Relationship & Sex Therapy

I specialize in relationship & sex therapy for individuals, couples, & families. One of the things that I have come to understand is that people do not change when they feel forced to or criticized, but rather people change when they feel safe, comfortable, and loved. Romantic relationships have love inherently built into them, which, in the context of our work together, becomes an incredible tool in the therapeutic process! Whether you have come to re-work unwelcome cycles, hear one another better, deepen your intimacy or sexual life, navigate non-monogamy, or consciously (un)couple, I’m here to support your relationship getting on a path where it serves and supports you and your partner’s(s’) individual growth. 

Youth & Families

Adolescence is a time of so much change for both kids and parents. For young people it is a time of transitioning from childhood to adulthood and often marks the beginning of attachment wounds surfacing. Battles, silence, distance, shutting down are all ways that young people sometimes communicate their hurt and pain, and can often be very confusing for a parent to decode and attune to their child’s evolving needs. Adolescence can be a very difficult time, but it can also be an incredible gift because in these young peoples’ protests, there is an opportunity for parents to wake up to their child… and therefore themselves. And of course, an opportunity for young people to begin to see their parents’ humanity and develop skills of empathy and compassion.

In my work of supporting youth I like to meet kids wherever is comfortable for them. I support youth and families to move away from assigning blame, and instead re-focus to repairing whatever attachment ruptures have occurred. As attachment is repaired and young people feel more inclined to reach out to their parent for support, whatever mental health symptoms are experienced are soothed by the safety and reconnection with parent. The framework for this work is called “Attachment-based family therapy.” I have had extensive training and several years of experience using this model for diverse families of Toronto in the public sector.

Walk-And-Talk in Nature

We don’t have to meet in the office! If you would prefer to walk and talk through Etobicoke’s nature spots, moving the body can be an incredible resource to working through stuck-ness or trauma.

Side-by-side consists of less frequent eye contact and can support a level of comfort that allows for greater vulnerability and getting to the root of why you’re here at whatever pace works for you.

Walking is a type of bi-lateral stimulation of the body that supports communication between brain hemispheres and can help stay grounded in the ‘here and now’ while working with the past. It is this dual awareness (activating both left & right hemispheres while working with the past and the present) that helps the nervous system to move beyond ingrained (muscle-memory) survival patterns.