About Me

I am a psychotherapist because I believe in the power of relationships and our capacity to re-shape our lives when we have the support we need. Therapy allows us to access our own internal resources so that we can make changes to create a meaningful life.

I have been a therapist in private practice for more than twelve years, but I have also done a lot of my own therapy over the years. I have experienced trauma and loss and the feeling that my world has fallen apart. I have struggled to rebuild my life and found hope in therapeutic relationships, as well as in personal engagement with artmaking.

 

I have seen firsthand the power of the therapeutic relationship to provide a space in which someone can notice what is holding them back, make choices about where to adjust or grow, and become the whole person that they naturally are.

 

It is my belief that investing in therapy is a long-term commitment to yourself that transforms your way of being with yourself, others, and with the larger world.

 

My role as a therapist is to stay attuned and present with you, to be deeply curious and respectful of your process, and to be a companion and guide in a co-creative journey that leads to the continual re-shaping of your world.  I will encourage you and supportively challenge you along your way to the growth you have been longing for.

 

My Personal Story

 

I have always been interested in connection and relationships. I grew up in a big family where there was connection and disconnection at all stages, and I learned to navigate this through creativity. I also grew up in an artist’s home with a studio in the center of the house, and so I became familiar with the creative process. Play was an integral part of my experience growing up. I learned that there can be comfort in spaces where there is the possibility of creating new things. Through rough times in my own life, I have had to create and shape new things—just like one does in a therapy space.

 

I continue to love and practice collage, movement, and visual arts for pleasure and self-care.  I have had the opportunity to travel, live and volunteer in various countries in Central and South America, Asia, and Europe throughout my life and continue to have an ongoing interest in getting out of my own comfort zone to discover new ways of being.

 

My Approach

 

I’ve been described as down to earth, accepting, open, and easy to talk with. The foundation of my work is a relational. In this paradigm, the therapeutic relationship between client and therapist is a healing ground where old patterns emerge, new ways of being are possible, and wounds can be repaired. My approach is deeply influenced by my advanced training in expressive arts, gestalt and developmental somatic therapy. These approaches allow clients to tap into alternate ways of knowing and to strengthen the connection they have with their wholebeing.
 

I view therapy as a creative process where clients gain awareness of how to access their own body and mind awareness, imagination, and curiosity in order to feel the range of choices they have in becoming who they want to be in the world: cognitively, emotionally, somatically, spiritually, relationally, socially, and imaginatively.

The social systems we live in require us to live only in our heads and ignore our body experiences. I believe that having full access to our whole selves can create real change, not only personally but also communally and globally.

 

I invite you to begin this therapeutic process of gaining back your full self so that you can use all of your resources, senses and imagination to create new possibilities that work for you.

 

 

Being an Ethical Therapist

 

In addition to doing my own therapy work, I also seek out professional clinical supervision on an ongoing basis and have a peer supervision group.  I do this to keep myself on track so that I can always remain in the service of my clients.

 

I am committed to continually educating myself through self-study, professional trainings, and peer consultations on topics such as anti-oppression and cultural competence. It’s my intention to stay curious about my own biases so that my clients can feel as free as possible to bring themselves fully into the space with me.  

 

As a white, cisgender Jewish woman, I work to be as aware as possible of my power and privilege in a social/political system that was built to create divides between people in order to function and I try to stay aware of my blind spots.  I consider myself to be a feminist and an ally to those in marginalized positions within this system.   I am aware that the land that I live and practice on does not belong to me but has been the territory of indigenous peoples for thousands of years and continues to be.

 

I follow and am responsible to uphold the CRPO Code of Ethics and OEATA code of ethics. I work hard to uphold my client's privacy rights, and I follow Ontario Privacy laws.  I will inform you thoroughly about all information regarding privacy and confidentiality in our first session.  Your informed consent is important to me.

 

 

Professional Credentials and Affiliations

 

I am a Registered Psychotherapist (R.P.) and Qualified Clinical Supervisor with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO).

 

I am a teaching faculty member and Associate Director at The Create Institute (the Centre for Expressive Arts Therapy Education) in Toronto.  I also co-ordinate a public arts therapy clinic at The Create Institute.  I have been in private practice for over ten years where I have worked with children, youth, adults and couples who have struggled with issues such as anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship conflict, grief, stress, life transitions, and creative blocks.

 

I earned a master’s degree in Adult Education and Community Development from OISE (Ontario Institute for Studies in Education) at University of Toronto following my bachelor’s degree in International Development Studies at Dalhousie University. I hold professional diplomas in Expressive Arts Therapy (The Create Institute), Gestalt Psychotherapy (Gestalt Institute of Toronto), and Developmental Somatic Psychotherapy (The Centre for Somatic Studies, N.Y.C.)

 

I have also pursued professional development training in additional therapy modalities including EFT (Emotionally Focused Therapy), Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy, and trauma-informed approaches.

 

I am a member of the following professional associations:

 

OACCPP – The Ontario Association of Consultants, Counsellors, Psychometrists and Psychotherapists

CAPT – Canadian Association for Psychodynamic Therapy

OEATA – Ontario Expressive Arts Therapy Association

OSRP – Ontario society of Registered Psychotherapists