ALEXANDER DE ZORZI, RSW

Registered Social Worker, Trauma and Brainspotting Therapist

Adults and youth; in person in Ottawa and virtually across Ontario.

Alexander supports clients experiencing trauma, workplace stress, burnout, grief, anxiety, neurodivergence, parenting challenges, and major life transitions. He has a particular interest in first responders, healthcare professionals, and others affected by demanding or high-stress work.

You may find Alexander helpful if:

• Past experiences still affect how you feel or respond
• Workplace stress or repeated exposure has become difficult to carry
• You are experiencing burnout, moral injury, or compassion fatigue
• Anxiety, depression, grief, divorce, or another life change is affecting you
• ADHD, autism, or neurodivergence is creating additional challenges
• You want support with the emotional demands of parenting

What therapy with Alexander is like:

Alexander’s approach is warm, grounded, and collaborative. You need not disclose everything immediately or revisit difficult experiences before you feel ready. He helps you understand connections between experiences, emotions, thoughts, and physical responses. Depending on your needs, therapy may include conversation, practical strategies, Brainspotting, cognitive behavioural therapy, somatic approaches, or the Safe and Sound Protocol. His goal: helping you feel more grounded, connected, and confident moving forward.

Areas of Practice:

Trauma and abuse; workplace trauma and moral injury; first-responder and frontline-professional stress; anxiety; depression; attachment difficulties; grief; burnout; divorce; parenting support; ADHD; autism; and major life transitions.

ALEXANDER DE ZORZI, RSW Registered Social Worker, Trauma and Brainspotting Therapist Adults and... Read More

JAN COLLINS, MSW, LSW, RSW

Registered Social Worker

In person in Ottawa and virtually across Ontario.

Jan’s years of clinical experience span anxiety, depression, trauma, adoption-related issues, birthmother grief, infertility, post-partum recovery, relationship concerns and life transitions. Her longstanding background includes community development, higher-education and facilitating groups, workshops, and seminars.

You May Find Jan Helpful If:

• Trauma or a difficult experience still affects your life or relationships
• You are a birthmother coping with grief after an adoption placement
• You are an adoptive parent navigating attachment, grief, identity, or relationships with your child’s birth family
• Anxiety, depression, grief, or OCD is interfering with daily life
• Infertility, pregnancy, postpartum experiences, or another women’s health concern is affecting your emotional well-being
• You are a woman serving in, or transitioning from, the Canadian Armed Forces, veteran community, or RCMP
• Workplace culture, harassment, sexual trauma, or balancing service and family life have taken a toll
• You and your partner want to improve communication, work through conflict, or rebuild trust

What Therapy with Jan is Like:

Jan offers safe, compassionate, professionally guided support to navigate life’s transitions, grieve losses, heal from trauma, and thrive rather than just survive. She adapts to your unique challenges, needs, and circumstances, helping you understand connections between thoughts, emotions, physical health, and overall well-being and offering practical strategies for meaningful, lasting change.

Areas of Practice:

Anxiety & Depression - Grief & Loss - Adoption, Infertility, Pregnancy & Postpartum Concerns - Parenting - Trauma & PTSD - Military, Veteran & RCMP Challenges - Life Transitions - Identity & Self-Worth - Relationship Difficulties - Women’s Mental Health - Couples Therapy

Therapeutic Approaches and Modalities:

Mindfulness, parts work and Internal Family Systems-informed therapy, somatic and polyvagal-informed approaches, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), trauma-informed therapy, and the Gottman Method.

JAN COLLINS, MSW, LSW, RSW Registered Social Worker In person in Ottawa and virtually across On... Read More

VIRGINIA THURSTON, RCAT, RP

**Registered Canadian Art Therapist Registered Psychotherapist Clinical Supervisor**

Adults (17+); in person in Ottawa and virtually across Ontario.

Virginia supports clients experiencing complex trauma, complex grief, sexual abuse including incest, chronic illness and pain, dissociation, cultural dislocation, and other difficult life experiences. Trained in art psychotherapy, spiritually informed therapy, IFS and EMDR, she offers a compassionate, creative space where clients can feel welcomed without judgment.

You may find Virginia helpful if:

• Trauma still affects your sense of safety, identity, or relationships
• You are living with complex grief or a painful loss
• You experience dissociation or feel disconnected from yourself
• Sexual abuse or incest has affected your life
• Chronic illness or pain is taking an emotional toll
• You are adjusting to cultural dislocation or a significant transition
• You are a first responder carrying the effects of difficult experiences
• You want therapy that can include creative, mindful, or body-based approaches

What therapy with Virginia is like:

Virginia’s warm, person-centred, trauma-informed approach follows your needs and comfort. She understands that painful experiences may be recent or long past; trauma and grief can develop in layers. She combines compassionate conversation with art psychotherapy, mindfulness based cognitive therapy and guided meditations, spiritually-informed therapy, dream work and inner parts work. Art therapy requires no artistic experience. Optional creative approaches help express, explore, and understand experiences that are difficult to put into words. Virginia helps you recognize existing strengths, reconnect with hope, and develop emotional balance and resilience.

