My desire to be a psychotherapist came from my own history with physical and mental health issues. I want to provide support and a space where explorations and difficult conversations can happen safely and without judgement.

Watching patients grow and notice themselves being more aware and have more control over their life and defenses gives me immense joy. Being witness to them getting comfortable with themes and conflicts but also the very effort it takes to show up everyday and to each session.

I hope that they can believe this space to be theirs and one that can be safe for them to express themselves. Therapy involves a lot of uncomfortable conversations, but before any of that, I hope they believe that this relationship would give them what they need.

The way I perceive therapy and practice it is to provide a space that does not aim to simply seek solutions. I would encourage patients to think about therapy like an investment for them, it is a continuous process that ebbs and flows just as they do through their own life.

I try to build a collaborative relationship with them, therapists inherently have a lot of power and I try to give that power back to them to have a more balanced dynamic. I think about it like an exploration that is grounded in our relationship, which is the foundation of our work together.

So much of therapy is created for a very niche population, working with my patients has taught me that therapy looks different for everyone and often, it looks very different from what we were trained to do.

I think the most important one for me is my openness to my own vulnerability and humanness. Therapists often get perceived as somewhat of a superhuman but I try to show my humanness in my hope to even the power dynamics. Another would be adaptability, different patients have different needs; I try to work with their specific needs and personality and show up with them.

I like spending my free time reading, with a good mix of fiction like contemporary and thrillers and non fiction. I also like playing board and card games with my loved ones. I enjoy listening to podcasts and watching movies (crime is a favourite) and a writer and poet.

My understanding of human life and experience is influenced by various schools of thought, it is however heavily influenced by Psychodynamic and Psychoanalysis practices. Its focus is on gaining insight into the individual’s mind and focuses to begin the healing process. In sessions, my aim is to support patients to identify sources of internal or external concerns in their lives. We try to find patterns between the past and the present to make sense of the conflicts. My practice also involves usage of postmodern approaches, feminist, and systemic lens to fully map out and understand each individual’s unique experiences and needs. This helps to take into account your individual experience and the role society, the world, etc. plays on how you are treated and what impact it may have. The aim of my work with patients is to encourage independence and a healthy relationship with our defense mechanisms that will stay with them for a long time. With regular supervision and training, I am learning to make my practice trauma informed, queer and neuro-affirmative.

By taking a more feminist and systemic lens, it allows me to not only look at the self and their struggles but also the role society plays in how they feel. For queer and trans folx, the aim is to understand and give them the space to explore and own their identity, work with that instead of what the norm may be. I believe that the way I have learned to work most with queer and trans folx is by working with them and learning what they need as we go.