Trauma-informed, culturally responsive care
Trauma shapes how safe the world feels in your body. You don't have to retell everything to be believed here, and you don't have to explain your culture before you can be understood.
What this can look like
- Living after abuse, a traumatic event, intimate partner violence or exploitation
- Hypervigilance, startling easily, or feeling numb and far away
- Sleep problems, flashbacks or memories that arrive uninvited
- Difficulty trusting, or a pattern of relationships that repeat
- Being tired of explaining race, culture, faith or family to a therapist
How we'd work on it
- Safety and stabilisation first, pacing, grounding and choice at every step
- You decide what we talk about and when; no pressure to disclose details
- Anti-oppressive practice that holds racism, migration, faith and family context
- Careful, consent-led processing when and if you're ready
What sessions feel like
Sessions are structured so you stay in control. If something is too much, we slow down, that is part of the work, not a setback.
Everything is virtual, by video or phone, for teens and adults located in Ontario.
Support through VQRP+
I'm a VQRP+ approved counsellor. Ontario's Victim Quick Response Program+ may cover short-term counselling at no cost to you after a violent crime, including domestic violence, sexual assault or human trafficking.
Support may be available to people harmed by a violent crime in Ontario, and some witnesses and immediate family members, when other resources, such as insurance, cannot cover the cost. You do not always need a police report, a local victim services agency can explain the reporting options and requirements that apply to your situation.
To ask about eligibility and apply, call Ontario's Victim Support Line at 1-888-579-2888 to connect with a local victim services agency. They can help with the application and confirm funding before sessions begin. Time limits apply, so ask as soon as you feel able. If approved, you can ask to work with me.
Funding is not automatic, the program determines eligibility and what is covered. Read Ontario's victim services information. This funding pathway is not an emergency service. If you are in immediate danger, call 911.
Related reading from the Wellness Café
- WorksheetMy safety plan: options for support and safer next steps, Options for support, safer contact and next steps while staying, preparing to leave or after leaving, wherever you are.
- WorksheetWhat helps, what doesn't: a gentle worksheet, A page to fill in slowly: what helps you feel safe, what doesn't, and what you'd like someone to understand about where you come from.
- GuideGrounding when you feel overwhelmed, Five short practices to steady your body when anxiety spikes, with space to note which ones actually work for you.
- GuideSetting boundaries when saying no feels hard, Plain scripts for saying no at work and at home, plus what to do with the guilt that shows up afterwards.
A few honest questions
- Do I have to retell my whole story?
- No. You decide what you share and when. We can work on how trauma lives in your body and your present life without you narrating every detail of what happened.
- What does a first session look like?
- A conversation, not an interrogation. We talk about what's bringing you in, what safety looks like for you, and what you'd like to be different. You set the pace from the first minute.
- Will I have to explain my culture or faith first?
- No. Culturally responsive care means your context is held from the start, not treated as something you need to educate me about before we can begin.
- New parent support & postpartum adjustmentBecoming a parent can be tender, disorienting and lonely all at once. You can love your baby deeply and still grieve the life, body and rhythm you had before.
- Professional & caregiver burnoutYou're the reliable one. At work, at home, in your family. From the outside it looks like you're managing, inside, you're running on empty and quietly resentful about it.
- Life transitions, feeling stuck, starting freshSomething ended, or something needs to. You're between chapters, and the in-between is uncomfortable, even when the change is one you chose.
- Anxiety & overthinking, when your mind won't switch offYour mind is always three steps ahead, replaying conversations, bracing for what could go wrong. It's exhausting, and it's not a personality flaw.
- Relationships & communication, feeling heard and connectedThe same argument keeps coming back. Or you swallow what you need to say to keep the peace. Either way, you're tired of feeling unheard.