It started with two women on maternity leave at the same time. Erica Haas and Lindsay Vandenbussche, co-owners of CommYOUnity Counselling & Family Support, were both social workers with prior community and hospital experience when their leaves overlapped -Erica with her youngest, Lindsay with her oldest.
“We both had a passion for supporting children, youth, and families, and we wanted to use that passion in a way that we felt more value in what we do.” Lindsay said. So they took the leap. Much of their remaining maternity leave went into the building itself -sanding walls, patching holes, and getting the space ready to open.
Since October 2022, CommYOUnity has focused on mental health support for children, youth, and families, with a growing specialty in neurodivergence. “We support a range of challenges, like anxiety, school stress, family relationship challenges, parenting, behavioural support, alongside knowledge in ADHD and autism.” Erica explained.
The need was clear from the start. “There’s just such limited options for families in rural communities,” Erica said, even fewer local practices, she noted, put a specific emphasis on children and youth and/or specialize in ADHD or Autism.
What began as a general counselling practice has since evolved into something more distinctive: an approach built around understanding the why behind someones behaviour and experiences, rather than jumping straight to fixing it.
“There’s no right way of a mind working,” Erica said. “If a kiddo comes in with behaviour challenges, we’re really diving into the why behind the stuff we’re seeing, versus the more reactive approach of what to do with it and fixing it.” That means looking closely at nervous system regulation, environmental factors, and how a child’s brain is processing information. It means involving parents directly, with parent sessions throughout the process.
That focus wasn’t part of the original plan – it emerged as families kept showing up with a pattern Erica and Lindsay couldn’t ignore. “We weren’t always putting an emphasis on the ADHD and autism piece when we first started,” Lindsay said. “Parents doing all the recommended parenting strategies were still struggling, and kids/teens who knew the strategies and things they were “supposed to do” still couldn’t access that knowledge they had once dysregulated.”
It wasn’t only something that could not be ignored in their professional lives but became personal too. Erica and Lindsay both were diagnosed with ADHD as adults and started to have family and friends diagnosed with ADHD or Autism as well. “A common theme in both their personal and professional lives was the sense of neurodivergent people feeling misunderstood” Lindsay said. “Our hope is to help bring education and awareness that there is no right or wrong way of a mind working” Erica added.
Running the business has come with its own steep learning curve. “The amount of different hats you have to wear as a business owner” caught them off guard, along with just how much the practice’s focus has shifted since opening. “I would have never guessed,” Erica said. But that flexibility, she added, is also the advantage owning a business. Where hospital/community work meant policies and rules that tied their hands, business ownership has felt freeing. “It’s more like, okay this is a need- let’s figure out a way that we can meet this need that clearly is not being met.”
That same flexibility shapes Lindsay’s advice to anyone starting out: don’t get too attached to your original plan. “Being able to make adjustments to what your ideas are for things matters”, she said – along with protecting time outside the business. “Not taking on too much too quickly, in terms of being able to have that work-life balance” is advice she’d give any new business owner, herself included.
CommYOUnity is now growing to meet demand. A second location is underway in Ingersoll located in the upper unit of 81 Charles Street. Renovations are ongoing, with the hopes to begin seeing clients towards the end of 2026. Between the two of them and four additional therapists on staff, the current space has simply run out of room. Client geography made the choice easy – while families come from as far as Woodstock, Embro, London, and Tilsonburg, the bulk are based in Thamesford, Ingersoll, and Dorchester. Cutting a half-hour drive down to ten minutes matters for families juggling work and school schedules.
Rural life shapes the work in other ways too. “The biggest thing is the ability to do the work that we really are passionate about,” Erica said, alongside the particular nature of small-town practice – neighbours running into each other, old classmates reconnecting, a sense that seeking support here is simply normal. It can complicate confidentiality at times, she admitted with a laugh, but the trade-off is worth it. Proximity matters just as much: with Thamesford’s school minutes from the office, a parent can pick up their child, attend a session, and be back within the hour – a stark contrast to the half-day commitment a trip into London would require. “There’s a lot of clients that we do serve that, if we weren’t so easily accessible, would they have accessed services? That’s always my question.”
If you are looking for support for yourself, your teen, or your child, Erica and Lindsay encourage you to reach out. “People often wonder if seeking counselling is appropriate for themselves or their child. We encourage anyone who is curious, to reach out and we are happy to answer any questions about the process” Lindsay said. With a second location opening in Ingersoll, CommYOUnity is expanding to meet the needs of children, youth, and families a little closer to home.
CommYOUnity Counselling & Family Support
Erica Haas, MSW, RSW, RECE & Lindsay Vandenbussche, MSW, RSW
125 Dundas St, Thamesford, ON N0M 2M0
Zorra Township
Established 2022
commyounitycounselling.ca
@commyounity_counselling