youth with autism spectrum disorder (2019). I have since been fortunate enough to incorporate my passion into my work as an autism consultant and have taught yoga to adults with developmental disabilities both in-person and online.
n 2019, I began my study of Yoga Therapy with Yoga Therapy Toronto and graduated in 2021, meeting the standards of the International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT). Yoga Therapy is the specific application of yogic tools, postures, breathwork, meditation techniques and more to address an individual’s physical, mental and emotional needs. Yoga Therapy is completely tailored to the needs of the individual. Please ask me for more information, if you are interested in a personalized practice.
My most current studies include, From Anxious to Embodied and Empowered, an online course with a focus on children and youth. As well, Principles and Skills for the Yoga Therapy Consultation Process, an in-person program that is accredited through IAYT.
My personal practice is strongly linked to moving within the breath. I hope you will join me in a practice that engages you, body & breath & mind.
“Wellness is not a luxury”
Warmly,
Christina