Child and Youth Mental Health Worker (CYW)
Conflict Resolution and Mediation (MA)
Call or Text: 519-476-0339
Email: aforristal@gestaltmail.ca
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My Approach...
I strive to work with the whole person in mind, body, and spirit by increasing awareness while offering a process for personal growth and development. Creating a trusted relationships that provides a stable, reliable, and open space to explore whatever arises in the here and now. Trained in utilizing diverse modalities including relational Gestalt Therapy (GIT), Child and Youth Mental Health (CYMH), Cr8tv Art Therapy, Post Traumatic Growth (PTG), Play and Narrative Therapy, Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT), Development Psychology, Somatic, Psychodynamic, Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST), Existentialism, as well as Cognitive and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (CBT/DBT),
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Select a Specialization...
Teenagers and Young Adult
This is a tremendously difficult time of life that needs a creative approach. Developmentally, this is when people are typically faced with stressful life transitions, managing the pressures of life, future, school, self-esteem, identity, body awareness, disordered eating, and challenging social dynamics. For some, this comes with excitement and hopeful potential. Others, this reality feels like an immense sense of anxiety, depression, eating disorders, or harmful thoughts, as they move through the teen years and young adulthood. I also recognize this can be an extremely confusing, frustrating, and disheartening time for parents as well.
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For decades, I dedicated my life working exclusively with teens and young adults through creativity spaces, community organizations and Toronto District School Board. Using a trauma-informed and collaborative approaches we explore different forms of support, develop coping skills, building a sense of self, explore identity, recognize creative adjustments, as well as the need for tolerance, resilience, a sense of control, and so much more.
Contact me for more.
Depression and Anxiety
Each of these are a phenomenological way of experiencing the world, and how we relate to it. We can't always choose or control the events that happen to us. But, we do have power within our own individual reactions, and the meaning we give to all of it. Finding a way to live comfortably and authentically, within our own uncertain existence can be overwhelming and feel so lonely or unbearable.
You are not alone in this!
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It has been a lifetime of constructing the way you perceive and relate to yourself, to others, and to the world around you. It is how you have existed, prepared yourself, protected yourself, saved yourself, and manage to get yourself through life this far.
For some, you might question the meaning of it all, question if it will ever change, question if it is even worth it.
I can respect that, I can work with that, I'm here for that.
Contact me.
Trauma and Post-Traumatic Growth
Trauma impacts every person differently, and not experienced in the same way, even if people went through the same event. It has a variety of debilitating symptoms that impact the way someone moves and experiences life, along with the world around them. It may emerge from a critical incident, perceived life-threat, or exposure to an overwhelming emotional experience without having the adequate capacity to deal with it alone.
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Trauma is not always immediate, linear, cognitive, or a neatly contained process that a person can just get over, or quickly move through. It can feel like a real internal battle, full of sleepless nights, hard breaths, and indescribable pain as one wrestles with the darkest thoughts, feelings and images.
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Reaching out and accepting support, allowing hope to build resiliency, and moving far enough through the dark to find light is possible.
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Not easy, but possible.
Conflict , Boundaries, and Anger Management
Approaching our anger, or the anger of another is difficult, can feel overwhelming, intimidating, and need some extra support. Its hard to acknowledge and manage cycles of anger, to eruption, followed by guilt, and shame. I know. You might be trying to find your own voice, needing to set boundaries, accept responsibility, or skillfully encounter ruptures with knowledge and repair for the harm done.
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Together we can explore awareness around the different layers of interaction, avoidance, escalation or de-escalation, and grounding techniques. Practice the vital skills of setting and enforcing boundaries, impactful communication, and reflective listening. This may or may not include work with your inner child, recognize personal patterns, notice harmful assumptions, facing imagined narratives, past hurt, or acknowledging ways of creating our own self fulfilling prophecies.
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Not currently offering Couples Therapy, Court-Appointed Anger Management, or working with Abuse. Family Sessions are offered as necessary with youth clients.
Grief and Bereavement
Life and death as two parts of the same whole, only separated by the experience of living no matter how long, short, easy, or hard that experience may be. Even with knowing this, grief and bereavement can be one of the most painful processes humans go through. Yet can also hold such profound and transformative meaning for those facing end of life, for those who are around them, and especially for the loved ones left living with the presence of someone else's absence.
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There are many dimensions to the end of life and each person process it incredibly different. The death maybe be sudden or anticipated, contemplative, or traumatic. Accompanied with questions of existential meaning, life purpose, and the overwhelming sense of loss .
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However death comes, the need for healing comes too.