P. Anne Winter
RelPsych(Dip), Clinical Member OSP

When we speak we are afraid our words will not be heard or welcomed. But when we are silent, we are still afraid. So it is better to speak. - Audre Lorde.

Welcome to my web page and to this important step in seeking psychotherapy to help you live the life you wish to live.

It is normal to not know exactly what is troubling you at first. That is part of what I can help you with. You may want to explore reaching higher goals through psychotherapy or understanding recurring painful feelings that seem to be stopping you from finding your potential.

At times it may be a life-changing event that has left you confused hurt angry or lost that encourages you to seek help. At other times it may be recurring problems that indicate that you may feel stuck in a life pattern that is not helpful to you.

Sometimes you might feel as if you are at battle with yourself either thinking one way or behaving another or kind of frozen inside. Or you could be trying to sort out conflicting emotions and thoughts without knowing how to work out helpful choices for yourself. It can be hard to find out why this is occurring on your own and assistance from a therapist can help you feel more in harmony with yourself.

Experiencing anxiety or depression periodically in your life is normal as is grappling with the need to come to terms with pain or disappointment. Often a person without outside help can resolve this.

At times however the difficulties persist causing distress in different parts of your life. It could be because current concerns are stirring up feelings from the past of which you are not consciously aware. Psychotherapy can enable you to understand those hidden aspects of yourself so that they are not ruling your emotions.

The thought of psychotherapy can feel pretty frightening with the possibility of challenging your current ideals, beliefs, and understandings. Fear of the unknown is understandable.

There is hope for change and improvement. Recent research has proven that brains are constantly in a state of transformation and we can consciously help our brain to take the direction that is most helpful for us.

Therapy is serious because we often talk about painful things but it can also be experienced as playful and intriguing as you have an opportunity to explore different ways of being with yourself.

Your priorities and hopes are my priorities and together we can work to clarify what you would like from psychotherapy.

Our work together relies on collaboration between us. The more you bring in terms of readiness to change the more prepared you will be for progress.

However, whatever stage you are at in terms of motivation there can be benefits. For example the first step might be to clarify what the problem is and what type of protection it is serving. Whatever strengths and self-knowledge you already have will also emerge in our work together.

I attempt to provide you with a warm authentic relationship for you to have the space to express yourself, discover some of your unknown aspects and to grow. This relationship between the therapist and the client is very important as through trust we can work together and focus on being on the same page for your journey.

Central to my work is the belief that it is vital to be in touch with the deep seated coping strategies of a person that have helped them endure difficulties. Those coping mechanisms were formed for a reason and although they may not be useful in the present they provided an important role in the past.

Sometimes emotions are expressed in subtle ways that are difficult to recognize while at other times there may be larger indications while struggling with some undesired concerns. The cause may be through repeated unhappy relationships or possibly having memory problems where you believe you have done some thing and folks have told you that you in fact did something else.

My approach is to be inclusive and non-discriminatory in my work valuing and welcoming difference and diversity. I try to be as transparent as is professionally appropriate and encourage weathering of misconceptions through open-ended dialogue. This is the corner stone for the foundation for trust encouraging insights and change has the potential to occur.

I have worked with those who suffer from various challenges whether physical or emotional disabilities hidden and visible.

Your priorities are often reviewed together as we clarify what you would like from psychotherapy. I work to provide you with a warm authentic relationship where you have the space to really express yourself, to make discoveries and to grow. This relationship is very important as by building a sense of trust we can then work together and from this safe space you will be enabled to take on challenges and develop in new ways.

As a relational attachment based therapist I aim to work within your way of thinking and working towards your chosen goals to enable you to develop your ability to cope with difficulties by having the opportunity to express your thoughts and feelings. Thus you can build your own skills so that you are able to improve your quality of life and feel the freedom to be yourself.

My intention is that you will experience a level of authenticity and insight that helps you to feel empowered, thus learn strategies for altering your current detrimental responses in your life.

Emotions are developed early in childhood. With abusive childhoods children's feelings will be developed with coping patterns to help a child handle extreme difficulties. When similar situations occur later in life unconsciously the person may feel that they need to respond as if the same painful experience is occurring in the present. This response may continue hindering the way they wish to be in the present until it is recognized processed and put to rest.

Learning to name and express how you formed your feelings help you to create new pathways to be more fully you. I focus on a client's early attachment/relationship patterns to themselves and others to understand the present behavior.

