We’re living in a new era of self-growth expectations so you’ve likely heard these common psychotherapy buzzwords: “attachment style”, “boundaries”, “self-care”, “mindfulness”, and “toxic relationships”. Has anyone ever actually explained the deep nuance and depth of these terms? Self-help information that you find online is great, but it can be hard to contextualize and apply the information to your own personal life. Often, relationship injuries and past traumas can lead us to avoid taking risks. Or, the skills we learned to cope with our past hardships are no longer serving us and don’t translate to our new interpersonal environments. This leaves us feeling stuck, stagnant, and all-around unsure of how to move forward. As a therapist, I want to help you make sense of your current circumstance and guide you through self-exploration, self-awareness, and insight so we can apply therapeutic tools to your unique situation. I am genuinely curious about your lived experiences, your relationships, your past, and how it all impacts your current circumstances. I hope to be someone in your corner who helps you to grow comfortable exploring the vulnerable parts of you, understand why they’re there, and what purpose they serve you. I want to help you establish a secure connection with yourself, so you feel strong and confident in your ability to handle the spectrum of life’s happenings. I can’t promise you will never experience another hardship, but I want you to feel confident in your ability to handle them when they come and leave you feeling fulfilled and gratified. — Rourke has 10 years of education and experience in the psychology field and holds a Master’s degree in Counselling Psychology from Yorkville University. Rourke has a BA Honours in Psychology from Western University where she devoted her studies to social psychology with a particular focus on attitude formation and change. She spent many years as a responder for Canada Suicide Prevention and Distress Centres of Greater Toronto providing emotional support counselling and suicide prevention to all ages. In addition to therapy, Rourke works at a safe consumption service in Toronto working with individuals experiencing chronic homelessness.