Sam comes to us from the University of Toronto, where she pursued a Master of Education degree in Counselling and Psychotherapy. Sam recognizes the significant impact counselling has on individuals and the importance of creating a safe environment for clients. Sam completed her practicum placement at the Toronto Counselling Centre for Teens and looks forward to continuing working with teenagers in her current role. She has a passion for helping teens develop coping skills and being there to support them during a time in life when they are finding themselves and navigating new situations.

Sam has experience working with those experiencing body image concerns and difficulties with eating, perfectionism, anxiety, depression, relationship challenges, and anger. Adolescence can be challenging, and Sam recognizes the importance of helping teenagers in the present so they can be successful in their future and feel confident they have the tools they need to succeed. The modalities that inform Sam’s therapeutic approach include Narrative Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, mindfulness-based therapies, Internal Family Systems, Emotion Focused Therapy, cognitive-based therapies, and Family-Based Therapy. She believes in finding the best fit for each client.

Sam believes in creating a nonjudgmental space where teens feel comfortable being their genuine selves. She utilizes humour and compassion to cultivate this space. She takes an anti-oppressive and trauma-informed approach to her practice and believes that individuals are the experts on themselves. She strives to utilize a collaborative approach in sessions to empower those she works with.

Sam enjoys getting lost in a good book, making bracelets, and spending time in nature. A fun fact about Sam is she is a certified Pilates teacher!

Samantha sees individual teens & adults, as well as families.

Samantha practises both at our Runnymede & Bloor Location and our Danforth & Chester Location.

Patricia has been working directly with young folks, kids, teens, and families for over 15 years. She works from an anti-oppressive framework and social justice context to build supportive, therapeutic relationships.

Patricia’s approach to working with individuals is all about highlighting and fostering strengths along with areas of success, resiliency, and collaboration in a non-judgemental space. She believes in the power of connection and compassion with yourself, family/chosen family, friends, and communities. Patricia will co-create and cultivate new ways of learning about, thinking about, and moving through challenging moments.

Patricia has extensive experience with complex family conflicts, as well as with assisting people to navigate the impacts of trauma, loss, grief, self-criticism, self-esteem, parenting/caregiving, and self-harming behaviours. She draws from multiple evidence-based modalities, including cognitive-based interventions, Narrative Therapy, and Emotion-Focused Therapy.

People often remark on her warmth, dry sense of humour, and insight. She is also a parent with a rambunctious and adorable child. When she’s not in session, you can find her teaching, soaking up music and art, and biking around the city.

Patricia sees individual children, teens, adults & parents as well as families.

Patricia practises at our Runnymede & Bloor location.

Loretta has worked with youth as a social worker and community arts facilitator for over 10 years. Loretta has shared her passion for using the arts as a healing practice in groups and individual sessions with youth addressing themes such as grief, loss, coping with anxiety and understanding the self in the context of broader systems.

Loretta’s passion for supporting youth comes from a client-centred, strengths-based and social justice framework. Her approach is collaborative and honours the strengths and wisdom that the individual brings to their own healing journey. In counselling, Loretta works with the individual to self-determine their own goals and strategies, whilst holding a non-judgemental and safe space to explore their feelings. She draws from modalities including Narrative Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, trauma- informed and Mindfulness strategies.

Loretta has provided counselling to youth experiencing substance use challenges, low-mood, anxiety and distressful emotions. She welcomes working with youth who identify as part of the LGBTQIA2S+ community. She is committed to building therapeutic relationships which are grounded in curiosity and respect. In her down time, Loretta draws comics, paints, and loves to learn about plants.

Loretta sees individual teens & adults, as well as families.

Loretta practises at our Runnymede & Bloor location.

Laura’s Master of Education in Counselling Psychology and Psychotherapy is from the University of Toronto. She has a long history of working with teens and families. Prior to her Masters, she was at the Distress Centre in Calgary where she provided a wide range of emotional support and crisis intervention to teens experiencing a broad range of concerns including anxiety, depression, life transitions, relationship difficulties, self-harm, and grief. Before that, she worked with youth and their families within the school and community setting.

