WELCOME

To grow yourself,
start from knowing yourself....... 

ABOUT MY PRACTICE

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Hello! You’re very welcome.  I am so glad you found me and my website.  I am a Registered Psychotherapist in the Province of Ontario. I provide therapy to individuals aged 18 and older who would like compassionate, practical, objective, and emotional support.

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Areas I have a special interest in assisting you in are:

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• Gaining insights into your life and patterns of behavior that are keeping you stuck

• Identifying repetitive negative thought patterns that are causing mental upset or pain in your life

• Learning what is the narrative (story) you are telling yourself about your life. Where did the story come from? Is it true? Is it assisting you or limiting you in your life?

• Identifying and engaging your strengths (we all have them!) to help you cope

• Figuring out are your early life experiences still having an impact on you. It is my belief there are times we need to look back and heal before being able to move forward in life

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Therapeutic modalities I use as a therapist:

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• Psychodynamic Therapy – talk therapy where I help you gain insight into your life and present-day problems. Through talking about your life and in particular your emotions, thoughts, early life experiences, and your belief system we can gain valuable insight into who you are. This also assists us in recognizing recurring patterns in your life and coping mechanisms you have created to survive. By achieving this insight it allows us to begin changing patterns that no longer work for you.

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or CBT – in this modality we identify and address unhelpful thought patterns or problematic thoughts you may be having. The idea behind CBT is that certain feelings or beliefs you have about yourself or situations in your life can lead to distress.  Once we notice and learn what your individual patterns are, together, with my assistance, you can begin learning to question your thoughts - are they even true? What is the evidence for and against these thoughts? We also work on reframing your thoughts in a more positive and helpful way.

• Somatic therapy – this approach operates off the idea that what happens to you in your life is stored not only in your mind but also in your body, somatic therapy sessions include talk therapy and mind-body exercises (grounding exercises, guided visualization, mindfulness) which lead to a deeper healing of hurts, pain, and traumas.

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Areas I have a special interest in as a Registered Psychotherapist are:

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• anxious thoughts

• relationship issues

• low self-esteem & self -worth

• complicated family-of-origin relationships

• learning to develop, deepen and strengthen the relationship with self

• career issues (workplace stress & anxiety, career change, job loss)

• communication skills (learning to speak up for yourself,  standing firm and loving in who you are - ie boundary setting)

• grief (loss of a loved one, relationship, job)

• life transitions (moving to a new country, retirement, becoming a parent, empty-nester)

• infertility (I have lived experience)

• pregnancy loss (I have lived experience)

If what I have said resonates with you and you feel we may be a good fit to work together, I offer a free 15-minute phone consultation to potential clients to chat and answer any questions you may have. 

Feeling at ease and comfortable with your therapist is a large predictor of success in the therapist/client relationship. Email me at mary@solasmentalhealth.ca to connect.