If you’ve ever told yourself “I just need to try harder” — this is your reminder that procrastination isn’t a character flaw. It’s often your nervous system responding to pressure, fear, or overwhelm.
When we understand why we’re avoiding, we can respond with compassion instead of shame — and that’s where change actually begins.
Life transitions can unsettle even the most grounded among us. Whether the change was chosen or unexpected, it’s common to feel a mix of emotions — excitement, grief, fear, and hope all at once.
Therapy can support you in making sense of change, finding stability within uncertainty, and moving forward in a way that feels aligned and intentional.
Ever wonder why stress makes simple things feel so hard?
When stress hits, the brain shifts into survival mode — prioritizing safety over logic. That’s why clear thinking, emotional regulation, and decision-making can feel out of reach during stressful moments.
Understanding what’s happening in the brain helps replace self-criticism with compassion. Therapy can support nervous system regulation and help bring the thinking brain back online.
If you’ve ever asked yourself, “Why does this keep happening?” — you’re not alone.
Relationship patterns aren’t flaws; they’re learned strategies shaped by experience. When we understand where they come from, we gain the ability to respond differently — with more clarity, intention, and care.
Therapy offers space to explore these patterns safely and begin creating relationships that feel more aligned and secure.
Avoidance isn’t a failure — it’s a nervous system strategy.
It works in the short term by reducing distress, which is why our brains keep reaching for it. But long-term relief often comes from learning how to stay present with discomfort — safely and gradually.
Therapy can help shift avoidance into understanding, resilience, and choice.
Emotional labour keeps relationships running — but when it goes unrecognized or unshared, it can quietly drain connection.
Noticing who carries the emotional load, how it’s distributed, and whether it feels sustainable can be an important step toward healthier, more balanced relationships.
Therapy can help individuals and couples explore emotional labour with clarity and care — without blame.
We often focus on surface thoughts — but underneath them live core beliefs that quietly guide how we see ourselves and the world.
Therapy creates space to slow down, notice these patterns, and explore where they came from. When core beliefs are brought into awareness, they become something we can work with — not something that controls us.
Shame has a quiet way of shaping how we see ourselves — convincing us to stay small, silent, or “fix” who we are.
But shame isn’t a truth about you. It’s a learned response that thrives in isolation and softens in safe connection. When we name it, understand it, and meet it with compassion, it loses its grip.
Healing doesn’t come from being “better.”
It comes from being seen — as you are.
Conflict doesn’t mean failure — it means two people have different needs, perspectives, or limits.
Healthy conflict allows room for honesty, respect, and repair. Unhealthy conflict often leaves one or both people feeling unheard, unsafe, or shut down.
Therapy can support individuals and couples in understanding conflict patterns and building healthier ways to communicate and reconnect.
If you’ve ever felt like you’re “faking it” or waiting to be found out — you’re not alone.
Imposter syndrome can quietly shape how we work, relate, and see ourselves, even when we’re doing well. It often shows up during growth, change, or when expectations feel high.
Therapy can help you understand where these beliefs come from, soften self-criticism, and build a more grounded sense of self-worth.
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“Don’t allow your wounds to transform you into someone you’re not”. - Paulo Coelho
I believe no one should have to try to navigate personal challenges alone. Therefore, it is my pleasure to extend hope and a path toward healing and wholeness for anyone caught in life’s struggles.
I am a registered psychotherapist and registered nurse with 26 years of combined experience. I offer private and group therapy sessions, support hospital staff members in two hospitals with anxiety reduction techniques. In addition, I volunteer on the Ontario COVID-19 Wellness Network providing therapy by video conference to health care workers across the province.
My passion lies in providing mental and physical support to those undergoing emotional and/or physical turmoil. Guided by empathy and compassion, I provide a safe, respectful therapeutic atmosphere where we explore your struggles, skill sets, victories, and dreams.
It’s not uncommon for people traveling life’s journey to get stuck, experience immense inner pain, face crises, or experience existential angst. Therapy is a tool to help navigate it all, learning practical strategies to help you along your journey.
Guiding Principles
I tailor each session specifically to your goals and needs. You have a unique story that deserves the time and space to be explored. Providing empathy, we will work toward you discovering and accepting your authentic self.
As therapy progresses, we will do some exploring to see what’s going on under the surface. We’ll collaborate to identify healthy coping skills and learn new tools that will ultimately help you reach your goals.
Areas That I Specialize In
Anxiety
Depression
Codependency
Marriage/Relationship Issues
Self Esteem
Life Transitions
Loneliness / Hopelessness
Anger Management
Grief and Bereavement
Trauma/PTSD
OCD / Negative and repetitive intrusive thoughts
My Background
I’ve been an operating room nurse for 26 years. I’ve also volunteered on several crisis-focused volunteer missions, witnessing the effect and toll of mental distress.
In 2002, I accompanied an ENT/cosmetic surgeon to remote areas in China where we performed corrective surgeries on babies and young adults born with cleft lip and palate birth deformities. Many families reported being shunned and ostracized by their communities due to the physical differences in their children or in themselves. The extent of this prejudice also meant that individuals were excluded from receiving medical care; receive basic education or participation in greater community.
I was struck by the families’ resilience and endurance while experiencing unjust behaviour and ridicule from their communities. I thought of the perseverance and enormous motivation to seek out medical attention at our outreach clinic.
In 2005, with the Canadian Medical Association of Toronto (CMAT), I embarked on another nursing mission to Pakistan for 21 days, shortly after a deadly earthquake. The trauma that affected these people was far beyond physical wounds, as they were traumatized by grief, death, the devastation of their homes, and by the struggles ahead.
Education and Training
I commit to ongoing professional development and continuing education by engaging in further training.
Registered Psychotherapist (RPQ)- The College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario
Registered Nurse and Registered Nurse First Assist - The College of Nurses of Ontario
Advanced Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Certification Program specializing in psychosis, bipolar, schizophrenia, Trauma, PTSD, OCD and generalized anxiety disorder - University of Toronto and Sick Kids Community Health Center
Solution Focused Therapy Certificate Program - University of Toronto
Grief and Bereavement Educator Certificate Program - University of Toronto (in progress)
Trauma Focused Therapy Certificate Program - Wilfred Laurier University (in progress)
