Therapists in Barrie, ON

I specialize in working with post-secondary students, professors, arts and cultural creators, political activists, as well as anyone seeking culturally-sensitive and spiritually-integrated psychotherapy. I am experienced providing psychotherapy and spiritual care at many area hospitals including the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, and the University Health Network. I believe we must recognize that intersectional social and cultural factors influence our daily lives and impact our mental health. I seek to empower clients and support them in claiming their own power to grow and heal.

My specific interest lies in addressing issues related to loss of emotional control, sexual addiction, relationship issues, anxiety, mood disorders, trauma, adverse childhood experiences, grief, and loss. Drawing from my background as an educator, I assist individuals of all ages to reach their academic and career potential. Decades of work as a yoga instructor have led to an ability to cultivate self-compassion, acceptance and mindfulness in my clients. We work collaboratively together as a team to move you towards a life of greater well-being and meaning. Poly + queer + kink +

Do you feel stuck in old patterns of thoughts/behaviours? Are you trying to embrace who you truly are as you graduate into adulthood, steer through relationship endings, or transition into a new stage/year in life? Do you struggle with being imperfectly human in societal structures calling for your perfection to belong? Is guilt/shame messaging from cultural norms about your gender, sexual orientation, 'race' etc. holding you back from achieving your full potential? Are losses weighing you down? If YES to any of these, I'd like to support you to grow into your wholehearted authentic life. Now's the time to invest in YOU!

Therapy with me is about befriending oneself unconditionally, with compassion and kindness. Through traumas, life transitions, mistakes, and successes, mindfulness can be that constant strategy that allows you to be grounded firmly in your healing. My approach is holistic, and one that synthesizes the mind, body, and spirit. My work is rooted in yoga and Buddhist practices and my professional social work experience of 18 years. My practice is LGBTQIA2S-affirming, pro-fat and anti-racist. My areas of specialty are: anxiety, depression, chronic/terminal illness, grief, burnout, body image, relationships, and immigrant issues.

Reaching out for help can be hard. I want therapy to be worth your time and energy. I combine Eastern and Western approaches in my work with a particular emphasis on somatic and mindfulness-oriented therapies. My personal journey led me into a 20 year voyage of healing through indigenous shamanic practices, vision quests, meditation retreats, and Western psychotherapies. Maybe you are curious about how to work energetically with grief? Or how to lean into the rhythms of anxiety in ways which are less reactive? Or perhaps you had a traumatic experience years ago and you haven’t felt the same aliveness since? Like a part of you left?

You’ve come looking for a therapist. Someone who helps you to feel safe, seen, and validated. Someone who sit with you when you feeling down, self-critical, vulnerable and all jittery inside. Someone who doesn’t try to “fix” you, but helps you know yourself and heal yourself. There are several ways therapy can help but what makes therapy so special is that you can be authentic, not judged, and your story can be safety shared with another. I am here to hear your story, to help to understand your suffering, to give you tools and ways to understand your problem better. I am here to be a witness and hold space for your jittery feelings.

Accepting New Clients - No Waitlist! When you feel stuck, we can help. At LifeCycle Counselling we recognize how difficult it is to take the first step towards therapy, speak about your difficulties and explore uncomfortable emotions. We are a BIPOC clinic in the GTA that is culturally sensitive. We use client-centered approaches as it is LifeCycles top priority to empower you for you! We understand that everyone has their own battles. We are a team of psychotherapists, who specialize in various areas and offer treatment using evidence-based approaches. You can read each of the therapist’s bio on our website lifecyclecounselling.ca

You are on your way to deeper growth. I know because you are on this site, actively looking for support. Well done, you. Although, right now it may still feel a little rough. Fair enough. Being human is hard. Regardless of your very human issue: trauma from the past; stuckness in life; relationship issues; out of control anxiety and stress; chronic illness; career struggles; or just feeling lost and confused, the key to moving forward lies within you. Looking inward to see your own values and beliefs is the beginning to accessing your strengths to continue to grow and thrive.

