Services

Happiness & Wellness Therapy uses a wide variety of approaches, based on your unique needs, to support you through life transitions, growth, and the healing of:

• anxiety
• stress
• depression
• trauma and post-traumatic stress
• the impacts of illness, dis-ease, chronic fatigue & chronic pain conditions
• eating disorders
• the impacts of violence, abuse and sexual assault
• anger
• isolation
• interpersonal/relationship struggles and challenges
• loss and grief
• low self-esteem
• separation and divorce

Happiness & Wellness Therapy provides a holistic and tailored approach to healing that respects your uniqueness while also keeping in mind the interconnectedness of all that exists – including interwoven barriers inherent in our life journeys.

Happiness & Wellness integrates practical tools, modern psychological theories and ancient wisdom to support your healing process in a cross-cultural manner.

Happiness & Wellness Therapy recognizes that multiple psychological theories and techniques that are based on modern science and ancient wisdom from different cultures, are equally important in supporting your healing process.

Happiness & Wellness Therapy facilitates a transformational and healing process that connects you to your inner wisdom, resources and strengths… allowing you to experience happiness and wellness by finding peace and connecting with the essence of who you are and the world around you.

Happiness & Wellness Therapy’s psychotherapeutic approach recognizes that multiple psychological theories and techniques that are based on modern science and ancient knowledge from different cultures, are equally important. When treating psychological, emotional, spiritual, and social challenges, dis-eases and illnesses, Happiness & Wellness Therapy incorporates treatment approaches that are holistic, comprehensive and therapeutic for the purposes of promoting healing, positive personal growth and development.

Happiness & Wellness Therapy’s counselling services can assist you in addressing specific issues, needs, and concerns in your life by helping you find solutions and to make choices through the exploration of options. H&W Therapy views each person as essentially whole and recognizes the importance of giving consideration to all the levels that exist within us in the healing process. H&W Therapy facilitates a process whereby you can identify your strengths and needs, locate information and resources, and access a variety of coping strategies. It is a way of working that is broad, deep, inclusive and profound.

Ayurvedic Yoga Therapy is when Yoga is used for healing purposes and can benefit anyone regardless of age, background, culture, religion, injuries, or physical limitations. It helps us transform our physical being and behaviour through proper diet, postural, breathing, concentration, meditation and behavioural techniques. Yoga does not create an entire physical level of existence alone… it uses physical and behavioural methods in a way that is integrated with and respectful of more subtle levels of functioning (Ajaya, 2008).

When requested, Happiness & Wellness Therapy integrates the science of Yoga and Ayurveda, as well as other mindfulness practices within a psychotherapeutic context. Through personalized treatments to help you heal by restoring a connection between mind, body and soul while respecting both uniqueness and the interconnectedness of all that exists, this therapeutic process integrates: Yoga psychology; Ayurvedic principles; introspection and self-reflection as a means of understanding and mastering the mind; and the healing benefits of stilling the mind through mindful breath work and movement, concentration, meditation and journaling.

Yoga (a science of the mind and of Self-realization) and Ayurveda (a science of Self-healing aimed at relieving the dis-eases of body and mind) are thousands of years old and are sister sciences that developed together and influence each other.

What is Yoga?

Though many people think of Yoga only as physical exercises, the asanas (i.e. postures) that have gained widespread popularity in recent decades are actually only one aspect of this profound science of unfolding the infinite potentials of the human mind and soul. Yoga is rooted in the notion of finding peace by eliminating the disturbances of the mind to calm the mind. It is believed that if we work on our health, self-inquiry and quality of our actions, change for the better in all aspects of our lives will occur. Therefore, as a science of the mind it is a method or technique that facilitates introspection (i.e. to observe what we are thinking) as a means of understanding and mastering the mind.

While there are various paths of Yoga, each a specialized branch of one comprehensive system, Yoga is increasingly being integrated within psychotherapeutic practices as a useful tool in the treatment of stress, anxiety, depression and other symptoms of mental health imbalances. Yoga is a holistic approach that is experiential in application and includes the cognitive, emotional, physiological, behavioural, and interpersonal domains addressed by Western psychology, but also acknowledges and adds numerous others, such as diet, sleep, breath and spirituality (Ajaya, 2008).

