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Specialized Care
Trauma doesn't have to
run the show
anymore.
Trauma-informed therapy that meets you where you are — your thoughts, your body, and the different parts of you that have been trying to keep you safe. Your therapist shapes the work around what you actually need.
- A shared toolkit — IFS, Somatic Experiencing, CFT & ACT
- Paced to your nervous system — never flooding
- Covered by most insurance plans — receipts issued after every session
- Virtual across Ontario or in-person in Toronto near Ossington station
Trauma isn't just a memory —
it's something the body carries too.
Maybe you find yourself on edge for no clear reason, or numb when you wish you could feel something. Maybe part of you wants to move forward while another part feels stuck, guarded, or unsafe letting go. Maybe you've tried to just "think your way through it," and it hasn't been enough — because trauma doesn't only live in your thoughts.
Whatever you're carrying — a single event, ongoing or childhood trauma, or a nervous system that's been on high alert for longer than you can remember — we work with you at a pace that respects what your system can actually handle.
Does Any of This Sound Familiar?
Trauma shows up differently for everyone. Here is what we hear from clients — in their own words.
In the body and nervous system…
- You feel fine one moment and completely flooded the next — and you can't always predict what will trigger it.
- You're constantly scanning for danger, even in situations that are objectively safe.
- Sleep doesn't come easily, or you wake up already on edge.
- You can talk about what happened, but you don't feel much of anything when you do.
- Your body reacts — racing heart, tight chest, shaking — before your mind even knows why.
In relationships and daily life…
- Part of you wants help, and part of you doesn't trust anyone enough to let them in.
- Self-criticism runs loud and constant — often louder than anything anyone else has said to you.
- You've quietly stopped doing things, seeing people, or going places that used to matter to you.
- Trusting people — or letting yourself feel close to them — feels harder than it should.
- You function well on the outside, while carrying something heavier underneath that no one else sees.
If you recognized yourself above, you're in the right place. You don't need a tidy narrative or a formal diagnosis to start.
Meet Your Trauma-Informed Therapists
Each of our therapists brings their own training and blend of approaches to trauma work. Browse the team below, or let a free consult help you find the right fit.
Joel Mayer
MDiv, RP, Certified Clinical Anxiety Treatment Professional (CCATP)
Registered Psychotherapist & Clinical Supervisor
Joel brings a warm, collaborative approach grounded in ACT, helping clients build a different relationship with difficult thoughts and feelings while reconnecting with what matters most to them. Ask him directly during your consult how he tends to work with trauma specifically.
Book with Joel
Khadhija Baig
MSW, RSW
Registered Social Worker
Khadhija takes a collaborative, trauma-informed approach, drawing on somatic experiencing, DBT, motivational interviewing, and mindfulness-based practices. She brings particular warmth and cultural sensitivity to working with clients navigating complex or cross-cultural trauma.
Book with Khadhija
Armaan Amlani-Kurji
RP, RN, BScN, MACP
Registered Psychotherapist & Registered Nurse
Armaan brings a mind-body perspective to his clinical work, integrating ACT with attentiveness to the physical experience of distress. Ask him directly during your consult how he tends to work with trauma specifically.
Book with ArmaanEvery therapist draws on a different combination of IFS, Somatic Experiencing, CFT, and ACT. A free consultation is the easiest way to find out how a specific therapist tends to approach trauma work.
Trauma doesn't always
look like what you'd expect.
Many people put off reaching out because what they're carrying doesn't match the picture of trauma they have in their head — a single catastrophic event, dramatic flashbacks, an obvious "before and after." Trauma responses are often quieter, slower, and easier to miss than that.
Long-standing or relational trauma, in particular, tends to get dismissed — including by the person living with it — because there was no single moment to point to. That doesn't make it any less real, or any less worth addressing.
If something has always felt different about the way you carry your history, it's worth talking to someone who works with trauma specifically. A free consultation is a low-pressure place to start.
You Don't Need a "Big" Event
Chronic stress, neglect, unstable relationships, or ongoing invalidation can shape the nervous system just as significantly as a single dramatic incident.
Numbness Is a Trauma Response Too
Not everyone responds to trauma with visible distress. Shutdown, disconnection, and feeling "nothing" are just as much a survival response as fear or panic.
It's Not Always Flashbacks
Trauma can show up as chronic tension, irritability, difficulty concentrating, or a persistent sense that something is wrong — without a single intrusive memory.
High-Functioning Doesn't Mean Unaffected
You can hold down a job, maintain relationships, and appear entirely put-together while still carrying significant, unprocessed trauma underneath.