**See our website for other therapists accepting new clients** I am mental health therapist as well as a multi-faith spiritual and religious care provider (also known as a chaplain). My strength is working with anyone's faith and spirituality to help them with their mental health and spiritual journey. I work with all faiths and religious. In my practice, I see each client as a complex and unique person with stories, worldviews, and challenges. My goal is to aid you in accessing your inner resources such as the experiences you cultivate from your stories and the beliefs that find root in your worldviews to cope with challenges.

I see clients with a range of issues including attachment, family conflict, disconnect, trauma, anxiety, addiction and depression. I believe that everyone has a distinct way of expressing their past experiences and challenges in their daily lives, and that it is my job to help people to examine and understand themselves, and to find new ways of being. My approach is open and supportive, and I bring creativity, compassion and a sense of wonder to our work together.

Like poet Mary Oliver, many people I’ve met with over the years have questioned how best to live their “one wild and precious life”. Sometimes people have been waylaid by disappointments or losses, and are struggling to recover. Sometimes, their choices have taken them into unhappy cul-de-sacs. Sometimes, their habitual patterns sabotage even the best choices. Sometimes, they’ve been afraid to take necessary risks. And sometimes, people have just been plagued by the sense that more might be possible. What can be done to move towards a full and satisfying life?

***ACCEPTING NEW CLIENTS: IN-PERSON & PHONE/VIDEO*** We believe that there is good in every person, and hope in every situation. We have helped individuals, couples, and families heal, grow, and connect. As relational therapists, we appreciate the impact that our relationships have on our well-being. We do not see clients as having something wrong with their minds that necessarily needs to be fixed. Rather, we see our clients as unique individuals, each with their own stories and perspectives, embedded in important relationships and contexts that impact them. We see strengths and we see hope, even when it feels like there is none.

***NOW ACCEPTING CLIENTS FOR PHONE/VIDEO*** It’s a privilege and honour to be doing this work, and to walk alongside clients on their respective healing journeys. I believe that everyone is the expert of their own lives and life experiences. By working collaboratively and through meaning-making, I aim to support clients in connecting with their needs, dreams, hopes, as well as to the answers I believe each person has inside them. My approach is trauma-informed, non-directive, strength-based, and client-centered. Healing, the discovery of possibilities, one’s resilience, and one's gifts can all be part of the therapy process.

Do you often feel anxious, worried, and depressed? How about frustrated or even guilty? Perhaps you have experienced trauma, feel lost trying to understand your mind, and want to reduce the impact of painful thoughts and feelings. My work focuses on anxiety, depression, trauma and emotional issues. I can help you to find calm and peace in your life, and create a rich, full and meaningful life. I am a Registered Psychotherapist and a member of the Ontario Association of Mental Health Professionals. I also hold a master's degree in counselling psychology, certification in counselling skills, MBCT, hypnosis, telehealth and trauma.

Now accepting new clients! With a Master’s degree of Social Work and over five years of experience in the non-profit sector, I am dedicated to supporting individuals and families facing various life challenges. Since before the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by my relocation, I have been a skilled interviewer and researcher working in downtown Toronto and the U of T community.

I believe that every person has a right to make their own life choices. These choices do not always align with the values of the family or culture of which the person is part of and this can create many challenges for people. My role as a therapist is to help clients determine what they want to achieve and to support them as they move forward with their goals.

Something is wrong, but we can't quite grasp what. We search for a better understanding of ourselves in order to solve our emotional and psychological discontent. We think about the events of the day, relationships, childhood and the past. Still, something doesn't seem right. We act and feel in ways that create discord. I provide psychotherapy for people who are interested in looking for the deeper meaning behind the discomfort in their lives. The goal is to be able to have more meaningful relationships, fulfilling work and societal contributions, as well as the capacity to bear the difficulties that are part of living fully.

Many things affect us deeply in our busy lives.  Yet we find ourselves unable, unwilling, or reluctant to talk our issues through with family, friends or physician. Psychotherapy sessions with me by Zoom, are focused, strategic, and personalized to your needs. I have provided individual and family psychotherapy/counseling in Toronto for over twenty years. Book one session a series, or intermittently: yours to design. Everyone wants change, but how? I will listen to you. "and the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom” Anais Nin