I started seeing Tina a few years ago.

It was a bad time, and I wanted to see if counselling would help but wasn't sure what to expect. After a few months, Tina suggested EMDR for me but I was extremely skeptical. I ended up putting counselling on pause while I was between work contracts, and even though my work resumed quickly I delayed returning for a while.

Half a year later I had an explosive argument with my sister and roommates, where they intervened and gently pointed out my inability to acknowledge my anger and frustration. It was  compounded in large part because of family issues and divisions, and I was genuinely struggling to see my own frustration before I ended up snapping at others. I reached out to Tina to resume counselling, and am so thankful she had a slot in her schedule for me. This time around I gave EMDR a try, and after a few months I started noticing subtle changes in my life and behaviour even outside of counselling sessions. My relationship with myself started to improve, and I began the hard work of digging at all the repressed stuff I had going on. It's only been uphill from there.

I cannot recommend Tina enough as both a highly empathetic and extremely professional therapist. I feel extremely lucky to have found her as quickly as I did in my search for a counsellor, and am so thankful for her guidance. As I've healed my relationship with myself, I've seen my interpersonal relationships improve IMMENSELY as I've learned to recognize my emotions and stop neglecting how I'm feeling. It's helped me deal much better with work stress, navigate conflict with my friends and roommates, and maintain better boundaries and healthier relationships with family. I feel less like I'm coping with the hits from life these days, but instead I'm learning to thrive slowly. 

At a time where the world feels very bleak and hopeless, especially for minorities, this has really kept me going and given me a lot of hope for what tomorrow will look like. If you're considering counselling I hope you'll give it an honest try, and I hope it helps you as much as it's helped me.

Maia