(She/Her)
Registered Psychotherapist
RP
MPS (Master of Pastoral Studies), BHSc
Many of us form core identity features around significant injuries in our lives and learn to protect ourselves from similar kinds of pain. Over time, these protective features can become so complex that it is difficult to know who we really are underneath those defences. Trauma, abuse, neglect, loss of loved ones—these are major psychospiritual injuries that can alter our self-image, beliefs, and life-course.
Therapy offers a space where these events can be acknowledged with the significance they deserve. Addressing these experiences with a therapist allows us a chance to grow into greater integration with our experiences.
I use family systems theory and emotion-focused therapy to map out key points in your past that may be showing up in the present. This can include exploring how the roots of your current issue were present in your childhood, and how they may even be connected to your parents’ and grandparents’ life experiences. This family system mapping helps us get a sense of how intergenerational events and relationship styles have repeated over time and how they may be at play in your life now. With greater awareness of our past, we can plot a more responsive trajectory for the future.
I often use Internal Family Systems concepts and “parts” language to support inner dialogue around recurring issues. Popular psychology may refer to this as “inner child re-parenting” and that certainly is the bulk of what I do! However, you may have other inner “parts” who may not fit the ‘inner child’ label exactly and a skilled therapist will help to differentiate these with you. Ultimately, the goal is always to integrate the many versions of ourselves into one cohesive whole: a True Self, who can stay steady in core values/boundaries, while maintaining compassion for self and others through times of difficulty.
I completed my psychotherapy training through a spiritually-integrated Master of Pastoral Studies program at Emmanuel College in Toronto. Through this program, I learned to integrate psychotherapeutic techniques with personal mechanisms for spiritual and existential meaning-making. This training had a profound impact on my own personal therapy process and my orientation to psychotherapy as a vocation.
Prior to psychotherapy, I worked as a graphic design artist for educational institutions. Now, I maintain my art practice as an important part of my self-care, often painting, drawing, and molding clay in my spare time.
When it’s done right, therapy can often feel like hard work. That’s why it is good to work through it with a professional you connect with and trust. I offer free 25-minute phone/video consultations where we can get to know each other and you can ask any questions you may have. To schedule a consultation, you can book a slot via my Calendly link: https://calendly.com/sylviamohanraj/consultation.
If none of the times provided work for you, you can contact me via email at sylviamohanraj@gmail.com and I will get back to you to set up an appointment.
My typical working hours run from 10am-7pm Mon-Thurs; and 10am-2pm on Fridays.