Safety First
Felt Safety (regulation) is foundational to learning and relationship-building. We design spaces where children feel safe to engage.
Consultation & Training
Building communities of belonging
Equipping churches and walking alongside families to build disability-inclusive spaces where every child can belong.
What We Do
Bridging the gap between churches and families
Studio Belong exists to equip churches and walk alongside families to build disability-inclusive spaces that address sensory, learning, and communication differences so that children can attend to the teaching of the Word.
Inclusive Community
Addressing sensory, learning, and communication differences so every child can attend to the teaching of the Word.
Equipping Churches
Practical tools, training, and ongoing support to build ministries where disability inclusion is woven into the culture.
Consultation & Training
Services we offer
Children’s Ministry Walkthrough Consultation
On-site observation of your children’s program with practical recommendations for building an inclusive ministry space and structure.
Family:Church Roundtable
With play therapist
Facilitated meeting between caregivers and ministry leaders, while a play therapist engages the child to understand their needs and strengths. Insights from caregivers, ministry leaders, and the play therapist are integrated to develop customized support strategies.
Staff/Volunteer Training: Neurodiversity & Inclusion
Comprehensive training on neurodiversity, inclusive ministry practices, responding to challenging behaviors, and effective ways to communicate and connect with both speaking and non-speaking children.
Staff/Volunteer Training: Child Safety & Abuse Prevention
Policy-based training that meets insurance requirements. This two-hour training covers safety protocols (including medical and online safety), abuse prevention, and legal reporting requirements. Includes safety considerations for ministries with disabled and neurodiverse children.
Customized Speaking Engagements
Workshops and talks tailored to your church’s context, culture, and specific needs.
OUR TEAM
Meet the Consultants
Jina
Founder & Specialist
Jina practiced as a litigation lawyer for over a decade before resigning to care for her disabled child. She has since published essays with CBC, co-founded a nonprofit serving autistic children, and facilitated therapeutic social groups for autistic children. She has consulted with government health agencies, children’s hospitals, educators, and law enforcement on supporting neurodivergent families and building safer, more inclusive communities.
Jina brings over 20 years of experience in Children’s Ministry, with recent years focused on designing neuro-inclusive programs. She holds an undergraduate degree in biochemistry, a law degree, and is pursuing a Master's degree in Theology and Ministry.
Jina’s work is shaped by life at home with her neurodiverse husband and their two daughters—one autistic, one not.
Shirley
Behavioural & Play Therapist
Shirley is a behavioural and play therapist with over 12 years of experience supporting children with autism across home, school, and clinical settings in the Greater Toronto Area. She holds a Master of Arts in Applied Behaviour Analysis and is trained in early intervention, working alongside children and families through play-based, holistic approaches. In 2021, she co-founded an inclusive playgroup in North York and later she supported the development of a neurodiverse Sunday School program. Shirley currently serves as a children’s ministry intern in Scarborough and is pursuing a Master of Divinity at Wycliffe College to further ground her work in biblical foundations. In her free time, Shirley enjoys traveling with her husband and their 3 children.
Shirley contributes a therapeutic lens to the Family:Church Roundtable consultations and large-group Staff/Volunteer Training seminars, particularly in addressing complex or challenging behaviors.
✦
Let's build belonging together
Whether you're just beginning to think about inclusion or looking to strengthen what you've already built, we'd love to hear from you.