I am a licensed clinical psychologist, somatic experiencing (body-based) practitioner, educator, yoga & mindfulness teacher, expressive arts practitioner …
and a perpetual student of life.

I completed my formal education in clinical psychology and gender studies at the universities of McGill (BSc., Ph.D) and Yale (M.A., M.Sc.), and my informal education through traveling, self inquiry, communing with nature, moving my body, and navigating relationships with all of life’s creatures.

Having always been curious and reflective, I became interested in mental health struggles and social injustices at a very young age, but began my formal training in the year 1998. I spent approximately 15 years in the academic world, researching and publishing articles and book chapters in the areas of trauma, sexual dysfunction, mood disorders, and eating disorders. I have shared my work and ideas at numerous international conferences, and in several media interviews, and have worked as an Assistant Professor, teaching and supervising students/ other therapists in numerous hospitals and universities, including my alma mater, McGill University.

I exited academia in 2016 to travel and work with impoverished communities, including Tibetan refugees, Indian child brides and Nepalese sexual trafficking survivors. Enlightened by these experiences, I ultimately returned to Canada to teach, supervise and practice psychotherapy, and to learn more about helping survivors heal and grow from traumatic experiences, especially through somatic work. I remain enamored with the scientific study of the impact of hardship on relationships between mind-body-spirit, and continue to write, educate/ train, and share my ideas with various communities in the public and private sectors.

My psychotherapy practice has evolved greatly over the years, just as I have. I initially approached therapy from a western cultural lens, but gradually diversified to include more eastern, traditional, and spiritual healing practices (somatics, movement - yoga, dance, sound/ drumming, and creative arts). 

Taken in Kathmandu, Nepal near SASANE.

In addition to being trained in diverse empirically-supported psychotherapy methods (CBT/ CPT, DBT, ACT, psychodynamic, systems, existential),  I have also completed certified trainings in hatha and therapeutic yoga, trauma informed yoga, breath regulation techniques (pranayama), mindfulness based cognitive therapy (MBCT) and mindfulness based stress reduction (MBSR). Most recently, I became certified in somatic experiencing (SEP), somatic attachment therapy, sensorimotor psychotherapy, brainspotting, IFS, and expressive arts therapies (5 rhythms, authentic movement, ecstatic dance, sound work, and reiki).

As a BIPOC, gender fluid and neurodiverse woman, I remain passionate about treating difficulties relating to early developmental/ attachment traumas (e.g., physical, sexual, emotional abuse/ neglect) and collective traumas (gender inequality, patriarchy, colonialism, racism, consumerism/ human commodification, stigmatization/ ostracization of marginalized groups). I apply a scientific mindset to understanding how these experiences contribute to blockages/ illness in the body and to harmful mental patterns. My aim is to help people face and overcome their blockages, complete what is unfinished in the past, and move forward in an embodied way, with a stronger connection to one’s own truth, inner power, and integrity.

Outside of all of this, I dabble in the martial arts, rock climbing, painting, horseback riding, and creating music (singing, drumming, DJ’ing). These practices are constantly evolving, and I am often awed by the kinds of changes possible through these embodied methods of healing. I bring all of this to my work with my clients in a holistic and humanistic framework.