MEMBERSHIP SPOTLIGHT
Welcome to our member spotlight.
Learn about members all over Ontario, especially in the more remote regions, the diversity of approaches and the population that our members serve.
Would you like to be featured in the next Member Spotlight? Just fill in our quick survey and tell us about yourself. If chosen, your spotlight will also be shared on OSRP's social media platforms.
SPOTLIGHTS...
 November 2024 This was my first chat with a Qualifying member, and I was excited to meet her. Mahzad is warm, caring, and passionate about helping others. She shared her career path, which began with a BA in psychology and sociology. She started working with the autism community by volunteering and eventually found a job in the field. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she decided to pursue psychotherapy and attended Yorkville University. Mahzad currently holds three roles: a full-time care coordinator position in the autism space with Access OAP, an independent contractor role at a private clinic, and she facilitates a weekly group therapy session for families with loved ones in rehab. She loves her work with the autism population and plans to focus more in that area moving forward. We also talked about the importance of self-care for therapists. We agreed that, as therapists, taking care of our own well-being is essential to continue providing quality support to our clients. She’s mindful of the need to set boundaries, prioritize rest, and engage in activities that rejuvenate her. Our conversation reinforced how self-care isn’t just about relaxation — it’s about creating sustainable habits that prevent burnout and help therapists stay grounded, resilient, and present for those they serve. Outside of work, Mahzad enjoys long walks, reading fiction (currently reading The Nightingale), practising yoga, and spending time with her pets. I even got to meet her cat, Pishi, who was sleeping as we chatted on Zoom. Although she identifies as an introvert, she cherishes her social connections as a source of emotional nourishment. Mahzad can be reached via https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/therapists/mahzad-ghahremani-toronto-on/1352712. Mahzad has been an OSRP member since 2022 and has less than 100 hours to go before becoming a Clinical member. Thank you, Mahzad, for being part of the OSRP. |
October 2024
As I reflect on my recent conversation with Alethia, our very own OSRP board member and Protect Committee Chair, I am reminded of the importance of our shared experiences in psychotherapy and community engagement. Alethia has been a psychotherapist since 2017, but her journey spans over two decades, working with adolescents and adults in various hospital settings. Her extensive background in emergency departments and psychiatric stabilization units has shaped her understanding of mental health care forBlack and marginalized communities.
Our dialogue delved into the evolution of mental health interventions, particularly concerning the Black community. Alethia raised valid concerns about the initial Eurocentric focus of these interventions, emphasizing the necessity for culturally sensitive approaches that consider family involvement and community support. This perspective resonates deeply with me as I find it so important that as psychotherapists, we create treatment plans that are not only effective but also respectful of individual identities and cultural backgrounds. Throughout our discussion, I was inspired by Alethia's commitment to personal growth and community outreach.
Alethia also spoke about her practice called , where she not only offers individual therapy, along with two interns, she also organizes wellness retreats that incorporate mindfulness, meditation, yoga, and nutrition — her first event attracted 50 attendees! She brings the same energy for community outreach and self-healing to the OSRP through the various offerings of the Protect Committee.
Alethia’s two student interns are offering free counselling to young adults ages 18-30 until April 2025, and starting in November, Alethia is starting a DBT group for women of colour.
Feel free to reach out to her via alethia@mindsilike.com, or through her website to find out more.
Thank you, Alethia, for chatting with me.
September 2024
Alice is a lively and passionate human. We spent our time talking about her journey to becoming a therapist and what matters to her in her work. She shared her positive experience with therapy during her teenage years, her volunteer work at Jesse's and Sistering, Assaulted Women's and Children's Counsellor/Advocate Diploma at George Brown College, and her ultimate decision to apply for a 5-year experiential psychotherapy training program at OPC to further her personal growth and become the therapist she aspired to be.
Alice does standup comedy and loves to read and see impactful films. She just saw the film “Hard Truths” at TIFF festival and recommended the book Love Me Tender by Constance Debray, which I’m looking into.
Alice has an office in central Toronto and offers a combination of in-person and virtual sessions. She works mostly with queer young adults and has a trauma-informed and anti-oppressive approach to therapy. She is accepting clients at the moment and can be contacted via: https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/therapists/alice-blackwell-toronto-on/1122544.
Thank you Alice for this inspiring conversation. Your energy is contagious!
July 2024
It’s always a treat to chat with OSRP members and this one was no exception. Ellis has been a practicing psychotherapist for 20 years. Like most psychotherapists, he wanted his life to impact others positively. Through his training it became clear that he wanted to have a broader impact than on just an individual; he wanted to create the possibility of generational change. So, he pursued a master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy at Tyndale University, believing that if a couple can change their negative patterns into positive, connected patterns, then a new normal would be modeled for their children, thus creating the possibility of generational change. I couldn’t agree more.
Ellis’ practice has two locations, one in Mississauga and the other in Downtown Toronto, and serves clients virtually and in person. His modalities include EFT, narrative therapy, CBT, and Internal Family Systems theory.
