About Us
Welcome to Our Space
Isheaga Counseling Services currently offers in-person and virtual sessions. We are located in the South Etobicoke area.
A place for you to be with all parts of you, where support, comfort, and freedom to be as you are can occur.
My approach and philosophy of change
About Me
Welcome to my page. I am Donicka and I am a Registered Psychotherapist with a background in Child and Youth Care Practice. Aside from my 18+ years of experience in Mental Health, Education, and Child Welfare, I have deeply valued the opportunities to support individuals, parents, and families in their journey for wellness.
My Passion
Inspiring others to experience a fulfilled life
My Style
I practice from a relational, holistic, and process-oriented lens that honors your unique experiences and the innate wisdom that you possess. My ability to co-create a safe space with you and engage you in this process through genuineness and respect for your time and individual needs is reflective of my practice as a therapist. I will not judge you, nor will I tell you what to do, though I will ask that you be an active participant in this process. I will engage you in a process of embodied self-awareness that will support you in getting unstuck and out of your head!
Further to my integrated and holistic approach, and to ensure that your individual needs are best addressed during our time together, I draw from the following therapeutic methods that inform my practice as a therapist: CBT, DBT, IFS, ACT, Narrative, Psychodynamic, Embodiiment, and Trauma and attachment informed therapies and Spiritual Integrated Therapies.
Connection underpins the felt sense of safety that is integral to effective therapy.
My approach and philosophy of change
My approach
My therapeutic approach is grounded in authenticity, compassion, and curiosity and embodies a deep reverence for an individual’s life experiences. We will identify the areas of your life process and the ways these experiences have affected you in order to bring about sustainable change. Our time together will support you in experiencing new ways of knowing and being in the world. During our time together we will get curious, informed, and intentional in shifting areas of your life that you are concerned with, through a process of self-exploration to identify key points for intervention. Together we will identify the practices that fit for you to incorporate into your week between sessions.
"Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom." - Aristotle
My Philosophy of change
Change involves learning to be comfortable with being uncomfortable.
I believe that at the core of each individual lies the inner wisdom to navigate life's experiences and the capacity to achieve their fullest potential. Learning to shift from doing what we know to being intentional with ourselves is a dynamic process that involves a felt sense of self (embodied awareness), reflective inquiry, compassion, and curiosity, and a commitment to daily practices to support your being in the experience.
"There is more wisdom in your body than in your deepest philosophy."
- Friederich Nietzsche
My Professional Development Journey
Completed Education and Professional Development Training
- Masters of Spiritual Care and Psychotherapy
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
- Dialectical Behaviour Therapy
- Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
- Compassionate Inquiry
- Harnessing the Power of Meaning
- Mind Body Spirit Connections in Psychotherapy
- Trauma Assessment and Treatment
- Externship in EFT Couples Therapy
- Fundamentals of Teaching and Learning
- Compassion Fatigue
- Working with Children and Families
- Community Parent Education Program
- Bachelor of Arts: Child and Youth Care
- WLU Supervision Course
In Progress
Somatic Experiencing
IFS Online Circle
Embodied Philosophy (The Awakened Body)
David Key's NLP coaching
"Be not afraid of growing slowly; be afraid only of standing still."
—Chinese Proverb
About Mya
Mya, has claimed her role as my silent co therapist since I began my home practice in Etobicoke. She is innately curious, and intuitive and loves people.
Mya welcomes individuals who enter our space and will offer her affection when she senses others are open to this. She has the uncanny ability to sense when people may need some additional comfort or in need of grounding in the room and may plop herself beside you or on your lap. She may also keep her distance recognizing your boundaries and need for space.
Animals can have a positive effect on us as touch can have a calming effect on many people. The mere act of petting an animal has been shown to reduce biological stress responses in people ( Dr. Jessica Baron, 2022).
Mya is also able to keep her ego in check and takes no offense to being shooed away if cats don't fit for you.