What happened to you doesn't always stay in the past.
You can spend years living with the effects of trauma, abuse, or difficult relationships without fully understanding how they've affected you.
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You keep functioning. Building a life. Taking care of things. ​But there's a difference between surviving and feeling okay.
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I'm Sonya, a registered social worker and trauma therapist. My own experiences have shaped how I understand trauma and why I believe in working with both the mind and the body.
In Person in South Etobicoke | Virtual across Ontario
The ways we learn to survive.
Some of us grew up having to understand other people's emotions before we understood our own. We learned to adapt, hide what we're feeling, take on too much responsibility, or disconnect from ourselves.
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Or some of us learned to fight back, get angry, shut people out, or stay constantly on guard.
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And there's often grief, too. For what happened, for what we need but didn't receive, and the parts of ourselves we lost along the way.
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These things can follow us into adulthood in ways we don't always recognize.
How I can help
Childhood Trauma
The impact of growing up too quickly, managing a parent's emotions, and carrying family responsibilities into adulthood.
Stress & Overwhelm
Understanding deep sensitivity, hypervigilance, overwhelm, and how hard it can be to switch off in day-to-day life.
Family & Culture
For bicultural adults navigating belonging, intergenerational patterns, family obligations and competing expectations.
Anxiety, Depression, & Grief
How chronic stress and early relationships can shape anxiety, mood, boundaries, grief and connection.
MY APPROACH
Your body may tell a different story than your mind.
Trauma doesn't always show up as a memory. It may show up as a racing heart, tension, difficulty relaxing, disconnection, or feeling on alert.
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Somatic Experiencing® is a body-oriented approach that pays attention to physical sensations and survival responses. Alongside conversation, we gently notice what happens in your body, recognize signs of overwhelm, and explore ways to feel more settled, at a pace that feels manageable.
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The aim is not to erase the past, but to build more choice in how you respond today.
Why I work the way I do
My interest in mental health started long before my professional training. I know what it's like to grow up adapting to other people's emotions and to lose touch with your own.
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My own experience of reconnecting with my body is part of why I believe so strongly in somatic therapy alongside talking.
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And I think the therapist's nervous system matters, too.
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Therapists bring their own histories into the room. I've had to learn how to stay grounded, connect with someone's pain without becoming overwhelmed by it, and offer a steady presence when things get difficult.
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For me, that matters as much as the techniques we use.
MSW, Wilfrid Laurier University | BA Psychology, York University | Somatic Experiencing® training, Advanced level | EMDR Basic Training | OCSWSSW #836823
For pilots, flight attendants, and aviation professionals.
Irregular schedules, disrupted sleep, long stretches away from home and constant transitions can affect your well-being and relationships. I support aviation professionals navigating stress, burnout, anxiety, and the challenge of finding stability in an unpredictable lifestyle.
The practical details
Sessions
Fees
Availability
Languages
Individual therapy for adults (18+), plus walk-and-talk sessions
$195 for 50 minutes
Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday
English, French, and conversational Punjabi
Insurance
Confirm coverage for Social Work Services; direct billing available for most plans
Questions
Let's Connect
South Etobicoke Therapy
2405 Lake Shore Blvd W, Suite 302
Etobicoke ON, M8V 1C6
(647) 302-2481