Tammy Schamuhn and Tania Johnson are registered psychologists, registered play therapists, co-founders of the Institute of Child Psychology, and— most importantly— moms (with five children between them). They’ re both internationally acclaimed speakers, and present global workshops on a variety of topics, such as childhood anxiety, trauma, depression, resiliency, and emotion regulation. Their workshops are packed with the latest research, tools, and strategies to foster positive mental health outcomes and resiliency in children. Tammy and Tania are the creators and hosts of the popular The Childpsych Podcast. They both maintain private practices in Alberta, Canada, where they live and are raising their families.

Tammy was born and raised in Alberta, Canada. She earned a Bachelor of Education from the University of Alberta and worked as an elementary teacher before completing her Master’ s degree in counseling in Oregon. She supervises Master’ s-level counseling students, play therapists, and provisional psychologists and is a part-time faculty member at City University Seattle. Tammy also has a big place in her heart for animals; she founded the Child-Centered Animal-Assisted Therapy Association (www.ccaata.com) and, alongside her husband, runs her own animal-assisted therapy program called Hooves of Hope Ranch.

Tania was born in South Africa, where she received an Honours degree in psychology. She spent several years teaching in Taiwan before adventuring to places like Mount Everest base camp and the Andes in Peru and Bolivia. She then completed a one-year internship at Cancer Treatment Centres of America in Chicago, where her focus was on supporting patients in the stem cell unit. Tania then earned her Master’ s degree in counseling from City University of Seattle. She and her husband were foster parents to four First Nations children for five years and have two bio children of their own. She currently supervises Master’ s-level students and provisional psychologists. Tania works primarily from the perspective of attachment theory, which focuses on bonds between parents and children. Her gift, both in the therapy room and when writing, is to translate the latest research into concrete strategies that parents can implement in everyday life with their children.