Kelowna group launches collection to fund free child therapy

Photo: Contributed

Kelowna-based mental health social enterprise You Are Collective and Childhood Connections have partnered to create a new collection to fund free child therapy.

The Playful Healing Collection aims to open up conversation around mental health experiences while removing barriers and is inspired by the 'zones of regulation.'

It is important to normalize feelings and emotions at any age, level and environment. The zones of regulation identify as blue, green, yellow and red, to provide a simple way for people, especially children, to identify how they're feeling while learning how to manage their reactions. 

The collection includes youth and adult t-shirts, recycled frisbees and eco-friendly water bottles, all designed to showcase a relevant resource needed for communicating about mental health.

Proceeds raised from the collection will support Childhood Connection's Playful Healing program, a free child therapy service.

"We have always worked within our community to fill gaps in early years services. We noticed an increase in childhood struggles with mental health and families who could not afford the services for their children," says Childhood Connections.

Playful Healing supports children who are encountering problems in their everyday life such as feelings of worry, uncertainty, isolation and unhappiness. The one-on-one sessions are provided to families who cannot afford expensive therapy.

Seeing the the collection come to life for You Are Collective co-founder Rebecca Steinhubl hit close to home.

"Once I saw the design on our first ever youth model, I started sobbing. To me, it's saying theres one more little girl out there who knows it's okay to have feelings and it's okay to talk about them."

The collective hopes to see the collection in schools, businesses and the community, to help keep the conversation around mental health going.

"For us, it's about creating a world with no stigmas and right now this is our vehicle to get there," says Steinhubl.

To purchase items from the Playful Healing Collection, click here. There is a free pick-up option for those in the Okanagan.