About Michelle Martin

About Me

My name is Michelle Martin (pronouns she/her) and I am a Registered Psychotherapist, graduating with a Masters of Counselling with specialization in Art Therapy from Athabasca University and the Vancouver Art Therapy Institute in 2019. Before becoming a therapist, I completed my undergrad degree in Counselling and Human Development, Psychology and History at Simon Fraser University, an Associates degree in Family Studies from Langara College, as well as an Expressive Arts Certificate from Fleming College Haliburton. I completed a year-long professional Compassionate Inquiry course and Mentorship program with Gabor Mate and training in Sensorimotor Psychotherapy. I am also a Sandplay Therapy Intern with CAST (Canadian Association for Sandplay Therapy).

I am an accepted VQRP+ counsellor and also a NIHB service provider.

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My Education and Experience

I am passionate about the integration of art practice in therapeutic settings and have worked and volunteered in the VAW sector for over 12 years. I provided in-house expressive arts groups to the women and children who experienced domestic violence, provided individual and group art therapy for a sexual assault program, as well as for individual clients in private practice. I live and practice mindfulness in my own personal journey and completed my Yoga Teacher training (YTT-200) in 2019 with additional training in Yoga Nidra (2020) and restorative yoga practices (2021).

I take an eclectic and client-centred approach to working with clients where they are at, drawing from trauma and attachment informed research and practice as well as incorporating mindfulness, compassion and creativity into sessions. I have experience working with a variety of clients in both group and individual sessions including couples, men, women, children, adolescents, and youth and provide ally centred approaches with 2SLGBTQIA+ and BIPOC individuals.

Associations

Canadian Art Therapy Association-Professional Art Therapist
Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association-Certified Canadian Counsellor (CCC)
College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario-Registered Psychotherapist (RP)
Canadian Association for Sandplay Therapy (Sandplay Therapy Intern)

I want to acknowledge that I live and practice on the land that is the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe Mississauga adjacent to Haudenosaunee Territory and in the territory covered by the Williams Treaty. Each day we greet and honour the original inhabitants of the land, Miigwetch.

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Our Philosophy

My Practice

My education and experience enables me to offer effective individualized, therapeutic care for children, adolescents, and adults working from many modalities from a trauma and attachment informed approach that is based in feminist principles that are 2SLGBTQIA+ and BIPOC allied.

Therapy Focus

My focus is to help individuals heal, energize, and become aware of their inner strengths. We achieve this by providing a neutral safe space, listening to your concerns, and customizing a therapy plan to meet your goals.

Client Promise

I promise to support you through your personal journey. My goal is to help you grow from your struggles, heal from your pain, and move forward to where you want to be in your life.

Inspirational Quotes

Restoring balance in the mind-body-spirit through creativity

Understand. Heal. Grow. We Can Do This Together

Create your best life!

“Knowing oneself comes from attending with compassionate curiosity to what is happening within.”

― Gabor Mate

“There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.”

― Leonard Cohen

“The only way we can change the way we feel is by becoming aware of our inner experience and learning to befriend what is going inside ourselves.”

― Bessel A. van der Kolk, The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma