About the Facilitator
My name is Sara Wilken (RSW, MSW, PhD) and I am a registered social worker in private practice in Stratford, Ontario.
I have extensive training and experience working with youth and neurodivergent individuals and families. My professional background includes attachment and relational approaches, trauma-informed practice, and psychoanalytic psychotherapy.
I am also the parent of two neurodivergent teenagers.
Monday Room was shaped by years of parenting kids who needed exactly this kind of space. I have searched for a place that is calm, unhurried, genuinely low-demand, and free from the expectation to perform.
My role in the space is not to run a program or deliver curriculum. It is to be present, attuned, and available, while leaving room for members to direct their own time. The space will provide some inspiration for members with interesting materials and eventually members may wish to offer workshops to the other members based on what they have learned or want to learn with others.
Learn more about my therapy practice at https://www.sarawilken.com
Why I Created Monday Room
Through years of working with adolescents and families, and through my own experience as a parent, I kept noticing the same thing: how many neurodivergent young people spend their days managing expectations (masking, performing, getting through) with nowhere to be completely themselves.
Rather than offering a structured setting with expectations to participate and conform, I wanted to create a space that just asks teens to show up. Everything else is optional.
Monday Room is my attempt to build a place that is small, calm, and that genuinely belongs to its members.
About the Space
Monday Room is located in Knox Church in downtown Stratford. It is a building with real character, original details, and a sense of peace and warmth.
The room is set up with sensory considerations in mind. Warm lamps rather than overhead lighting. Soft furnishings that absorb sound. Distinct zones. A quieter corner for focused work or online school, a more active area for making and creating, and space to move if you need to.
Members have their own individual storage space. There will be a display area where members can share work if they choose to.
The space belongs to the group. Over time, members will shape how it looks and feels.
Contact
If you have questions or would like to learn more, you are welcome to contact me directly at sara@mondayroom.ca