I am a licensed clinical psychologist, somatic (trauma) therapist, educator, yoga & mindfulness teacher, expressive arts practitioner …
and a perpetual student of life.
I completed my formal education in clinical psychology and gender studies at the universities of McGill (BSc., Ph.D) and Yale (M.A., M.Sc.), and my informal education through traveling, moving, mindful self inquiry, navigating relationships, and the fostering of resilience through life experiences.
Having always been curious and reflective, I became interested in mental health struggles and social injustices at a very young age, but began my formal training in the year 2000. I spent approximately 15 years in the academic world, researching and publishing articles and book chapters in the areas of trauma, sexual dysfunction, mood disorders, and eating disorders. I have shared my work and ideas at numerous international conferences, and in several media interviews, and have worked as an Assistant Professor, teaching and supervising students/ other therapists in numerous hospitals and universities, including my alma mater, McGill University.
Despite my love of ideas, and my reverence for solid research, I exited academia in 2016 to travel and work with impoverished communities, such as Tibetan refugees, Indian child brides and Nepalese sexual trafficking survivors. Enlightened by these experiences, I ultimately returned to Canada to teach, supervise and practice psychotherapy, and to learn more about helping survivors heal and grow from traumatic experiences, especially through somatic work. I remain enamored with the scientific study of the impact of hardship on relationships between mind-body-spirit, and continue to write, educate/ train, and share my ideas with various communities in the public and private sectors.
My psychotherapy practice has evolved through this journey, just as I have. I initially approached therapy from a western scientific lens, but gradually diversified to include more eastern and ancient healing practices (somatics, movement - yoga, dance, sound/ drumming, and creative arts). I am passionate about treating difficulties relating to early developmental/ attachment traumas (e.g., physical, sexual, emotional abuse/ neglect) and collective traumas (gender inequality/ patriarchy, colonialism, racism, consumerism, oppression/ stigmatization of marginalized groups) with a focus on understanding how these experiences contribute to blockages/ illness in the body as well as associated harmful mental patterns. My aim is to help people overcome their blockages, complete and integrate the past, and move forward in an embodied way, with a stronger connection to their inner voices, their truth, their power, and with a sense of authentic, present moment living.
In addition to diverse psychotherapy methods (humanistic, existential, psychodynamic, CBT/CPT, ACT) I have also completed certified trainings in hatha and therapeutic yoga, trauma informed yoga, breath regulation techniques (pranayama), mindfulness based cognitive therapy (MBCT) and mindfulness based stress reduction (MBSR). Most recently, I became certified in somatic experiencing (SEP), somatic attachment therapy, sensorimotor psychotherapy, and expressive arts (movement/ body therapies such as 5 rhythms, authentic movement, ecstatic dance, sound work, and reiki/ qi gong). Outside of this, I dabble in the martial arts, rock climbing, painting, and creating music (singing, drumming, DJ’ing). For me, all of these practices are ongoing, happen in stillness and in movement, and I am often awed by the kinds of changes possible through these embodied and often creative methods of healing. I bring all of this to my work with my clients in a holistic and humanistic framework.
In therapy, and in life, I am committed to the work of bringing a compassionate and fiercely passionate heart, an open and inquisitive mind, a sensing-feeling body and playful spirit to the practice, and hope to inspire the same in those I share the journey with.