The science of Yoga is thousands of years old and views the human system as a multidimensional structure that includes all aspects of body, breath, mind, intellect, and emotion and their mutual interaction – drawing together the mind, body and the spirit into a unified whole. Yoga is the most practical tool of Indian philosophy, which is comprehensive in that it includes not only theoretical but also practical aspects that address the universal and ongoing concerns of humanity, which are meant for all, regardless of culture, to access. All schools of Indian philosophy are designed to provide a systematic method for exploring one’s inner potentials and ultimately reaching the centre of bliss, happiness, and consciousness hidden in the innermost chamber of every human heart (Tigunait, 2014).

What is Ayurveda?

Ayurveda is an Indian system of health care aimed at relieving diseases of body and mind (Frawley, 1999). Ayurveda is a word in the Sanskrit language of India that literally translates to the science [or wisdom] of life. Ayurveda is strikingly different from other medical sciences because it recognizes that each person is made up of a unique body type and a unique psychological personality. Instead of assuming that all of us are identical machines or guinea pigs, Ayurveda respects the uniqueness of each person. Secondly, Ayurveda does not limit itself to physical or psychological dimensions. It considers all the levels of a person, which include the spiritual, emotional, intellectual, behavioral, physical, familial, social, environmental and universal levels (Kerala Ayurveda Academy, 2016).

Since its origin thousands of years ago, Ayurveda has a continuous tradition of professional practice, research and education. It has become an inseparable part of the culture and daily lifestyle of traditional families in India. During the last thirty years, many original Ayurvedic Sanskrit texts have been translated into various languages, including English. This has gradually led to the current popularity of Ayurveda in the West. Ayurveda emphasizes the importance of creating and maintaining positive health. Its focus is on preventing the imbalances that lead to disease. For prevention as well as for treatment, an individualized, multi-dimensional approach is taken (Kerala Ayurveda Academy, 2016).

Happiness & Wellness Therapy offers a tailored approach to:

• Group therapy to meet your needs as well as ongoing programs such as the Yoga for Mental Health & Happiness series, offered weekly during fall, winter, and spring, with a different topic each week. This specific program provides you an opportunity to experience an increased awareness of yourself and the world around you, as well as develop skills that can help you manage, reduce and/or eliminate the different mental and emotional challenges you might be experiencing.
• Seasonal ReConnecting sessions for those whom have taken therapeutic group programs such as the Yoga for Mental Health & Happiness.
• Workshops to meet your specific individual, group or corporate needs. Workshops may occur on a one-time basis or as part of a series.
• Retreats to ground, connect, inspire, re-energize and/or heal for corporate, spiritual and/or specific healing groups.

Specialized psycho-social workplace interventions, which can include improving and/or reinforcing overall workplace wellness and organizational health (e.g. reduction of employee stress, improved communication skills, improved teamwork, comprehensive emergency plan, etc) by enhancing employee performance, alertness and productivity; reducing human error; reducing absenteeism and sick days; reducing workers’ compensation claims; lowering of health and insurance costs; increasing employee morale; promoting/improving teamwork and camaraderie; improving an organization’s ability to attract and retain key personnel; and, assisting managers/employers in helping employees to understand their current health status and how to reduce their health risks.

Please email for specific rates. Sliding scales available.

Coverage:

• Fees can be claimed as a medical expense for income tax purposes.
• Many health care insurance plans provide reimbursement for the cost of my services as a Registered Social Worker. If not, please check your insurance plan to see whether it covers services provided by a Clinical Social Worker who is supervised by a Registered Psychologist. My clinical supervisor is Dr. Brenda Saxe (C. Psych.) who is fully registered with the College of Psychologists of Ontario, and so we can provide you with co-signed receipts, if necessary.
• Fees are covered through both the Non-Insured Health Benefits (NIHB) and the Indian Residential Schools Resolution (IRSR) Health Support Programs to assist Inuit, Métis, First Nations and non-status community members in either crisis or wanting long-term therapy to heal from Indian Residential School (IRS) experiences, as well as non-Aboriginal individuals who were involved.
• Fees are covered through Medavie Blue Cross for individuals with the RCMP, Canadian Armed Forces, and Veterans Affairs Canada.
• Fees are covered through the Ottawa Victims Services’ Victim Quick Response Program (VQRP) for short-term therapeutic support to assist individuals who have been victimized by violent crime (homicide, attempted murder, serious physical assault, domestic violence, sexual assault and hate crime) and/or their family members in reducing the impact of the crime and to recover from their experience. In addition, fees can also be covered through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board (CICB).