A bit more
about Trailhead.
My treatment approach:
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
As individuals, we are all made up of parts. For example, most of us can relate to the sentence “part of me feels one way and another part of me feels differently”. IFS looks at understanding yourself as a system of parts from a place of openness, non-judgement, and compassion. Through this stance we can get to know ourselves more deeply, understand our challenges and our coping behaviours with more clarity, and heal the parts of us that hold our traumas and pain. It is an inherently attachment-based, compassion-based, trauma-informed, and anti-oppressive theoretical approach.
Learn more about IFS
Compassion-Focused
Shame is central to much of suffering. It alienates us and keeps us in a perpetual state of feeling othered, disconnected, unworthy, or anxious. Compassion-focused therapy seeks to nurture your own innate reservoir of compassion as the antidote to shame.
Strengths-Based & Solution-Focused
These approaches look to your unique strengths, resources, and resiliency as an individual and utilize them to foster your growth and development. I pull on these approaches when supporting clients with problem-solving or addressing concerns related to more concrete, practical goals and concerns.
Attachment-Based
Attachment-based therapy looks at identifying your attachment orientation (a pattern of thoughts, behaviors, and emotions about yourself and your relationships) and seeks to understand its origins in your past experiences, beginning in childhood. This insight is then used to examine your present-day relationship dynamics and shift your interactional patterns towards a more secure attachment style.
Anti-Oppressive
Anti-oppressive therapists recognize the role of systemic oppression in mental health and create safe spaces for clients to explore their own intersectional identities. The process of examining how you may have been uniquely impacted by oppression can help you to identify the ways these experiences have contributed to your mental health concerns and function as a path towards healing and empowerment.
Trauma-Informed
Trauma-informed care refers to treatment by a clinician that is aware of the widespread role of trauma. These clinicians are knowledgeable of the ways that trauma occurs and the varied ways it can manifest and impact us. A trauma-informed therapist uses this knowledge to provide therapy in a way that does not retraumatize survivors and aims to help clients build awareness of their own trauma and its unique impact on their mental health concerns.
Questions? Don’t hesitate to reach out!
I’m available to answer emails and calls Monday through Thursday between the hours of 9 am to 5pm.
If you need immediate support, Please contact any of the following resources:
The Gerstein Crisis Line: 416.929.5200
Good2Talk: 1.866.925.5454 (post-secondary students)
Kids Help Phone: Call 1-800-668-6868 or click HERE
Wellness Together: resources are available HERE
If this is an emergency, please call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.