Deena Aziz, MA

As a mature therapist, I bring a wealth of lived experience as well as professional experience in that I
have counselled adolescents, adults, individuals, couples and families for some time and continue to do
so. Living and working in Brampton, I have had an ethnically diverse clientele and enjoy engaging in
culture-infused psychotherapy. My stance is one of genuineness, warmth, unconditional positive
regard, and being non-judgemental. What I expect from my clients in return is to be at least
collaborative, and at most, to be the expert in their own lives—I am the guide/coach.

I am experienced in brief frameworks such as cognitive behavioral therapy, solution focused therapy,
reality therapy and borrow tools and techniques from others such as acceptance commitment therapy
and Adlerian. I also practice longer-term therapies such as psychodynamic and attachment therapies
which entail the exploration of root causes of adult psychological difficulties stemming perhaps from
childhood wounds.

Therapy is a collaborative and goal-directed endeavor whether short-term or long-term. My end goal is
to provide each client with sufficient coping strategies to become her/his own therapist. These coping
strategies can be stress relieves, relaxation methods for anxiety; depression traps and treatments and
self-care for depression; systematic desensitization for Post-Traumatic-Stress Disorder; social
skills/assertiveness training; anger management etc. Short-term and evidence-based therapies address
immediate difficulties faced by clients. While longer-term therapy consists of exploring and embarking
on a journey of healing from deep-seated wounds.

I integrate different orientations and techniques to tailor-make therapy to each client’s needs, goals,
and wants in a safe and private space. Integrative psychotherapy consists of how we think, feel, and
behave. It also consists of the interaction between the mind, body and spirit. For instance, nutritional
deficiency (iron) can lead to depressive symptoms, as can an imbalance in neurotransmitters, and a
flagging spirit. We, at McDowall, practice holistic healthcare and have a naturopathic doctor on staff
who is available for a 20-mintute free consultation, as are all the psychotherapists.