Reina's services
Reina works with adults, couples, and adolescents to deal with a broad range of issues, and uses a variety of counselling approaches, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR).
Perimenopause and menopause
Perimenopause is the transitional period leading up to menopause when a woman's menstrual periods stop permanently, and she can no longer get pregnant. This transitional period is a challenging time for many women because of the significant physical changes that occur, and the effect those changes have on their mental health. Perimenopausal symptoms include hormonal fluctuations, severe PMS, sleep problems, intense irritability, fatigue, decreased libido, relationship and sexual intimacy issues, anxiety, and depression. Counselling can provide support for women during this transitional period by addressing their mental and physical health needs, and by implementing personal coping strategies that address the many challenges women face during this stage of their lives.
Trauma and PTSD
Unresolved traumas and distressing experiences can be overwhelming. They can affect our ability to sleep, distort our thinking and emotions, and keep us living in a virtual loop of fear and sadness. Reina practices a variety of therapies designed to treat the symptoms of trauma and post-traumatic stress, including Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). EMDR is an internationally recognized psychotherapy that helps to diminish traumatic memories by reprocessing them so that they are no longer psychologically disruptive.
Learn more about EMDR
Phobias
A phobia is an intense fear of something that can hold you back from participating in your life. The fear that the phobia creates can feel automatic and overwhelming, and you might go to great lengths to avoid it. Common phobias include medical phobias (needlephobia), social phobias (fear of public speaking); animal phobias (spiders), situational phobias (flying), and natural phobias (storms). Reina successfully overcame her debilitating fear of spiders and public speaking through EMDR therapy, and also treats her client's phobias using EMDR.
Relationship issues
In any relationship, there are three personas: you (one partner), me (the other partner), and we (the couple). In a healthy relationship, all the personas need to be strong and well-defined, but sometimes they aren’t. Problems can arise in the daily challenges of life, and the couple can get lost as the partners tend to their own individual needs. Counselling can help to build a stronger couple, and a more unified and peaceful relationship.
Transitioning from adolescence to adulthood
Adolescence, and the transition to adulthood, comes with many stressors, including academic stress, confusion from social media, peer and family pressures, issues of self-discovery, identity development problems, challenges of increased independence, anxiety and depression from overthinking current life situations, and fears about the future or other situations that seem overwhelming. Counselling can help adolescents cope with these stressors, and ease the transition to adulthood, by decreasing negative thoughts and emotions, decreasing the confusion from social media, improving their sense of purpose and meaning, and helping them assert their values and judgments.
Anger management and domestic abuse
Reina provides specialized counselling and educational services to people who have assaulted their partners. She focuses on helping people to examine their beliefs and attitudes towards domestic abuse, to improve their communication skills, and to learn non-abusive ways of resolving conflict. Reina works directly with criminal and family lawyers whose clients require anger management counselling.
Terminal illnesses, grief, and bereavement
Having worked with Hospice Toronto and the VON-Hospice Scarborough, Reina understands the complexity of feelings and thoughts that individuals and families experience when facing a life-threatening illness or death. Reina provides a warm and empathetic approach as well as practical skills to help empower individuals to work through their concerns during this difficult time.