Ancestral Memory Therapy
The Team
Who We Are
Melissa Taylor, MSW
Clinical Director/Therapist
In Person & Virtual
As a third culture kid, I understand cultural nuances and intergenerational trauma. My experiences and training has prepared me to work with individuals who have experience relational trauma; intergenerational trauma; and oppression. My purpose is to re-learn what connection is and how to reconnect to my ancestors, and I hope to support others in their reconnection journey, as well. My theoretical orientation is anti-racism; anti-oppressive practice; and Black feminism. I work with people who have experience the impact of colonization and/or enslavement, as well, individuals who experience 2SLGTBQ+ oppression.
Certifications
Cognitive Processing Therapy
Narrative Therapy
Mindfulness
EMDR Therapist
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Level 1
Register to practice in Ontario and Nova Scotia
$150 / 50 minutes
ca
Certifications
Tara Salehi Varela, MSW
Social Worker/Therapist
Virtual Therapy
Tara Salehi Varela MSW, RSW is a critical social worker, educator, and liberation-oriented therapist. She has over 5 years of experience supporting individuals and families in community-based mental health settings. Her passion for a holistic, empowered approach to healing and a recognition of the ways systemic oppression impacts BIPOC mental health led her to conduct research in graduate school to develop a framework of therapy that pursues authentic connection, ancestral wisdom, and collective liberation. Tara works from an anti-oppressive and trauma-informed approach, offering both cognitive and embodied therapies to support healing from trauma and navigating life’s challenges.
$150/session
Samira Alam
Registered Psychotherapist (Q)
Virtual Therapy
I strive to provide a compassionate, safe, empathetic, and non-judgmental space for you to feel comfortable to unburden yourself when it comes to the most personal and intimate parts of your life – one where you can explore and better understand yourself.
Through this process together, we can build on your strengths to develop resiliency, coping skills, tools, and strategies in order to help manage life more effectively. I view the counselling process as a collaborative one - a journey towards growth, reflection, self-discovery and positive change.
In working together, you will find that I work from client-centered as well as trauma-informed approaches, while blending techniques and strategies from Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) and Solution-Focused Therapy (SFT).
Randall Gutierrez-Aiza
Social Worker/ Therapist
I am a bilingual Spanish-English social worker/therapist holding a Master's Degree in Social Work (M.S.W.), specializing in mental health.
I have extensive experience working with immigrants, refugees, LGBTQQ2S, people of color, women, men, seniors, and people with disabilities.
I specialize in supporting people experiencing intersectionality in society.
In my extensive practice, I provided therapeutic services for individuals addressing issues such as internalized homophobia, coming out of the closet, family conflict, PTSD, traumatic brain injury, poverty, institutionalized racism, intercultural conflict, sexuality, an intergenerational conflict between parents and children, grief and loss (anticipatory and complicated loss, and moral injury.
Sarah Martinez
Social Worker/ Therapist
Life can be difficult at times with the noise of everyday life affecting our behaviours, emotions, and thoughts. Our thoughts and emotions can get the best of us especially in distressing circumstances and our interpersonal relationship and self-care become more challenging. Through a holistic lens, I aim to help individuals with emotion regulation, negative thinking and distress tolerance. In combination with my approach, I integrate a cross-cultural and trauma-informed lens to address the individual's needs. Together, we can collaboratively unpack difficult topics and ultimately achieve growth and healing.
Sarah’s background in Dialectal Behavioral Therapy (DBT) supporting individuals with acute mental health concerns, personality disorders, addiction, and interpersonal conflict has enabled her to investigate how cultural and environmental factors impact the individual and the challenges surrounding them.
Adora Nwakwesi
Therapist In Training
Virtual Therapy
Adora Nwakwesi is a therapist in training with over 8 years of experience in the healthcare field. Adora’s background in fitness and rehabilitation contributes to her holistic approach to mental health. She is passionate about exploring the mind-body connection through evidence based therapeutic modalities tailored to the client’s needs.
Adora believes that each person has the ability to heal and grow into a healthier version of themself. Her aim is to provide the empathetic guidance and therapeutic tools to support this journey. As a Masters student in Counselling Psychology, Adora has gained experience with a variety of theoretical approaches including person-centered therapy, CBT, mindfulness, and Gestalt techniques.
Sliding Scale Fee: $50-80