I’m Teresa, a registered Social Worker. I’ve been working in the mental health field in Ontario for over 20 years. The majority of this time has been spent working at different Children’s Mental Health agencies in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and Halton Region. And during the COVID-19 pandemic, I started my private practice.
Whether in an agency or my private practice, I always focus on building supportive, therapeutic relationships with my clients and working collaboratively with them as well as those around them to work towards their treatment goals.
My areas of specialty include:
- anxiety
- children’s mental health/parenting
- grief
- trauma
I’m creative and compassionate in my work with my clients. I often use Mindfulness-Based Interventions and the Expressive Arts in my work, along with Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). Additional models I use are Solution-Focused Brief Therapy and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. In all cases I use a trauma-informed and culturally sensitive approach.
I completed my undergraduate and masters degrees in Psychology and Social Work through York University and the University of Toronto (U of T). In addition, I’ve completed the U of T Foundational and Specialized certificate programs in Mindfulness and Meditation. I have also completed training in trauma assessment and treatment with Geraldine Crisci (co-author of “Paper Dolls & Paper Airplanes”), Bessel van der Kolk (author of “The Body Keeps the Score”) and David Treleaven (author of “Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness”).
When I’m not working or in “mom mode”, you’ll find me on my mat in a yoga pose or meditating, reading with a good cup of tea or enjoying nature in my backyard or on a hike.
