Alisha Jiwani, MA

I have been providing psychotherapy for the last eight years to individuals struggling with mood and anxiety disorders, adjustment difficulties, relational problems, trauma and stressor-related disorders, severe mental illness and addictions. My clinical work includes psychoeducational, diagnostic, workplace injury, motor vehicle accident, immigration, and disability assessments. I have worked with both high and low functioning adults, as well as children, adolescents, and couples. Importantly, I believe that a crucial aspect of psychotherapy is the relationship between the patient and the clinician. Without a strong therapeutic rapport, successful therapeutic outcomes become difficult to attain. Hence, this has always been at the forefront of my work. 

Moreover, I have been trained in a variety of therapeutic modalities, some of which include Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), CBT for psychosis (CBTp), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT), Psychodynamic Therapy, and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). Rather than using one therapeutic approach, I seek to integrate these modalities to best serve my clients. Individuals are deeply complex human beings, and I provide individualized treatment that dialogs between therapeutic approaches while embracing cultural factors. For me, integrative psychology also considers the biomedical factors associated with well-being. In my clinical experience, physical maladies are often overlooked when understanding our patient’s mental health difficulties.  

My aim is to provide my clients with awareness and insight into their struggles, as well as hope and belief that change is possible. It is imperative to create a safe space for which these issues can be explored, and this is what I seek to do as I get to know my clients. Choosing to undertake psychotherapy is not easy. Essentially, you are meeting with a stranger with the expectation that at some point, you are to divulge your deepest secrets and innermost shame. This is not an easy feat. With this understanding in mind, I allow my clients to take the lead, and this can be a great comfort. It is up to you.