Holly Mathers

Holly has lived her life as the sibling of a sister, Amy Mathers, with a chronic illness. Being aware of the impact of Amy’s illness on her and their entire family, contributed to her decision to become a psychotherapist and then to focus on working to address gaps in services, resources, and support for families dealing with illness.

Holly is a Registered Psychotherapist with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario and a member of the Canadian Counselling & Psychotherapy Association. She has an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from York University and a Master of Theological Studies in Counselling from Wilfrid Laurier University.

As a psychotherapist, she has experience working with teens, young adults, couples and families in Waterloo Region in Ontario. Holly has facilitated groups for young adults who had a family member or friend with cancer, as well as caregiver and bereavement support groups. For six years, Holly was the chairperson of the Young Carers Project of Waterloo Region, a community collaborative working to increase awareness, research, resources, and support for young people living with a family member with exceptional needs.

Previously, Holly hosted a radio show where she discussed a variety of topics pertaining to illness and other life issues. Amy and Holly co-wrote and taught a course for Conestoga College entitled Assisting Families Dealing with Chronic Illness for professionals with health care related jobs. They also co-developed an organizer resource called The Phoenix Pages for people dealing with illness to help them manage their illnesses and live their lives.