Hi, I’m Monica.
I’m so glad you’re here.

Taking the first step is often the scariest one. When you walk into your therapy session with me, you can expect to be met with warmth and empathy. Know that it’s natural to feel nervous if this is your first time trying therapy, and anytime you start seeing a new therapist. We’ll work together to shake out the nervous jitters and create a space built on safety and trust. 

I view people as having many different “parts” that have been shaped through life experiences - important relationships, significant life events, and trauma. I also look at the external context of where these parts of you developed. Many times, people are coming into therapy because the parts that developed to protect them might now be keeping them in patterns that no longer serve them.

For example, maybe when you were young, you felt let down by your caregivers. You learned how to make your needs small and had to figure out things on your own. You did what you needed to do to protect yourself and your feelings. But now as an adult, you find yourself stuck in a pattern of craving closeness while also struggling to get vulnerable or allow yourself to depend on others.

Using approaches like Internal Family Systems, Attachment Theory, Trauma Informed Stabilization Treatment, Solution Focused Therapy, and and mindfulness can help us make sense of parts of you that feel “stuck” in patterns.

Together, we’ll meet these parts of you with compassion, understand their roles, and gently work towards change that feels more authentic and aligned with who you want to be.

While I work in many areas of mental health, my specialities are in trauma & complex trauma (including sexual assault, childhood abuse and neglect, traumatic grief), depression, anxiety, suicide ideation, relationship issues (both individually or in couples counselling), stress and burnout.