our approach
Lisha’s therapeutic approach focuses on building a therapeutic relationship that encompasses trust and respect, while creating an environment that is safe for clients to explore the most sensitive areas of their lives. Each person is unique, therefore, Lisha utilizes a trauma-informed, eclectic approach to counselling, drawing from various theoretical orientations based on the client’s needs and presenting issues.
These may include Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Mindfulness-based practice, Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT) and Solution-Focused (SFT) frameworks. On top of the many years of experience in this role, Lisha has received perinatal mood and anxiety disorders training by Postpartum Support International, which focused on the components of care surrounding pre and postnatal mood disorders, with advanced training in psychotherapy.
Lisha is also certified in Grief and Bereavement and has specialized training in Miscarriage and Stillborn Grief and Loss. Her background also includes child development and trauma-informed assessment directed therapy. Prior to focusing her work on maternal mental health, Lisha worked primarily with children, youth and their families on issues related to trauma.
Lisha has been a part of the counselling team at Yoga Mama’s in Toronto since Summer 2019. She is a proud member of the team, and thoroughly believes in the wellness services offered there.
Lisha’s passion for this work was further ignited when she became a mother to her first daughter in 2018. Lisha had her second daughter in 2020, amid a pandemic, giving her new insight into a pandemic pregnancy, birth and maternity leave during a lock-down.
In 2022, Lisha decided to start a collective, Nest & Nurture Psychotherapy, to expand her support to women who may be living outside of Toronto, specifically, in the Durham Region. Given the ever-changing pandemic mandates, Lisha will only be meeting with clients virtually for the time being, but hopes to be able to return to in-person services later this year.
Maternal mental health and wellness is at the forefront of Lisha’s work, and she is grateful to be able to support amazing women through challenging times.
benefits of psychotherapy
The goal of psychotherapy is to provide a safe place for our clients to share the most vulnerable aspects of their inner worlds. A therapist’s main goal is to provide a supportive environment in which our clients feel they can express themselves to the fullest extent, without the fear of judgment. The therapist will listen to our clients’ experiences and begin to reflect on some of the emotions, thoughts and behaviours they are expressing, and how some of these dynamics may be contributing to the challenges they are facing.
Together we create therapeutic goals that we will work on in our subsequent session, with the understanding that, our lives are fluid and there may be times when our sessions are focused on present moment feelings and experiences. Through these sessions we discuss areas of our clients’ life where change can be implemented, work together to navigate how these changes can be made, who can support them in achieving these goals and assist in empowering them to make these changes.
With guidance, clients become more confident in decision making and processing skills, have a deeper understanding of how their thoughts impact their emotions and behaviours, which may perpetuate feelings of stress, overwhelm, depression and anxiety etc., and utilize this understanding to develop positive coping strategies. The therapist will meet you where you are at and this philosophy will guide each of our sessions.