Suzanna Lai (MA, RP)
Registered Psychotherapist
Hello, my name is Suzanna. I am a Registered Psychotherapist licensed with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO). I have worked in health care for 20 years. I started my career as a registered radiation technologist and worked in major hospitals such as Sick Kids and University Health Network. During my time working as a front-line health care worker, I started to notice many of my patients’ physical ailments are acutely associated with their struggle with mental and social health. They all desire for comprehensive healing and wellness that involve all aspects of their lives. It sparked my interest to explore and study the human conditions and psychology.
I approach therapy and healing from a holistic biopsychosocial and spiritual perspective. I believe all my clients are created beautifully and purposefully. They are all worthy of love, respect, understanding, compassion and hope. They are all doing their best and want to do their best. They all have the potential to achieve their goals. And they all possess resources and wisdom that they can access to live a fulfilled and unique life, a life that’s worth living!
On the journey of healing with my clients, I take on the role of a sojourner and coach. My clients are the expert of themselves. Through reflection and self-discovery, we uncover untapped wisdom, reservoirs, and strength that have always been there. We learn skills and emotional tools to manifest discovered beauty and strength. With new insights, perspectives, emotional schema, and understanding, clients summit at a place where hope, possibilities, and freedom exist.
Although I approach mental health from an enrichment and wellness stance, instead of a condition focused perspective, some of the barriers that I work with are: depression, anxiety, stress, emotion management and attunement, transition difficulty, couples and family relations, parenting, grief and loss, bipolar, trauma, self-esteem, religious guilt, attachment injury, suicidal thoughts and attempt, and self-harm. I generally work with adolescents and adults over 14 years of age.
I frequently use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Emotion Focused Therapy, Mindfulness, Solution Focused Therapy, and Motivational Interviewing to work with clients. I offer therapy in English and Mandarin.
My service can be covered by extended health insurance with Registered Psychotherapist coverage. The clinic also offers FREE insurance navigation service to help you confirm your coverage.
It takes a lot of courage and wisdom for one to prioritize his/her mental health and holistic well being. It’s a privilege for me to serve and journey with each one of my clients. I’d be honoured to embark on your healing and self-discovery journey with you. You are not alone.
CERTIFICATIONS:
- University of Toronto Dialectical Behavioural Therapy
- Emotionally Focused Therapy Externship, International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy (ICEEFT)
- York Univeristy EFT Level 1 Summer Institute