Ellis’ self-care practice includes running, and listening to podcasts, particularly one hosted by Lex Friedman, who explores the balance between science and the human condition
Ellis’ clinic is accepting clients at the moment, and can be found through the link below:
Thank you, Ellis, for a lovely chat. I wish you and your practice health and success!
June 2024
Kennedy has been practising psychotherapy for the past 10 years. She started as an addiction counsellor which she found very interesting but it felt like something was missing… like a Band-Aid for the trauma that was clearly underneath. So she decided to pursue her education at Yorkville University and obtain her masters in counseling psychology. She now utilizes Psychodynamic, Relational, PACT, RLT as her main modalities and her practice areas of focus are trauma, addiction and couples counselling.
Kennedy is also a new mother to 10-week-old Tyler, who slept soundly during our conversation. I asked her about her self-care practices, and she mentioned that she does yoga several times a week, loves detective shows and work-related reading. She’s currently reading “in each other’s care” by Stan Tatkin.
Kennedy has learned that being a real person in the sessions is important. She takes a soft and gentle, yet no-nonsense approach in her practice. I could feel her realness during our chat too.
She is accepting new clients in her exclusively virtual practice and can be found here
May 2024
Adam is a Registered Psychotherapist and is the founder of First Step Men’s Therapy Clinic in Ottawa. He began his therapy journey in 2016 after returning from Dubai. Life had hit a crisis point and he felt lost. He happened upon a conversation with a psychologist on a panel discussion on TV and felt an inkling to contact the therapist. In therapy, he found the healing power of vulnerability and decided to create the same space for other men. He started First Step Men’s Therapy to create a safe space for men to open up, feel supported, and challenge the stigma and shame they can feel about mental health and therapy. The clinic has 17 practitioners of diverse backgrounds and modalities. They offer individual and couples counselling, low cost, and pro bono sessions to make this service accessible to as many men as possible and serve all of Ontario virtually.
Adam shared that at the beginning of his practice, he wanted to fix his clients’ problems, relationships, and emotions. He now understands that he can best serve his clients by holding space and trusting the process. In his practice, he uses Narrative, Emotion-Focused, Attachment Theory, Motivational Interviewing, CBT, CSAT, and Person-Centered therapeutic modalities.
He's passionate about his work and is in the process of opening more clinics across Ontario and starting group therapy for men this year.
Adam has allocated Mondays as self-care days and loves to exercise, spend time in solitude and in nature, and has recently been inspired by the author and Hindu priest Dandapani’s talks.
April 2024
Diviya and I had a dynamic chat about her work, what matters to her in the field of psychotherapy, and some of our core responsibilities as therapists. I am genuinely excited about the new generation of psychotherapists entering the field and feel lucky that so many of them are choosing the OSRP as their professional homebase.
Diviya is warm, articulate, and passionate about the work we do as therapists, and especially interested in decolonizing psychotherapeutic spaces from the old, rigid models of being that are not equitable, inclusive, or diverse. She is a graduate of Yorkville University and utilizes Relational Somatic IFS (Internal Family Systems) in her practice. She shared that therapy was not part of her inherited culture, but after trying therapy and seeing the deeply positive impact on her sense of self and her relationship with the colonized aspect of her culture, she decided to pursue it as a career and a calling.
Decolonization of self, culture, and therapeutic practices is at the heart of her work with clients. She mentioned that part of the reason she joined the OSRP was the Society’s commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion practices. She calls on the board and the Society to do more to further the practice toward liberation from colonized systems of being.
She finds solace and inspiration in nature and shared with me some of her current reading material:
The Pain We Carry: Healing from Complex PTSD for People of Color by Natalie Gutierrez
For anyone interested, she’s also a co-founder of a listserv that has Equity and Justice as their core principal: Therapists of Equity & Justice
Diviya is accepting clients at the moment and can be found here: https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/therapists/diviya-lewis-toronto-on/408104
Thank you, Diviya, for sharing your contagious passion with us!
March 2024
Our first Member Spotlight features Rosetta Racco, RP. She works with neurodivergent children, adolescents (3-22 years of age), and Autistics of all ages, and their families. She’s accepting new clients at the moment and offers sessions both online and in person.
I had a fascinating conversation with her about her life/work experience that spans over three decades. She has worked in various professional roles such as an Early Childhood Educator, Resource Consultant for Ministry of Children & Youth, Behaviour Therapist, Infant Mental Health & Family Counsellor etc. She’s also lived and worked in Africa and the UAE and brings this rich diversity to her practice with clients.
She realized her own neurodivergence when pursuing her education in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis. It helped her make sense of her life-long passion, deepened her practice in the way she supports not only her clients, but also their families.
Fortunately, Neurodivergnece has started to become a more positive movement with neuro affirming aspects and she feels lucky to be a part of this age of inclusivity. Brava Rosetta!
Outside of work, she enjoys long walks in nature, reading and self study through books, podcasts and articles.