Laura’s hope is to help teens make sense of their experiences, utilize their strengths to cope with challenges, and be their authentic selves. Her hope with families is to help improve communication, restore connection, and heal from generational patterns. You will experience Laura as warm, caring and compassionate, allowing teens and families to share their stories, be understood, and feel empowered.

Coming from Colombia at the age of 6, Laura knows first-hand the difficulties that may arise when adapting to a new culture. She welcomes the opportunity to work with teens and families from diverse backgrounds. Laura is passionate about working from a humanistic, culturally-sensitive, and trauma-informed approach to best foster healing and growth. Her integrative approach draws on various evidence-based approaches such as Emotion-Focused Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Internal Family Systems Therapy, Family-Based Therapy (FBT) for Eating Disorders, Narrative therapy, as well as Compassion and Mindfulness-based practices.

Outside of therapy, Laura loves being creative through dance, embroidering, playing the ukulele, and reading.

Laura sees individual teens, adults & parents as well as families.

Laura practises at our Runnymede & Bloor location.

Bjorn comes to us from an agency in Peel Region where he supported a variety of youth and families going through a wide variety of experiences. He has journeyed alongside youth and families during times of crisis helping families stabilize while working to improve communication and family dynamics. He gets inspired when he sees teens and families going through their journey of healing and change.

In session, Bjorn provides space for each teen and family to explore feelings of anxiety, depression, low motivation, grief, loss and life transitions. He values the therapeutic relationship and will spend time to listen deeply to each teen’s story.

Bjorn’s approach to counselling is highly relational, trauma-informed, strength-based and anti-racist and anti-oppressive. Bjorn will be there to encourage and uplift your teen and family. Modalities that inform Bjorn’s therapeutic approach are Cognitive-Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Family-Based Therapy (FBT) for Eating Disorders, Narrative Therapy and Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT).

Outside of counselling, Bjorn enjoys spending his time playing tennis, golf and has a passion for video games. He came to Canada when he was 6 years old and enjoys learning and experiencing different cultures.

If requested, Bjorn is able to provide therapy in Cantonese.

Bjorn sees individual teens, adults & parents as well as couples & families. He also supervises therapists.

Bjorn practises  both at our Runnymede & Bloor location and Danforth & Chester location.

Jenni comes to us with a background in Aquatics, serving as a manager, instructor and mentor to teen lifeguards. She appreciates the uniqueness of each person and is passionate about supporting adolescents to develop self-awareness and self-compassion as they navigate the exciting and challenging stages of life. You will find Jenni to be genuine, curious and warm. She has experience helping teens explore challenges like anxiety, depression, ADHD, loss, identity, big transitions, questions about sexuality, and relationship difficulties.

Jenni has a Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology from Yorkville University. She draws from various modalities, including Internal Family Systems (IFS), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT), to provide tailored support for each client. Jenni provides a non-judgmental and welcoming space where teens can feel empowered and safe to explore what is important to them.

In her free time, you might catch Jenni spending time with family and friends or her cat, Nova. Jenni is a nature lover and whenever possible, she'll be out running, hiking or camping. She also brings the outdoors inside, with a passion for caring for her numerous houseplants.

Jenni sees individual teens, adults and families. 

Jenni practises at both our Runnymede & Bloor and our Danforth & Chester locations.

Erin began her career in education, teaching with the Calgary Board for ten years before making the move to Toronto in 2017. In that time, Erin focused her work in special-education settings, from gifted programs to school and hospital-based mental health programs. Along with counselling, Erin now teaches with the Toronto District School Board, specializing in programming for at-risk learners. Erin has worked with a wide range of young people over her career, and now focuses her counselling around supporting youth and young adults whose lives have been impacted by mental health challenges.

First and foremost, Erin approaches her counselling from the lens that all individuals want to find success; they may just need help removing barriers that stand in the way of that success. While Erin draws from several approaches, the primary therapeutic interventions that inform her work include Emotion-Focused Therapy, Internal Family Systems Therapy, and Collaborative Strengths-Based Problem Solving.

Erin sees individual teens, parents and families.

Erin practises at our Runnymede & Bloor location.