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Mary Ellen Mahoney Registered Psychotherapist

Mary Ellen Mahoney (She/her)

Registered Psychotherapist
RP, CTP Dipl
Availability:
Not Accepting New Clients
Session Format:
PhoneIn-Person
Office Days:
TuesdayWednesdayThursdayFridaySaturday
Clientele:
Adults (18+)Couples

Feelings, or emotional states, create our experience of living. Feelings contain tremendous energy, and energy has to move. If it can’t get out, it will create some sort of disturbance within. If there’s too much pent up, unexpressed emotion you will feel anxious or depressed, resentful or guilty, unsettled, upset, unfulfilled, uncreative, unwell – unhappy.

On the other hand, if your feelings do gain expression but are ignored, shamed, put down, argued with or attacked, then that emotional energy has not found satisfactory release and will, again, boomerang back inside you, weighing you down, clogging your life.

Psychotherapy provides a context in which all that emotional energy trapped inside you, or thrown back in your face, can emerge safely, and can be heard with compassion. Just being deeply heard sets in motion the process of healing and regaining confidence and equanimity, and this process is augmented and accelerated by the use of the simple neuroscientific techniques I use with clients in session.

In addition to providing you with a safe environment in which to feel and express the difficulties you face in your life, I engage your nervous system in an active way, though without any physical contact. As you tell me what you’re going through I’ll be listening deeply and also observing your eye movements and both intentional and involuntary bodily expressions such as shifting your position on the couch. We will take note of these moments together, decoding what your nervous system may be communicating. This in itself has a validating and stabilizing effect.

If you are feeling anxious or depressed when we begin, or if these states arise as you talk about what’s causing you emotional pain, we can employ basic elements of NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) and EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique, or Tapping). Within minutes these techniques will enable you to feel calmer, more energized and focussed, and more able to cope with the challenges you face.

In using these simple interventions we send a signal to your amygdala (the danger centre of the brain) that you are safe in this moment. When this signal is received, the production of cortisol and adrenaline (the fight/flight response hormones) will slow down and stop, allowing you to return to a state of calm, or homeostasis.

Having spent over 14,000 hours working with clients individually, in couples and in groups, I have become more and more convinced of the importance of bringing neuro-biological awareness into psychotherapy. When you can identify that you are in a state of hyperarousal (fight /flight/ cry for help) or hypoarousal (freeze or play dead/ submit) you can then begin to regulate your own nervous system through the simple movements I will teach you in session as we continue to converse about your life and experiences.

These techniques, in combination with the time-honoured practice of verbalizing feelings in a safe context, bring about improved states of mind every time they are utilized. When they are practiced in session clients experience relief, often with surprising speed. Over time clients become able to use these simple practices at home to calm agitation, lift the blues and focus on the task at hand.

After a rigorous education at The Centre For Training in Psychotherapy, I began my practice with a focus on individual therapy, particularly geared to activating underutilized potentials and resolving negative patterns of behaviour. I continue to work with people one-on-one on a weekly basis with very positive results.

I have received couple therapy training in both Dr. Sue Johnson’s “Emotionally Focussed Therapy” and Dr. Stan Tatkin’s “Psychobiological Approach to Couple Therapy”. (If interested please see their respective books: Hold Me Tight by Sue Johnson, PhD.; Wired for Love by Stan Tatkin, PhD. Also both authors can be found on YouTube.)

These two avenues have enabled me to help couples express their difficulties in an atmosphere of safety and kindness; to develop empathy for each other; and to discover new ways to communicate with love and without blame.

In addition I facilitate support groups for:

  1. Women and Couples on the Fertility Journey
  2. Mid-life Transition; Career Transition
  3. Bereavement and Grieving
  4. Depression/ Anxiety
  5. Creative Self-Expression through poetry, prose, singing and song-writing

If you would like a complimentary 10-minute consultation with me, please text or voice-mail me at 647-280-6160 at any time. Your message will be received by me only, will be kept confidential and will be responded to promptly. When we speak you can tell me a little about your situation, ask any questions you might have and get a sense of me. After that conversation I will consider your case to assess whether or not I feel I am the right therapist for you.

I am available for individual, couple and group therapy for residents of Ontario, both virtually and in person.

Address:
Toronto, ON
Phone:
647-280-6160