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Burlington: 3150 Harvester Rd., Suite 203
Amelia Di Tomasso
M.A. Counselling Psychology, BSc Psychology
Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying)
Certified Trauma Integration Clinician (ATTCH)
I am a passionate trauma therapist specializing in areas of trauma, addictions, grief and loss, relationships, and self-discovery.
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Maya Angelou wrote about how life is a collection of "many defeats", but that you must not be defeated by them. So, if you are feeling defeated, lost, and alone -- reach out! Together we can cultivate your internal resilience, a sense of empowerment, and trust in the Self to navigate whatever is in front of you.
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The greatest gift I can give you as a therapist is my presence. My job is not to fix you, as you are not broken. My job is not to give you answers, as you already have all the answers you need within you. My job is to use my training to hear your stories and walk alongside you quite intentionally supporting you to make connections, confront your fears, and reconnect with your whole Self.
I bring a wealth of experience to my practice including social service work with homelessness and poverty, chronic mental health, trauma and addictions. From working in homeless shelters, leading transitional housing programs, and early work in addictions counselling, I am grateful for the exposure of this work to the reality of trauma and the many faces it wears.
Additionally, my lived experience, especially in areas of trauma and loss, family breakdowns, and supporting children with severe physical and cognitive disabilities offers a window of understanding into the challenges so many of my clients may also be navigating.
My work is also deeply informed by my experience and participation in the transformative power of nature, philosophical practices like Taoism and Stoicism, and the healing presence of horses.
I keep a note in my phone titled, "A Collection of Words That Changed My Life". These quotes, phrases, and letters are odes to some of the biggest questions I have asked myself as I have moved through life. These three have deeply informed my philosophy on therapy.
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"The meaning of life is to make life meaningful"
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"Healing is not about erasing the past. It's about changing how the past lives within you so that it no longer controls your present"
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"Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate"
I completed my graduate studies at Yorkville University, and my undergraduate studies at Memorial University. My clinical training was completed in a trauma-focused setting where I was trained under Lori Gill in the ATTCH method of integrative trauma work.
I believe you are the expert in your story and therefore you are your own knight in shining armour. My goal is always to help you develop the awareness, knowledge, and skills needed to keep pushing forward because life will never stop testing you.
Shall we begin?
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Subjects:
Complex trauma, Attachment Trauma, Relational Trauma, Grief & Loss, Addictions, Anxiety, Depression, Pornography, Sexual Addiction, Domestic Abuse, Eating Disorders, Relationships, Self-Discovery
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Types of Therapy:
Primary Approaches - Psychodynamic, Attachment, Existential, Person-Centered, Internal Family Systems, Polyvagal Theory, Integrative Trauma and Attachment Treatment Model (ITATM).
Secondary Approaches - Reality Therapy, Somatic work, Family Systems, CBT, Expressive Arts, Narrative, DBT, Strengths-Focused.
Frameworks - Dialectic, Intersectional, Harm-Reduction
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My Pronouns:
she/her
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Beyond my Work:
I relish in the creative arts! Growing up I was an avid drawer, graphic artist and writer. Writing has continued to be my grandest passion in life. I am an author, delving into genres of sci-fi, fantasy, psychological thriller and horror, including poetry. In 2021, I self-published my first poetry book. I am also a prolific reader and collector of books.
Beyond this, I am also deeply athletic. Soccer and volleyball are my favourite sports to play. I am also an endurance runner, bodybuilder, and equestrian. I love being outside and am always looking for hiking and camping opportunities.
Tea, sushi, and donuts are a lifeline to my heart. I love to play open world video games from time-to-time, The Elder Scrolls continuing to reign as my favourite games of all time. The Fallout series, Red Dead Redemption and The Sims are additional games that I can get lost in for hours.
I am also super passionate about education (Francis Bacon did say that knowledge is power).
More about how I work (if you are curious).
Psychodynamic: I am a firm believer that in order to meet yourself in the present, you must understand your past. Psychodynamic therapy states that unconscious patterns and defense mechanisms have a way of disrupting your present self and so the path to healing is rooted in identifying these patterns and their underlying mechanisms so that you can then adapt, change and grow.
Internal Family Systems: Building on psychodynamic tenets, I use IFS to deepen the understanding of your parts and what they are holding. When we can find the protectors of your scars you can move towards unburdening that pain and connect with your whole Self.
Polyvagal: Understanding the neurobiology of stress and trauma is an incredibly impactful step to understanding the "whys" behind your symptoms and behaviours. This non-pathological approach is foundational to my work and offers several steps forward for you in how to manage the symptoms you are experiencing.
Attachment: In partnership with IFS and Psychodynamic therapy, I use attachment theory to help you understand patterns of behaviour we may see, particularly in your relationships, so that you can change unhelpful choices and behaviour that may be negatively impacting them.
Existential: We exist interdependently as part of a grander system. And accordingly, it is human nature to question the purpose, value, and meaning of our presence. Further, I believe that so much of human healing lies in alignment with the Self which makes concepts like purpose and values evermore critical to obtaining alignment.
Person-Centered: At its core, therapy works because of the relationship you build with your therapist. I believe in the power of presence and the way I just simply show up for you, making this foundational approach always necessary.
ITATM: For a more structured approach, I use Lori Gill's Integrative Attachment and Trauma Treatment Model -- an integrative process that blends bilateral stimulation, resource installation, sensory processing, art, parts works, cognitive restructuring, somatic discharge and movement, and visualization to regulate the mind and body simultaneously while depotentiating painful and traumatic memories.
Dialectical Lens/DBT: The world is not black and white, and humans aren't either. The universe contains "the seeds of it's opposites", meaning that when we can recognize and honour these nuances, growth and change are imminent. Further, I often supplement my work with providing clients with skills taught in DBT to help cement the changes happening in their lives.
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