(She/Her)
Registered Psychotherapist
RP, CTP Dipl
I love what happens in the consulting room: All the thoughts, dreams, fears, desires, and memories that are stirred become the pavestones that lay the path along which we journey. Together we move towards a deeper and more nuanced understanding of what it is to be you. There is risk, to be sure, but each new discovery, each new question, brings with it the potential for revelation and the possibility of change.
In the absence of sufficient support, enduring life’s struggles often means tuning out of ourselves. We shore up with whatever means possible, often to our own detriment, leaving us empty, hopeless, and misguided. Therapy helps us tune in. Good psychotherapy is rooted in powerful conversation – converse, meaning “to turn together”. It serves as a bridge between our internal and external worlds and strengthens our sense of self. When we are connected to our true self we feel alive and are open to spontaneous authentic experience. Our capacity to be with difficult feelings expands; thoughts become clearer, relationships gain deeper meaning, and decisions become easier to take.
Typically I meet weekly with individuals for 50-minute sessions. As you speak, I listen and ask mindful questions, always in a climate of compassion, curiosity and kindness.
As a psychodynamic therapist, I focus on medium-to-long-term therapy. Therapy rates are $140-$160/session (sliding scale).
We all have many self-aspects from which to draw and I have always been fascinated by what makes us choose the roles we do in our lives.
As a young adult, I was faced with the onset of Lyme disease (and have fortunately, with time, regained my health). This was a disorienting and disruptive experience that threw a wrench into my emerging career in the arts and led me to seek therapy. I was happily surprised to discover the roles of psychotherapist and artist are not so different as they might seem. Both require of me an effort to remain firmly grounded in the present moment and to be closely in touch with my inner feelings and thoughts.
I decided to redirect my interest and enrolled at The Centre for Training in Psychotherapy (CTP), where I received rigorous academic and experiential training. I have been in private practice since 2013 and am now Associate Faculty at the CTP. I also hold a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours). I am a member of the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO).
Having experienced the rewards of this therapeutic work first-hand, I have faith in the practice, which I believe gives my clients hope. Things can change, and things do change.
I believe it’s important to feel that you’ve found a good match when looking for your therapist. I offer a free 30-minute consultation which gives us a chance to get a sense of each other and determine if we are a good enough fit.
If you are interested in setting up a consultation, you can email me to arrange a time meet either in person, speak on the phone, or meet online: saragilchrist.psychotherapy@gmail.com
I only offer in-person sessions on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. I offer phone and/or video sessions on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.
In-person sessions are held at my office in the west end of Toronto, conveniently located for those in the Junction, Roncesvalles, Parkdale, High Park North and Bloor West Village neighbourhoods: 21 Randolph Avenue, just a short walk from Dundas West subway station.
Therapy rates are $140-$160/session (sliding scale).
21 Randolph Ave., Toronto, ON, M6P 4G4