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Hi, I’m Cara!

FAMILY THERAPIST FOR YOUR MOST MEANINGFUL RELATIONSHIPS

I am a Registered Psychotherapist and Certified Educator who works with parents, couples, families, and individuals. I’m a real and imperfect person specializing in family systems with a focus on families who have neurodiverse members, neurodivergent individuals, or people who are dealing with challenging circumstances. I have a passion for art, music, parts work, and kids!

I have a passion for art, music, parts work, and kids, and I’m committed to lifelong unlearning of supremist, patriarchal values and  applying an anti-oppressive, intersectional, trauma-informed, and de-colonial approach to therapy.

If you're looking for a therapist who sees the bigger picture and helps you navigate your life with awareness, care, and liberation in mind, let’s connect.

My approach to therapy.

My approach to therapy.

In sessions and in life, I aim to be collaborative, person-centred, strengths-based, and anti-oppressive.

As a parent, partner, friend, and psychotherapist, I maintain that every child and person has a multitude of skills and unique values.

And as your therapist, my goal is to tune into both your individual learning processes and your distinct lived experiences, applying this knowledge to our therapeutic process.

Therapy isn’t neutral, because the world we live in isn’t.

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As a therapist, I don’t believe in “staying neutral” when neutrality itself upholds harm. I believe healing work is deeply connected to resisting oppressive systems, and our sessions will honour the complexity of your experiences.

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Whether you're exploring personal growth, setting boundaries with family, unlearning internalized messages, or figuring out how to show up for yourself while engaging in justice work… I’m here to support you.

I understand (not just professionally but personally), what it means to navigate a world that often demands conformity at the expense of authenticity.

As a self-identified neurodiverse therapist with over a decade of experience working with twice-exceptional, autistic, ADHD, PDA, and ODD kids, I approach my work with deep empathy and an unwavering commitment to honouring each individual and family's unique experiences.

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I am queer-allied and committed to standing in solidarity with all marginalized groups. This means acknowledging systemic barriers that impact mental health, validating lived experiences, and fostering an environment where clients feel safe to explore their identities without fear of judgment.

I reject pathologizing narratives that frame neurodivergence or difference as something to be "fixed" and instead embrace a strengths-based, relational approach that prioritizes connection, consent, and collaboration over control and compliance.

A little bit personal:

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Art has always been part of my personal healing process.

I write, sing (soul and blues, mainly), play piano (I love to improvise jazz and blues and I embrace being not great at it!) and guitar, graphic design, and paint.

Being creative is something I find an asset in my therapy practice as well, especially when approaching Internal Family Systems. Integrating art into therapy sessions is often welcomed by, and beneficial for not only young people, but for clients of all ages.

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My Training & Education

    • Emotionally Focused Family Therapy (EFFT) Essentials: EFFT Level 1 & 2, Nancy T. Aikin and Kathryn de Bruin, 2024

    • IFS Immersion: Integrating Internal Family Systems (IFS) Across Clinical Applications, Dr. Richard Schwartz, Dr. Frank Anderson and others, 2024

    • Low Demand Parenting Summit, Amanda Diekman and others, 2024

    • Secure Parent, Secure Child: How a Parent’s Adult Attachment Influences the Attachment of the Child, Annette Kussin, MSW, RSW, RMFT, SickKids Learning, 2024

    • Guiding Cooperation Parenting Program, Dr. Chelsey Hauge-Zavaleta, 2023

    • Helping Trauma Survivors Level 1, Maureen MacDiarmid, 2022

    • Creative Interventions to Assess and Treat School Refusal, Liana Lowenstein, 2021

    • TASC Suicide Prevention Training TASC, LivingWorks, 2021

    • Internal Family Systems (IFS)

    • Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT)

    • Attachment Theory

    • Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT)

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