Our Team​

Meet the Compassionate Healers Guiding Your Journey

Get started on your healing journey and book your free consultation today.

Tara Salehi Varela, MSW (She/Her)

Social Worker & Therapist

Virtual Therapy - Not Accepting New Clients

Areas of Focus

  • Queer Oppression
  • Neurodivergent and Racialized People
  • Intergenerational Trauma

I support queer, neurodivergent, and racialized people to embrace the fullness of their being and find healing from racial, intergenerational, and relational trauma. Through a collaborative and non-pathologizing lens, my goal is to disrupt conventional understandings of therapy and co-create meaningful healing with you. Through building a genuine connection based in radical trust I aim to create a space to explore the expansive possibilities of your authentic self.

My work is rooted in recognizing the ways systemic oppression impacts mental health, and my understanding of healing is based in an anti-oppressive, anti-colonial, anti-racist framework that pursues justice and liberation for all oppressed communities. I offer both cognitive and embodied therapies to support healing from trauma and navigating life’s challenges and embrace ancestral forms of healing that are culturally and spiritually resonant with you.

Therapies Offered:

  • Narrative Therapy
  • Somatic Trauma Therapy
  • Mindfulness
  • Cognitive Processing Therapy
  • Interpersonal Psychotherapy

Samira Alam (She/Her)

M.A., Registered Psychotherapist

Virtual Therapy

Areas of Focus

  • Religious Trauma
  • Post Trauma Stress Disorder
  • Anxiety
  • Depression

Meet Samira Alam, a compassionate and dedicated Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying). Samira takes pride in offering a secure, empathetic, and judgement-free environment where clients can feel at ease sharing their most intimate and personal experiences, aiming for greater self-exploration and understanding.

Through their therapeutic journey together, Samira focuses on leveraging her clients’ inherent strengths, fostering resilience and the development of coping mechanisms, tools, and strategies for more effective life management. She views therapy as a mutual endeavor, a path towards growth, introspection, self-discovery, and constructive change.

Samira’s therapy approach is client-centered and trauma-informed, incorporating and adapting techniques from Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), and Solution-Focused Therapy (SFT) to best serve her clients’ needs.

Chloe Levy Branding Mini

Chloe Levy (She/Her)

Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying)

Areas of Focus

  • Identity Exploration
  • Anxiety
  • Depression
You’ve hit a wall, haven’t you? That wall where the past feels like a shadow that just won’t stop following you, and your future seems to be covered in a thick fog of anxiety. You’re the type who feels everything deeply—so deeply that it seems like you’re always a beat out of step with the rest of the world. Perhaps your heart feels heavy, and you’re yearning for a life that’s richer, more connected, truly yours—but how to get there seems like the world’s best-kept secret.

Hi, I’m Chloe. And I know exactly the kind of tangles you’re trying to untie. With a compassionate and curious approach, I help people like you discover ways to break free from those suffocating cycles and move toward a life that you’re excited to wake up to every day. I firmly believe that within each of us there’s a wise voice, a guide. All it needs is the right environment to step forward and take the lead.

Our sessions are a sanctuary—it’s just you and me, focusing on your thoughts, your feelings, and moving at your pace. I’m here to listen—really listen—to the core of what’s dragging you down and to honor your experiences with zero judgment. Bring your creativity, your cultural background, your spirit to our sessions. Whatever powers you, let’s channel that energy to unlock your way forward, together. 
AngelaKaruhan

Angela Karuhanga (She/Her/Hers)

MSW, RSW

Areas of Focus

  • Racial Trauma
  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Self-Esteem
Do people misunderstand your identities, and try to place you in a box? Do you question your sense of belonging, and long to find a space of acceptance? Does your experience in the world leave you feeling anxious, stressed, and overwhelmed?  Hello, my name is Angela, I am a Black Canadian therapist of Ugandan/British heritage. With a decade of experience, I have worked with children, youth, and families across various settings. My training in Applied Behavior Analysis allows me to observe patterns of behavior that impact a person’s ability to develop meaningful relationships. Using an interpersonal approach, I operate from a Trauma-informed, Anti-Oppressive, and Strengths-based lens. I draw from several modalities including Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Solution-Focused Therapy, and Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction.
 
You are the expert on your life and determine the direction of your growth.
Together, we will work on your social-emotional goals, develop new skills, and uncover your inner strengths. It can be nerve-racking to begin therapy, especially if you have never engaged in therapy before. Anything new and unknown can be scary! It would be my honor to support you in reclaiming your joy for life. Individuals of all genders, sexual orientations, and cultural backgrounds are welcome to book with me.

Francesca Serwaa

RSW, MA Counselling Psychotherapy Candidate

Do you feel stressed, overwhelmed, and/or anxious? Does it feel like you take one step forward, and experience two steps back? Hello, my name is Francesca, and I am a student psychotherapist with professional experience as a solution focused counsellor. I specialize in  helping people manage stress, depression, and easing anxiety. With a compassionate approach, I strive to cultivate meaningful connections and guide you towards mental wellness.
 
Grounded in anti-oppressive and anti-racist principles, I am rooted in empathy, active listening, and a genuine commitment to understanding your individual path. My aim is to foster a courageous and non-judgmental space where you feel empowered to openly explore your thoughts, emotions, and behaviours, ultimately leading to transformative therapeutic growth.
Through ongoing learning and personal growth, I am committed to providing cognitive therapies and empowering you to overcome obstacles while fostering growth.

Melissa Taylor, MSW (She/Her/We)

Clinical Director & Therapist

In Person & Virtual Therapy

Areas of Focus

  • Trauma
  • Racial Trauma
  • Intergenerational Trauma
  • EMDR
  • 2SLGBTQ+ oppression

Certifications 

  • Cognitive Processing Therapy  
  • Narrative Therapy 
  • Mindfulness 
  • EMDR Therapist 
  • Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Level 1

Registered to practice in Ontario and Nova Scotia  

Navigating both physical and virtual spaces, Melissa is a third-culture individual deeply versed in cultural nuances and intergenerational trauma. Driven by a mission to reconnect with her ancestors and to help others on their own journeys of reconnection, she specializes in addressing relational and intergenerational trauma as well as oppression.

Melissa’s practice is grounded in principles of anti-racism, anti-oppressive practices, and Black feminism. She’s committed to working with individuals impacted by colonization, enslavement, and 2SLGTBQ+ oppression.

Melissa’s certifications span Cognitive Processing Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Mindfulness, EMDR, and Sensorimotor Psychotherapy. She’s registered to practice in Ontario and Nova Scotia.

Through her empathy and expertise, Melissa illuminates the path towards healing and reconnection at Ancestral Memory Therapy.

Begin Your Journey Today

Every step towards healing is a victory. Join us at Ancestral Memory Therapy, where we’ll walk alongside you on your unique journey towards understanding, integration, and healing. Book a free 15-minute consultation to start your journey today.