Charla is a Registered Psychotherapist with the CRPO (College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario) and a Registered Counselling Therapist with NSCCT (Nova Scotia College of Counselling Therapists). Her training is in Existential-Integrative psychotherapy, a model that incorporates several therapeutic modalities in order to tailor a unique therapeutic experience that most effectively meets the needs of each client. She is also a trauma-informed therapist, training with the International Society for the Study in Trauma and Dissociation, focusing on the treatment of complex trauma and dissociation. In addition, she’s trained in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), Sensorimotor psychotherapy (level 1) and has taken a series of courses in CBT, mindfulness, and psychodynamic psychotherapies.
The models she draws on most frequently include: psychodynamic, relational, sensorimotor, EMDR, mindfulness and CBT. This trauma-informed, integrative approach incorporates the role of the mind, body and spirit, resulting in a deeper and more holistic understanding of the issues underlying the presenting symptoms.
Prior to becoming a psychotherapist she was a staff photojournalist for The Globe and Mail and worked as a foreign correspondent based in India, Turkey, and England, covering a variety of issues for international publications.
Working from an anti-oppressive perspective, her practice is dedicated to providing a safe, respectful, supportive, and non-judgmental space for all individuals.
Qualifications and Training
Registered Psychotherapist with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario. License number: 10003
Registered Counselling Therapist with Nova Scotia College of Counselling Therapists. License number: RCT-22-013
Member of CCPA (Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association)
Graduate of the LI Existential-Integrative Psychotherapy program
ISSTD: International Society for the Study in Trauma and Dissociation - Certificate in Trauma and Dissociation
Envision Academy EMDR - EMDR trained Therapist
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute (Level 1 training)
Centre for Training in Psychotherapy - courses include: Attachment in Psychotherapy and Transference and Countertransference
Yorkville University (Master of Arts and Counselling Program) - courses include: Cultural Diversity in Counselling and Counselling Skills and Competencies
Athabasca University (Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences) - course: Developmental Psychology
ITTI: International Trauma Training Institute - Attachment & Trauma
NICABM: National Institute for the Clinical Application of Behavioural Medicine - Advanced Master Program on the Treatment of Trauma (2021); Mastering the Treatment of Trauma (2024)
NICABM: courses include: The Treatment of Anxiety; The Treatment of the Fear of Abandonment; Working with the Belief: “Never Good Enough”; The Treatment of Shame; Working with the Inner Critic; Working with Anger; Working with Distress Tolerance; Working with Emotional Triggers; Working with “Stuckness”
Adler - CBT for Depression (level 1)
PESI - CBT for Anxiety; IFS: Internal Family Systems training with Richard Schwartz
The Centre for Mindfulness studies - MBCT: Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy course
The Awareness Training Institute along with the University of California, Berkley - The Power of Awareness course
CAMH: Applied Suicide Prevention Skills Training
Envision: Kathy Steele workshops - The Role of Conscious and Unconscious Fantasies in Complex Trauma; Building Internal Attachment Bonds; Practical Approaches to Working with the Dissociative Client; Stabilization in the Treatment of Complex Trauma; Working with Punitive Introjects, Ego States, and Dissociative Parts; Applications of Somatic Interventions; Working with the Effects of Emotional Abuse, Severe Neglect, and Invisibility