Sometimes in life, we need a mentor, advocate or a careful, accepting and non-judgmental listener for our thought processes. My intention as a therapist is to be there for you with a compassionate presence, contributing my expertise to help you access your needs, self-understanding and inner wisdom.

Where unconscious behaviours and unsuccessful life patterns impede access to fulfillment and happiness in life, I offer skills development for self-care and self-mastery. I welcome clients who experience emotional distress due to trauma, loss, anxiety, panic, low self-esteem, depression and relationship problems as well as provide clients guidance and support for life changes and decision making.

I offer an integrative and personalized variety of treatment approaches that include Client-centred Emotionally Focused Therapy (putting words to emotions and emotions into words), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (cognitive re-structuring and behavioural change directed at realizing values and achieving goals) and EMDR (trauma de-sensitization and re-processing).

I also welcome couples into my practice, following the protocol of Emotionally Focused Therapy for Couples. Through this process we discover the relationship's distressing negative cycle and facilitate healing and the creation of a loving safe haven.

My background as an educator (PhD in experiential learning) and 30 years in teaching (children, teens and adults) enables me to understand learning styles and thus offer differentiated therapeutic techniques to accommodate a diversity of clientele.

E-mail: j.balaisis@sympatico.ca
Phone: 416-518-0153
Working in Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area, Canada