“In my experience, healing happens when a place of trauma or pain is given full attention, really listened to.”
~ adrienne maree brown
Nice to meet you, I’m Azaria.
I’m a registered psychotherapist based in Toronto and practicing across Ontario, Canada.
I am a member of and governed by the ethical practice standards of the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO) and the Ontario Society of Registered Psychotherapists (ORSP).
I spent 15 years working in the social service nonprofit sector before deciding to infuse these experiences, along with my own lived experience, into a holistic therapy practice. We all deserve to connect with our vitality and I believe everything you need to heal resides inside yourself.
My Approach
My work embodies an anti-racist, anti-oppressive, womanist, trauma-informed lens integrated into my collaborative, relational, client-centred approach. I infuse a blend of pop culture, movement, and metaphors into our sessions because therapy gets to be a vibe too!
Together, we’ll create a supportive environment where you can feel free to show up as you are. You may have had to navigate systems of oppression and complex life challenges while feeling alone, scared, frustrated, overwhelmed, exhausted and unsure of what may come next. In this co-created space, we’ll explore your past and present relationships, life experiences, behaviours or coping strategies that may no longer serve you...and the ones you may want to shift. Each season of your life presents new terrains and an opportunity to step into more of who you are.
I offer a compassionately direct, playful, eclectic, grounded, holistic approach that will support you as you move through each season of your life and honours your journey.
My Story
One of the hardest things I’ve ever done is learn how to look at myself exactly as I am, and believe that I am enough. I’ve spent a lot of time unlearning societal ideas of who I “should” be and what I am “allowed” to have. After years of trying to “fit”, I embarked on a journey to learn how to radically embrace who I am and walk in my purpose.
With all of life’s twists and turns, my journey brought me to this work and has offered me many opportunities to learn, refine and deepen my practice.
As your therapist, my role is to partner with you and support you in exploring your experiences so you can awaken the healer within you.
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Relational | Person-Centred | Attachment | Somatic | Trauma-Responsive | Liberation Psychology | Psychodynamic | Harm Reduction | EMDR I (EMDRIA approved training)
Relational psychotherapy explores your feelings, behaviours, and thoughts with attention to the ways these aspects can show up in your relationship with yourself and others. This modality also offers insights into the relational dynamics we experience in our close relationships.
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Spirituality | Nature | Music | Integrity | Inclusion | Empathy | Compassion | Playfulness | Womanist | Anti-oppression | Anti-racism
My Practice
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I worked in the social service and nonprofit sector for over 10 years. My early work included providing group counselling to support the healthy development of adolescents living in historically and systematically excluded communities. I continue to be an accomplice and supporter of movements advocating for change.
I hold an Honours Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and Health Sciences from the University of Toronto. To further my studies in mental health, I enrolled in the Toronto Institute for Relational Psychotherapy. This rigorous 3-year graduate-level program offered me specialized training in relational, self-psychology, psychodynamic psychotherapy modalities, and treatment approaches.
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Healing is a process and I am committed to my own learning (and unlearning) journey. For me, this means engaging in my own therapy process, clinical supervision, research and peer supervision with colleagues so that I’m able to effectively support clients.
Providing quality therapy is important to me. As a commitment to myself and my clients, I continue to refine my skills through ongoing training, reading, webinars, certifications, connections with peers and most importantly community.
My Journey
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Black | Afro-Caribbean | Cisgender Woman | Millennial
As I evolve, my social location changes, presenting new terrains to navigate and understanding to deepen. My inner work is an ongoing, reflective and embodied practice.
I also recognize the ways I benefit from the intersections of my experience. I remain committed to sharing power and continuing to uplift communities that are oppressed.
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Black Liberation | Indigenous Sovereignty | Queer Allied | Sex Worker Allied | Youth Allied | Food Justice | Body Positive | Somatic Abolitionism | Decolonizing Practice
As a body of culture, I have spent most of my life navigating imperialist white supremacist hetero-patriarchal systems. We have all been impacted by these systems in various ways, and it’s a fundamental part of my work to move toward collective liberation.
Rooted in Community
