Shanuka Ratnasingham BA (Hons.), MA, Member OACCPP

Hello and welcome. I congratulate you on the wisdom and courage it took to decide to seek psychotherapeutic services. It is very difficult when one is in a state of crisis, experiencing emotional and/ or physical pain, or struggling with a long-term issue to believe that change is possible and then take the necessary steps to seek assistance.

My Approach

My approach is to listen from a place of compassion, empathy, and respect. I will provide you with supportive feedback and encouraging words. I will explain symptoms, relationship issues, techniques and ideas in a manner that is easy to understand. We will collaboratively build goals for your treatment. I will give you the support needed to view your life circumstances, beliefs, symptoms, and behaviours from a healthier perspective. With my assistance, you will begin to connect with yourself more deeply and increase your capacity for self-acceptance. I will teach you strategies to help reduce the severity of your symptoms. I will challenge you gently to take steps to improve your symptoms, relationships, and overall health.

For those of you who are spiritual or religious, and are interested in incorporating spirituality in your treatment, I am very open to discussing your issues from your spiritual or religious perspective. I am a person who is sensitive to multicultural issues and I will always take your unique and rich heritage and spiritual/ religious beliefs into consideration.

In my work with you, I will take a holistic and integrative approach using a variety of techniques and tools from a number of different psychotherapeutic modalities (e.g. Adlerian Psychology, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Gestalt Therapy, Transactional Analysis, Spiritual Psychotherapy, and Emotion Focused Couples Therapy). Some of the techniques I will use are Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR), guided imagery, meditation and relaxation strategies, cognitive restructuring, and behaviour modification.

What Do Clients Say?

• "Therapy has been gentle and effective."

• "I feel safe, accepted, and my cultural values are understood."

• "Therapy has helped me feel more positive about myself."

• "Therapy is helping me change my thoughts and behaviours."

My Education & Clinical Experience

I am a psychotherapist with nine years of experience providing psychotherapy/ counselling and case management. I have a Master of Arts degree in Counselling Psychology from the Adler School of Professional Psychology and a Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) in Psychology and Sociology from York University. I am a member in good standing with the Ontario Association of Consultants, Counsellors, Psychometrists, and Psychotherapists (OACCPP). In the past, I have worked with organizations such as Women's Resources of Simcoe County, Scarborough Hospital, Solutions Counselling Consultants, and Shepellfgi, providing mental health services to the community.

Over the years, I have provided over 900 hours of treatment to those struggling with addictions, eating disorders, and their family members. I have over 700 hours of counselling experience treating various forms of trauma and trauma-related depression and anxiety. I have approximately 2400 hours of practice providing therapy to those struggling with relationship issues, anxiety, depression, and abuse/ trauma.

About Me

I am the product of three cultures. I lived in Sri Lanka for the first five years of my life, Nigeria for the next six years, and Canada for the majority of my life. When I lived in Nigeria, I had the opportunity to travel to different parts of Europe and Asia on a fairly regular basis. Living on three different continents and travelling during my childhood has helped me develop a good understanding of several cultures and has left me with a global sense of community. I believe strongly that, as human beings, we have a great deal more in common than we realize. When we are open to others from that perspective, we can feel a deeper connectedness with one another, regardless of language, culture, socio-economic status, caste, and/ or ethnicity. I do not use the word 'Race' because I deeply believe, based on my life experiences, that we are one people.

My personal view is that the core of each human being is pure light or goodness and, as each person works through their challenges and is able to connect with their core, the healing process or journey feels easier and, as a result, becomes easier.

It is my belief that each person has a unique life path with different challenges. Overcoming challenges can help a person connect with self at a deeper level and realize what a gift they are to humanity and how special each and everyone is.

My personal outlook on life and psychotherapy is that the more a person heals and becomes connected to the wisdom within, the more likely it is that an individual will develop a framework of meaning that will help him or her feel supported, especially when dealing with life challenges.

I am a person who has experienced personal losses and I found tremendous healing through personal growth work. My personal healing work combined yoga, meditation, research on different religions/ spiritual traditions, and personal therapy.

As a therapist, I strongly believe that ongoing personal growth work/ clinical supervision is beneficial for all therapists, regardless of their degree of self-awareness, skill level, or years of practice. Even though I am a very skilled clinician, I have maintained the practice of acquiring personal growth/ professional supervision to continue to learn and grow as a person and clinician.

Upcoming Workshops

I am offering a meditation group teaching mediation, relaxation, stress reduction, and releasing strategies to release emotional pain. Start Date: February 10th, 2010. Duration: 8 sessions.

Office Location

My office is near Yonge Street and Major Mackenzie Avenue in Richmond Hill. There is free parking at the back of the building. It is easily accessible by public transportation and there is a bus stop just across the street. Please feel free to call or e-mail me. I thank you for taking the time to read my web page. I look forward to meeting you soon.