Child therapy in Calgary is fun! A child therapist, sitting on a fluffy pink floor pillow, playfully throws a flying toy piggy and unicorn

Marcella Galizia, MA, RPsych

DIRECTOR, KIDS RECONNECT

Child Therapist

QUALITIES

  • Playful

  • Creative

  • Warm

  • Optimistic

  • Nurturing

  • Imaginative

  • Dreamer

  • Curious

  • Energetic

Headshot of Marcella Galizia, Registered Psychologist. Marcella specializes in child therapy that is fun for kids.Marcella Galizia, MA, RPsych is a child therapist in Calgary. She is wearing rainbow goggles and a Superhero cape with the Kids Reconnect logo.
A child therapist and a child doing sand tray therapy

Marcella Galizia is a child therapist who uses
her dreaming and playing Superpowers
to help Calgary kids soar through difficult life experiences.

Attention Parents
Before your first session, you can share this story
with your child. Parents can also scroll below
to read about Marcella’s specialized
child psychologist expertise and experience
in her professional bio.

Marcella’s Superhero Story

Once upon a time, there was a little girl called Marcella, who loved dreaming. This is her Superpower story (it’s about dreaming and playing) and she wants to share it with you.

Marcella spent day and night dreaming about adventures. Rainbows she could glide. Unicorns and dragons she could fly. She wished for things, too. Castles of ribbon and candy. Tea with the Queen. A friendly pig and a kangaroo. Dreams full of wishes and wonders. Sunshine, stars in the sky, and the prettiest flower anyone had seen.

She loved playing and she could play all the time! Marcella built a rocket ship out of rain clouds. She built castles of sand with walls made of rainbows, ten feet high, where a polite little piggy always said hi. In her dreams, everyone could play—and even fly.

As Marcella got older, it got harder to dream and to play.

“Focus on work,” was what everyone would say. “You are growing up, Marcella, and grown-ups cannot dream or play.”

(Which is not true, by the way).

Marcella worked hard, but her dreams were precious, so she held on to them, tight. When no one was around, she planted her dreams in the ground. She watered and watched over them patiently, day and night. Then she wished, worked, and waited with all her might.

Time passed. Her planted dreams were taking a long time to sprout. The sky was cloudy and she (almost) started to doubt. But she wouldn’t give up. She tried to dream and play. To her surprise, she saw she still could dream. Soon her dreams began to sprout. Dreaming and playing were her Superpowers!

When Marcella grew up, using her Superpowers, she joined forces with her friend Natalie to build a fabulous place in Calgary called EmPOWERland, where kids discover and develop their own Superpowers. Together they are building a team of child therapists who help kids have more fun as they grow.

Every day, Marcella still dreams and plays. Now she is a psychologist who loves to dream, play, and plan fun child therapy sessions at Kids Reconnect. Her dreams and play plans involve kids who are Superheroes—just like you!

A boy sitting on a child-sized sofa, looking into the eyes of a smiling therapist who is wearing large toy glasses. She is holding a fluffy toy piggy and toy mouse

Marcella’s Professional Bio

Marcella Galizia is a registered psychologist based in Calgary who specializes in child counselling. As a specialized child therapist, Marcella uses creative, playful interventions and the power of her imagination to find inventive solutions for the children, youth, and families she serves.

Her experience working with complex cases and childhood trauma has taught her that dreaming, curiosity, and play are protective factors that guard against even the most difficult life experiences and adversities.

Marcella holds an undergraduate degree in psychology from Guelph University and a Master of Arts degree in Counselling Psychology from McGill University. She is a Registered Psychologist with the College of Alberta Psychologists and a member of the Psychologists Association of Alberta (PAA), the Alberta Play Therapy Association (APTA), the International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy (ICEEFT), and the EMDR International Association (EMDRIA).

Her extensive play therapy expertise includes completion of the Red Stream Advanced Theory and Techniques in Play Therapy Course (75 hours) and the Green Stream Certificate in Foundations of Play Therapy (75 hours) through Rocky Mountain Play Therapy Institute, as well as additional training in play-based techniques through the Alberta Play Therapy Association, the League of Extraordinary Adlerian Play Therapists, and Learn to Play Therapy Events. One of Marcella’s specialties is using Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy techniques with children and youth, for which she has obtained advanced training. To further support parents and couples, Marcella has completed an Externship in Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy® and Core Skills Training in Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy® (52 hours) with the ICEEFT.

Marcella is a Director at Kids Reconnect

With her friend Natalie Bergman, Marcella co-founded Calgary Reconnect Counselling Group (CRCG). They are building a team of therapists with two specialized branches: Kids Reconnect and Couples Reconnect.

Click on the dragon to see its smiling eyes.