Depression Therapists in Toronto

Do you struggle with anxiety that affects your relationships, work, or school? Do you feel exhausted, unmotivated, and overwhelmed by everything you need to do, and don't feel good enough? Do you wonder if you'll ever feel like you used to? We often put our needs last, justifying this by telling ourselves we have too much to accomplish first. Not addressing your depression, anxiety, or past trauma can lead to isolation, ruin your self-esteem, and make day-to-day life harder than it needs to be. However, there are ways to navigate these personal burdens and make life hopeful again, and you don't have to do it alone. I believe in a trauma-focused, strength-based approach and utilizing evidence-based practice to help you learn how to manage stress, anxiety, depression, and heal from trauma. By creating a safe space where you are not only heard but truly understood, you can start your transformative path towards a more fulfilling life. Providing individual online psychotherapy and an individualized DBT skills program, you will learn how to change negative self-talk, manage emotions, navigate relationships. Getting started is often the hardest part, and therapy help you create a holistic toolkit to enjoy happier, more fulfilling relationships, prioritize yourself, and feel lighter overall. Book a free consultation to take the first step towards a brighter, hopeful future.

⚠️ TEST PROFILE — This is a demonstration therapist profile for Purple Lotus Mental Health. This is not a real therapist listing and is for testing purposes only. For any questions, please contact cher@purplelotusmh.com.

I support individuals navigating a wide range of challenges, including anxiety, depression, ADHD, stress, grief, trauma, life transitions, and relationship concerns. No matter what brings you to therapy, I aim to help you deepen self-awareness and develop practical strategies that help build resilience and promote healing. As a therapist, my approach is rooted in compassion, collaboration, and a deep respect for your lived experience. I offer client-centered care that draws from strengths-based and trauma-informed modalities, working with you to build a therapy plan that reflects your values, goals, and vision of wellness. My priority is to foster a space where you feel safe, seen, and empowered to be your authentic self. My educational background includes a Masters in Counselling Psychology, Masters in Anthropology, and Bachelors in Psychology and Cinema. I possess additional training in several evidence-based and trauma-focused therapeutic modalities. Together, we will design an approach that is tailored to your unique needs and preferences, and one that delivers meaningful results. I worked in public, private, and creative sectors before transitioning to counselling, where I gained experience as a crisis responder and in employment and career advising. My diverse professional experiences along with my own mental wellness journey help me to provide well-rounded support that is grounded in continuous self-reflection.

Maybe you have tried therapy before and it has helped you work through certain feelings or get through a specific crisis. But maybe you still find yourself repeating the same behaviors in subtle ways—perhaps until they become not so subtle and you find yourself back in therapy, in the midst of another crisis, one that eerily echoes your past experiences. You want not just to work through present issues, but also to delve deeper into your personality and life experiences to come to a better understanding of who you are, where you come from, and what your values are—with the goal of becoming the person you want and are able to be. Together, we will explore your past and present, thoughts and feelings, in order to help you gain a more holistic understanding of yourself and your potential. My background is in ancient philosophy and I am training to become a psychoanalyst because I believe that talk therapy can lead to genuine connection and enable self-discovery and self-understanding. If any of the above sounds intriguing, please feel free to contact me. I am open to new clients, especially those looking to dig deeper. Therapy can be truly transformative; sometimes it just takes finding the right person to connect with.

I am a Registered Psychotherapist trained in a range of evidence-based modalities, which I will customize to meet your particular needs and goals. I will work with you, at your own pace, to process the difficulties you are facing and equip you with knowledge and tools for growth and healing.

Do you have a story you feel you need to share with someone? Maybe it’s your first time opening up, or maybe you tried before, but just never quite felt heard. If there’s something inside of you that needs telling, I’m here to hear you out. I often work with clients who suffer from depression, trauma, anxiety and relationship issues. I can also be particularly helpful to clients who’ve felt they haven’t gone deep enough in therapy, who tend towards dissociation or intellectualization, or who find themselves between cultures—immigrants, children of immigrants, people from interfaith families, and "third culture kids." I practice psychodynamic psychotherapy, which is based on the premise that the more we understand about ourselves, the more freedom we have to make new choices. If you’ve ever felt stuck without knowing exactly why, or even if you understand why but can’t quite seem to change things, psychodynamic psychotherapy can be immensely helpful. Life can be deeply painful, but it can also be joyous. I aim to be witness to all of you without judgment, so that you can come to know yourself more fully, and therefore have all the more freedom to choose not only how to respond to what life throws at you, but also what life it is you want to live.

Hey there, I'm Jan! I offer a safe, non-judgmental, and unbiased space for therapy and counseling in an easy-going, relatable way. I have done my BSc in Psychology at the VU Amsterdam and finished my MSc in Clinical Psychology at Erasmus University Rotterdam. I have worked as a therapist/counselor in Cape Town, South Africa which exposed me to working with diverse groups of people. I have finished my Master's thesis on mindfulness practice and its effects on students in regards to burnout and fatigue. However, I am also trained in motivational interviewing, ACT, and CBT with a constant drive to keep learning. I believe that having a great therapeutic relationship is really important for a good outcome in therapy. I aim to be the therapist that doesn’t recite word for word what they learned in university textbooks but one that integrates therapeutic techniques into tailored sessions all while making it feel natural and comfortable for the client. The first intake session is always free! Ask me about my student rate!