Andrea D’Onofrio

I love these beautiful, inspiring words and have learned, through my personal healing and in my work with clients, the resistance we build that can challenge our ability to authentically believe in our own worth, deserving and value. In a warm, caring, supportive, accepting and non-judgmental environment, we can carefully create self-acceptance and improve our self-concept as we bravely learn to open our fragile hearts.

Many of us are hurting from experiences in our lives that we are having trouble reconciling. Understanding that we did the best we could at the time based on our skills, knowledge and experience helps us move through pain and heal. We tend to blame the situation, person and/or ourselves for our pain and magnify it to a level of discomfort that initiates our search for a therapist of good fit. We can learn to trust in a safe client-practitioner relationship, explore the past and develop an accurate self-concept to enhance ability to ease pain, reconcile the past and create the future that we want.

Compassion and empathy are essential to create a safe space for clients to explore vulnerability, share and grow. Our experiences don’t define us, they can be used to understand our unique journeys and integrate our inner capacity of strength, resilience and courage that we only become familiar with in times of challenge. We can work together to transform old patterns and reactions from destructive to productive. We have the power to free ourselves from an attachment to shadow and pain in order to embrace joy and increase energy and excitement.

Raising consciousness in a largely unconscious world is not an easy task. I have tremendous respect and admiration for those who are willing to open their eyes to hard truths and disappointing circumstances. It is this powerful process of awakening to the real you that comprises the concept of personal growth and development. This is a focus of my practice.

I am here to walk with you on your enriching journey, to live with a focus on the present, accept what can’t be changed and to change what can. I am here to guide you towards self-exploration and provide the tools to create the change; however it is clients that work to achieve their goals. This is incredibly empowering and what gives the psychotherapy a significantly lower relapse rate than traditional medical-model approaches.

I take a collaborative, client-centered approach, which constantly evolves with you and your unique experiences. Personal growth and development creates skills, knowledge and experience that you will keep forever. It is that from which you can effectively manage through whatever challenges arise in the future and achieve personal freedom.

I take a holistic view of whole person health, which informs my approach to therapy. When we experience life, good and not so good, we feel it at the emotional, cognitive, physical and energetic levels. When one system is off, it affects all other systems in the body. As an experienced energy-based practitioner of Reiki, I will help you learn to build and integrate the skills necessary to create change on all levels. What we hold in our hearts can be manifested as physical pain and vice versa. It creates a stress response in the nervous system that affects heart, mind and body. When we learn these skills, we will have them forever. We can transform our lives and challenges though powerful inner growth and development. We can experience enriching emotional health and create happiness. This improves whole person health and wellbeing.

My own experience in psychotherapy for personal growth and development inspired me to leave my former career in retail buying to help others create the meaningful change that has transformed my personal and professional lives.

Accreditation: Registered Psychotherapist, College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO #004684)

Registered Reiki Practitioner, Canadian Reiki Association (CRA)

Professional Memberships: Ontario Society of Registered Psychotherapists (OSRP), Clinical Member 2019 – Present

Canadian Counselling & Psychotherapy Association (CCPA), Professional Member 2015 – Present

Canadian Psychological Association (CPA), Professional Member 2015 – 2018, Student Member 2013 – 2015