Areas of Practice:

Trauma; complex grief; chronic illness and pain; dissociative disorders; sexual abuse and incest; cultural dislocation; first-responder experiences; relationship difficulties; and major life transitions.

Therapeutic Modalities:

Art psychotherapy, Internal Family Systems, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, EMDR, the Safe and Sound Protocol, movement and breathwork, spiritually-informed therapy, nature therapy.

Therapeutic Approach:

Trauma-informed, holistic, humanistic and feminist.

VIRGINIA THURSTON, RCAT, RP **Registered Canadian Art Therapist Registered ... Read More

MARIE JAKALICIA GUIGNARD, MC, RCC, RP

Trauma, EMDR, and IFS Therapist

Adolescents and adults; in person in Ottawa, virtually across Ontario, and virtual appointments for clients in British Columbia. Languages: English, French, and Haitian Creole.

Marie has more than 10 years of clinical experience and extensive experience in trauma therapy, grief, emotional regulation, addiction recovery, anxiety, and depression. Before practising in Ontario, she established her career as a Registered Clinical Counsellor in British Columbia, where she remains registered.

You may find Marie helpful if:

• Trauma or a difficult experience still affects your life
• You are grieving a death, relationship, identity, or significant change
• Anxiety or depression makes it difficult to function or feel like yourself
• Strong emotions overwhelm you or are difficult to regulate
• Addiction or recovery is part of your experience
• You want to understand patterns that seem difficult to change
• You want therapy that respects your culture, identity, and lived experience
• You are interested in EMDR or Internal Family Systems therapy

What therapy with Marie is like:

Warm, compassionate, and culturally responsive, Marie believes people have an inherent capacity to heal when safe, understood, and appropriately supported. She helps you process difficult experiences, understand patterns that developed around them, and reconnect with strengths. Collaborative therapy is adapted to your needs, comfort, culture, and goals and may incorporate EMDR, Internal Family Systems, the Safe and Sound Protocol, emotional-regulation strategies, and trauma-informed conversation.

Marie has facilitated addiction-recovery and emotional-regulation workshops and contributed published work on trauma and mental health.

Areas of Practice:

Trauma and PTSD; grief; anxiety; depression; emotional regulation; addiction and recovery; difficult life experiences; identity; and major life transitions.

Therapeutic Approaches:

EMDR, Internal Family Systems, the Safe and Sound Protocol, and [LIST CUT OFF IN SOURCE - KRISTA TO COMPLETE]

Languages:

English, French, and Haitian Creole.

MARIE JAKALICIA GUIGNARD, MC, RCC, RP Trauma, EMDR, and IFS Therapist Adolescents and adults; i... Read More

KRISTA HELMAN, MSW, RSW, RCSW

Founder and Executive Director of TGI, Registered Clinical Social Worker, EMDRIA-Approved Consultant

Krista is currently accepting new clients for EMDR clinical consultation, and her psychotherapy calendar remains open so her existing clients can book.

Committed to healing and professional growth, Krista is the developer of EMDR-GRIEF, and creates a supportive, evidence-based environment for individuals and mental health professionals seeking recovery from trauma and grief.

With extensive clinical experience, Krista specializes in bottom-up approaches including Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), parts work, and the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP). She provides EMDR clinical consultation through a unique attachment and polyvagal lens and developed the EMDR-GRIEF protocol, a trauma-informed model for grief processing.

Krista authored Over the Rainbow: The Love, Loss, & Legacy of Your Dog and Self-Care Moments: A Workbook to Navigate Your Grief, compassionate self-help tools that gently support people through the pain of loss.

At the Trauma & Grief Institute, Krista leads service expansion into psychotherapy, professional development, wellness retreats, and grief and trauma workshops. Her mission: helping individuals and clinicians connect, heal, and thrive personally and professionally.

Krista welcomes collaboration with professionals, organizations, and communities focused on trauma recovery, grief support, and mental wellness.

Areas of Expertise:

Trauma, Grief, EMDR Therapy, Attachment-Based Therapy, Polyvagal Theory, Clinical Consultation, Parts Work, SSP

Modalities & Services:

EMDR Therapy, EMDR Consultation, Trauma-Informed Grief Work, Professional Workshops

KRISTA HELMAN, MSW, RSW, RCSW Founder and Executive Director of TGI, Registered Clinical Social ... Read More