Shani Ellis-Alman, Registered Social Worker (ON)

Background

My professional experience brings a Bachelor's degree in psychology and a Masters degree from Wilfrid Laurier University in Social Work. My career thus far has been in health care and academia, focusing on mental health and wellness, addiction and maladaptive coping, and concurrent disorders- situation’s where someone is managing both a mental health and substance use concern that co-occur. I have worked in hospital settings, crisis and community mental health capacities, developed and facilitated mental health and addiction groups, as well as gender specific groups focusing on gendered experiences.

Your therapeutic experience with me

You will find that my approach draws a lot from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Motivational Interviewing (MI), and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT). I also incorporate elements of mindfulness and grounding skills to help you manage during times of distress. I pull a lot from Maslow’s hierarchy of needs in terms of developing safety and interpersonal relationships as key to enhancing self esteem and finding your true self.