Sometimes it is difficult to express feelings and I like to use some of the creative tools that helped me in therapy. Previously I danced in international ballet companies and was a massage therapist. Thus learning how to recognize what the body is expressing is a way of letting one know what our unidentified feelings are. This can be explored through discussing body posturing and movement as well as paying attention to somatic sensations.

What was a wonderful experience for me which has been helpful in my psychotherapy practice, was my years of teaching Hatha Yoga. I found it helped in reaching the subtle information of the more hidden self. This helped me to find a body centered way of helping feelings integrate thus creating a persons deeper sense of well being.

Creative art forms have followed me all my life. Using crayons or journaling or other art forms like playing with clay to express the more complex self can be very insightful.

Many of us experience emotional difficulties at some point in our lives. At these times, we often turn to our friends and family for help and support. But sometimes this is not enough or they are not available and professional help is needed.

You may feel hesitant about seeking professional help - perhaps your problems seem too insignificant or you think that you should be able to sort out your problems by yourself. At this point, therapy may well be able to help you. Psychotherapy offers a safe, impartial and confidential setting in which to explore your difficulties. Problems are identified, confronted and resolved in the context of regular, reliable sessions.

Therapy can provide a unique opportunity for you to speak in confidence with an objective, unbiased, professional who can give undivided attention to you and whatever is troubling you. The combined experience of really being listened to, together with a gradual gaining of new insight and fresh perspectives on your difficulties can then help you to approach things in a different, more effective way.

You are encouraged and supported to take responsibility for the changes you wish to make and empower you to make those changes. However, therapy doesn't change you - it gives you the tools to make the changes for yourself. It will also help you to accept and come to terms with the things in your life that you can't change.

You are encouraged to use the time for reflection. Whatever is foremost on the individual's mind is brought to the session. This can be feelings, thoughts, memories, and dreams. The therapist listens and tries to help the person make sense of feelings and behaviors.

As the therapeutic relationship develops, discovering new insights, and more appropriate ways of coping with problems and feelings can be found.

Sessions are regular from once to three times a week dependant on current situations so as to give as much continuity and support as possible.

For over 15 years I have been researching posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and dissociative disorders (DD, DID, DDNOS), the result of experiencing severe emotional breaks when very young. Trauma can affect a person's core relationship to their self, while breaking down meaningful relationships with those around them. A sense of despair and helplessness may block hope for a productive future. Life changes can stimulate some of these old fears and struggles, increasing challenges while attempting to shift gears.

Here are some descriptions of difficult feelings often developed due to severe trauma in which I have helped clients:

• Attempts to avoid thoughts, places, people, activities or anything which may trigger memories of trauma
• A sense of feeling emotionally numb or feeling detached from other people
• Difficulties expressing affection
• Pessimistic feelings about the future and difficulties planning for the future
• Problems sleeping and persistent distressing thoughts at night
• Difficulties concentrating or focusing on everyday tasks
• A sense of feeling unsafe with appearently no reason
• Extreme alertness
• Irritable or aggressive behavior
• Problems trusting other people
• Difficulty in concentration
• Feeling outside the main stream of life, not a part of it

Learning to feel connection to life in safe ways such as through enjoying nature can be highly therapeutic. Currently I am enjoying the company of two Decorah Eagles on my second screen beside my computer. These birds have a few weeks to go before their three eggs hatch. There are thousands of folk watching these birds day or night enthralled with each move.

Through heavy snow storms where they may be covered by 3 inches of snow to almost being water logged by relentless rain these eggs are very well taken care of indeed. Mom and Dad clearly have taken a good course in collaboration and know their priorities and share nesting duties conscientiously. Oh that it was that simple for we humans.

I have been practicing Psychotherapy from 2002 in private practice and am a graduate of:

• The International Society for Studies of Trauma and Dissociation General and advanced courses.
• Toronto Institute for Relational Psychotherapy
• George Brown College Assaulted Women and Children's Counseling and Advocacy program
• Many other programs including specialties in Autism, Sexual Problems, Attachment Issues and all forms of Trauma.

My approach is psychodynamic with a relational focus. Dependent on a persons needs and specific situations I may suggest different approaches to assist in each challenge. Sometimes it may be that Energy Psychology or EFT Emotional Freedom Techniques are most helpful. These are used in conjunction with talk therapy and other emotional accessing as discussed above.

Please do contact me for a free consultation so that you can see if we feel like a good fit together. My office is located at St Clair Avenue on the west side of Avenue Road and is accessible by TTC with easy parking near by. Here's a map to my office.

All communications are treated in the strictest confidence from the outset.