Hi, I'm Trish
I have worked in the mental health field for 20 years supporting folks who are struggling with anxiety, sadness, feelings of anger, loneliness and social struggles, attention and learning difficulties, struggles around gender and sexuality, family conflict, and behaviour challenges.
I am a registered social worker and have a Masters of Social Work Degree from the university of Toronto.
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I value diverse ways of thinking and being in the world and welcome the opportunity to work with folks from all backgrounds and family structures. I am committed to equity and inclusion work within myself, in my work and in my community. As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I am particularly experienced at working with LGBTQ+ folks, as well as parents looking to support their children’s journeys.
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My style is warm, practical and collaborative. I believe we are all stronger and wiser than we realize, but that life’s challenges can make that hard for us to see. When I'm working with clients I like to create a space where you can explore your own knowledge about what works and what doesn’t. At the same time, where it's helpful I also offer concrete tools, strategies and experiences that have worked for others.
When working with youth, I'm passionate about and committed to involving parents and caregivers as much as possible.
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It takes a lot of courage and strength to reach out when you or someone you love is struggling, so kudos to you for being here. I look forward to chatting further about if or how I can support you.
My specialities
Neurodiversity
I've spent the bulk of my career working at Integra (now the Child Development Institute) in the Learning Disabilities program, and work well with folks who think and act outside the box including those who identify as or have been diagnosed with LDs, ADHD, and Autistic Individuals. I understand that therapy is learning and that approaches must always be tailored to you unique way of seeing the world.
LGBTQ+
As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I am particularly experienced at working with LGBTQ+ folks (including those who are nonbinary), as well as parents looking to support their children’s journeys.
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I am respectful and supportive of all kinds of family structures including single, multi-parent, poly and blended families.
Life After High School
Now more than ever, the time when you're leaving highschool and moving onto your next chapter can be uncertain, stressful, confusing or lonely. I've worked for years with highschoolers and young adults who are navigating that transition.
Parenting and Co-Parenting
One of my biggest passions is supporting the parents and loved ones of those who are struggling. I use emotion-focused models and skills training to support you to help your loved one heal or grow.
Emotion Regulation
I frequently work from Emotion Focused models which are especially well suited to helping youth and adults with managing their difficult and painful emotions and develop efficacy with emotions.
Emotion efficacy (the ability to face, tolerate and even transform difficult emotions) is a powerful tool in addressing many mental health struggles.
Clinical Consultation
I also provide clinical consultation to Masters Level clinicians (MSW, RP, etc)
My areas of specialty/focus for consultation are: working with neurodiverse individuals (LDs, ADHD and Autistic); LGBTQ+ focus and concerns, emotion-focused parenting modalities, clinical practice for new therapists.