• Master of Social Work (MSW) degree, University of Toronto, 1995

  • BA (Honours) in Psychology, York University, 1993

  • Ontario Registered Social Worker (RSW)

  • ACE-Certified Health Coach (ACE-HC)

  • ACE Gold-Certified Medical Exercise Specialist (ACE-MES)

  • ACE-Certified Personal Trainer (ACE-PT)

  • AAHFRP-Certified Post Rehabilitation Conditioning Specialist

It all began in my high school library when I was fifteen, the moment I discovered a book by Sigmund Freud.  I loved helping people, and was amazed that there was an entire discipline devoted to this!  My earliest counselling experience was as a teenager, which involved the drama of assisting girlfriends with their problems.  This, in turn, led to many summers as a camp counsellor, and eventually to an undergraduate degree in psychology.  Although I had planned from a young age to pursue a career in clinical psychology, the frontline nature of social work was considerably more captivating and I received my MSW from the University of Toronto in 1995.  

My extensive experience in social work involved some interesting experiences.  For example, I was held hostage not once, but twice!: at a youth shelter by a young man hoping to extort money from the staff for a ticket back to Vancouver, and another time at a group home, by a developmentally disabled resident’s irate ex-boyfriend.  On another occasion, I was nearly assaulted by a participant in the poetry discussion group I led at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (then Queen Street Mental Health Centre), who did not agree with my interpretation of the T.S. Eliot poem “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”. 

Somehow, I survived these experiences and continued to work for many years in group homes for adults with developmental disabilities and dual diagnoses, adding diversity to my skill set by counselling youth with addiction issues; street youth and youth involved in prostitution; gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered teenagers; children, adolescents, and families at the Toronto District School Board; HIV+ women; parents of children with special needs; and adults with chronic pain and complex health issues.   

Little known facts about me: I became a long distance runner after breaking my neck in 1996.  I once worked as a chicken farmer on a kibbutz in Israel.  I volunteered at Distress Centre when I was an undergrad.  I climbed the highest mountain in mainland Spain (Mulhacen), and Mount Olympus in Greece!  I hiked the West Coast Trail, and across Zion National Park in Utah. I was once involved in the Native solidarity movement.  I met my husband on a mountain in the Spanish Pyrenees.  I am a published poet.  I have a penchant for historical fiction.  I love animals!

I am married and have three boys, ages 20, 19, and 17.  In my parenting life, I have experience with ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, learning disabilities, childhood anxiety, and giftedness.  

My psychotherapy practice includes work with adults, couples, families, and teenagers.  I believe that every client who enters my practice is someone I was meant to know, and to support.  I believe in the magic and beauty of pure, simple human connection.  Truly being seen by another human being is the most powerful experience possible – which is why this fundamental concept underlies my practice model.

To be sure, I always knew that my life’s work was supposed to include helping others.  I am honoured and humbled that I have been at this for 28 years, and hope to be at it for many more!