What This Can Actually Feel Like
No single modality addresses every layer of trauma, and no two people need the exact same combination. Each of our therapists brings their own training and blend of approaches, shaped around your history, nervous system, and pace.
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
For clients whose therapist draws on IFS, this often means making sense of the different "parts" at play inside — the part that keeps you busy or in control, the part that shuts down, and the more vulnerable part they're both trying to protect. Rather than fighting these parts, you build a relationship with them, so they can trust you to lead from a calmer, more grounded place.
Parts WorkSomatic Experiencing
If insight alone hasn't been enough — you understand what happened, but your body still reacts as if it's happening now — a therapist trained in Somatic Experiencing may bring in more body-based work. Sessions slow down to notice sensation and activation as they arise, moving in small increments so your nervous system can release what got stuck without becoming overwhelmed.
Body-BasedCompassion-Focused Therapy (CFT)
Many clients arrive carrying deep shame or a harsh inner critic. Where CFT is part of the work, it helps make sense of that pattern and builds a real capacity for self-compassion — not as a platitude, but as a practiced, felt-in-the-body skill that can settle the nervous system over time.
Self-CompassionAcceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Trauma has a way of quietly narrowing life. Many clients find it useful to bring ACT into this stage of the work — building a different relationship with difficult thoughts and feelings, while reconnecting with what matters most to you, so life can open back up again.
Values-OrientedYour therapist, your combination. These aren't four boxes to check off — they're a shared toolkit our therapists draw on differently depending on their training and what fits you. One person's work might lean heavily on somatic, body-based sessions; another's might centre on parts work with ACT woven through. During your consultation, it's worth asking a therapist directly how they tend to work with trauma, so you know what to expect.
Who We Work With
Whatever brought you here, you don't need a tidy narrative or a formal diagnosis to start.
Trauma & PTSD Presentations
Common presentations we support:
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- Complex trauma (C-PTSD) & childhood trauma
- Single-incident trauma (accidents, assault, medical events)
- Attachment wounds & relational trauma
- Racial, cultural & intergenerational trauma
- Dissociation, shutdown & emotional numbing
What Often Comes Along With It
Related patterns we frequently see alongside trauma:
- Hypervigilance & a nervous system stuck "on"
- Flashbacks, intrusive memories, or nightmares
- Chronic shame & harsh self-criticism
- Difficulty trusting others or feeling safe in relationships
- Avoidance that's begun to shrink your world
- Anxiety or panic connected to past experiences
Not sure if what you're carrying counts as "trauma"?
That's exactly what a free consultation is for. We'll listen, share our perspective, and answer your questions — with no pressure to commit to anything.
What Makes Our Approach Different
Trauma work, done at a pace your system can trust.
Paced, Not Flooding
We never require you to recount trauma in overwhelming detail before you're ready. Processing happens in small, manageable increments your nervous system can integrate.
Body-Inclusive
We treat the body as a source of information, not just a symptom to manage — because much of what trauma leaves behind lives below conscious thought.
Parts-Honouring, Not Pathologizing
Protective patterns — avoidance, numbing, anger, people-pleasing — are understood as adaptations that once made sense, not flaws to eliminate.
Grounded in Your Values
Healing isn't only about symptom reduction. We keep circling back to what matters most to you, and what a fuller life looks like on the other side of this.
How It Works
Getting started is straightforward. Here's what to expect from your first contact through to ongoing treatment.
Free 15-Min Consult
Book online — usually available within 48 hours. We'll talk through what you're carrying and answer any questions.
Careful, Unhurried Assessment
Your therapist takes time to understand your history and nervous system before deciding on an approach — never assuming a fixed protocol fits.
A Plan Shaped Around You
Together, you and your therapist decide which combination of approaches fits — IFS, somatic work, CFT, ACT, or some blend of them.
Ongoing Sessions & Review
Regular sessions at your pace, with honest check-ins along the way so the approach can shift as you do.
Trauma isn't what happened to you — it's what happened inside you as a result. Healing isn't about erasing the past. It's about no longer needing to brace against it.
— A guiding idea in our trauma-informed work
Speak with a Therapist — Free ConsultCommon Questions
Honest answers to the questions we hear most often.
Still have questions? We'd be glad to talk.
A free 15-minute consultation is a no-pressure conversation — ask us anything about trauma, our approach, or what the process looks like.
Take the First Step
You don't have to have the
whole story figured out to start.
Whatever you're carrying, you deserve support from someone who takes trauma seriously and works at a pace your system can trust. A free 15-minute consultation is a no-obligation place to begin.
