“I think one of the most common misconceptions about mental health is that it represents weakness, or is the ‘fault’ of the individual… that if you only did more, worked harder, or were more positive, or less sensitive, then the hardship wouldn’t exist. And that typically isn’t true. Bad things happen to good people, and often for no good reason… I believe context is central to mental health, and I make room to address this, and the role of systemic and institutionalized injustices, cultural oppression, and “right effort”, in understanding anyone I work with.” -Dr. Sabina Sarin
Areas of Specialization
I have been working in the field for nearly 20 years, studying and treating mood difficulties (complex grief, loss, depression, worry, anxiety), body image and eating challenges (bingeing, restricting, purging, body dysmorphia), sexual difficulties (low desire, low arousal, anorgasmia), relationship challenges (communication, intimacy anxiety/ avoidance, control struggles), and identity struggles (low self worth, loss of hope/ faith, confusion, boundary impairment). I specialize in working with queer, and BIPOC (black, indigenous, people of colour) women with histories of attachment, developmental and adult traumas (e.g. CPTSD, PTSD) that have contributed to any one of the above symptoms. I also particularly welcome anyone that has struggled to find their “place” or to feel a sense of “belonging”, in their families or communities, and those that connect to being “neuroatypical” or “highly sensitive”.
Approach
I take a holistic, authentic, and relational approach to therapy (healing-centred) and aim to treat the “whole” of you, and not just your symptoms. Together, we will view your symptoms (e.g. sadness, anxiety) within the context that they developed and for the function they serve. Within the context of a self-empowering and egalitarian space, we will treat what underlies the symptoms, and build new skills to replace the old strategies at a pace that feels right for you.
My approach is fundamentally rooted in trauma informed care: consent and choice-based, clear, and couched in a lens that is humanistic, feminist, context-based, dynamic. I believe safe spaces are co-created, and will work with you to build a trust-based healing space, where you do not need to “pretend to be something you’re not”… I will embrace tough conversations with you, take an interest in who you actually are, and who you want to be. I will help you safely explore your challenges, learn new skills, and move forward in the skin of a stronger, more resilient, embodied, and authentic version of yourself.
One of my particular strengths is in helping people get in touch with their bodies (and “out of their heads) in order to “feel and heal”. Through this process, the body is given permission to express its truth, and to transform its pain. I enter this kind of relationship with the intention of helping people renegotiate intimacy and safety with themselves and others, and aim to infuse this process with curiosity, mindful choice and awareness, and pleasure… Another passion for me is in helping people identifying with oppressed groups find their way forward and upward in today’s world, without sacrificing their experiences, or truth.
Theoretical Orientations/ Training
I bring to our work my training in empirically supported therapies such as Cognitive Behavioural (CBT), Mindfulness (MBSR and MBCT), Internal Family Systems (IFS), Humanistic, Existential, Psychodynamic, Emotion-Focussed, Insight-Acceptance Oriented and of course, Somatic Therapies (SE, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, Somatic Attachment Work), Movement and Expressive Arts Practices.
