Danielle Smith

About Danielle

I know this step isn’t an easy one. Seeking therapy is brave; finding a counsellor that fits can take time. My approach is multidimensional and personalized, drawing from various evidence-based practices, which include somatic, attachment, and mindfulness. While we can’t predict how we might respond to challenging situations, we can work to renegotiate our memories by accessing our body’s unique means of responding to triggers. The method is layered; together, we might consider your earliest attachments in childhood, how you have interpreted a traumatic experience and even your intersectionalities on a macro level. Once this evidence is gathered, activation is located in the physical body, energy is addressed and worked with somatically to encourage the nervous system toward emotional regulation in a trauma-informed way.

I always want to create a space that allows you to feel safe, relaxed, and free from judgment. I work from a feminist perspective, meaning you are not something that is broken and needs fixing. You are whole and have adapted to your environment in ways that served you until now. With compassion, openness, and a bit of humour, I’d like to help you meet yourself.

I am passionate about social justice and consider how resources, opportunities and privileges affect our well-being. I strive to work holistically and access emotional regulation through nervous system integration to allow you to step into your power and live a life not void of suffering but equipped with the tools to navigate our time on earth.

I have experience working with youth (14 to 19 years old), adults, families and couples. I help navigate stress and burnout, relational trauma (infidelity, domestic violence, divorce, abuse and codependency), birth and incidental trauma, sports performance and anxiety, parent-teen mediation, grief and life transitions, imposter syndrome, suicidal ideation and self-harm, communication and boundaries, eating disorders, substance use and addiction.

My practice incorporates traditional talk therapy, Somatics, Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) and Internal Family Systems (IFS). Once we can regulate your emotions somatically, we begin to look at all of the different parts we are comprised of (IFS). Once these parts are identified, we can process any negative core beliefs we have about ourselves (typically from our upbringing) using EMDR (eg. I am unloveable or I am not good enough). Working with the unconscious grants us the opportunity to heal ourselves and move through life in a way that is not void of pain or suffering but armed with courage and confidence in ourselves.

I am a friend, activist, former professional volleyball player, sister, gardener, daughter, potter, athlete, dog mom, self-proclaimed chef, and recovering perfectionist (to name a few.) At the heart of it all, I am just a person attempting to navigate this life in a real and authentic way and hoping to bring my passion for healing to my community.

** I am on maternity leave until October, please reach out via my website to join the waitlist or inquire 🙂