Therapy with Naszrin
If you are in crisis please call Canada Suicide Prevention Service (1-833-456-4566), Kids Help Phone (1-800-668-6868) or go to the nearest mental health drop-in clinic or your local hospital emergency room.
Welcome, I am Naszrin
It is a pleasure to have you here.
The following page will give you an overview of my experience, education and who I am as
a person. I hope this information helps you have a better understanding of my practice and the type of counseling that I offer. Knowing these details can help you decide whether my approach is compatible with your personality, lived experience and counseling needs.
Who I Am
I was raised in an intercultural family, with an Afghan father and a Hungarian mother. Having been exposed to multiple cultures from an early age, I have experienced both the rewards and challenges that come with navigating diverse perspectives. Although I often struggled with a sense of belonging, over time, I learned to accept, appreciate and celebrate my mixed identity. Acknowledging and taking pride in my background has played an essential role in my path towards becoming a therapist. It has also influenced the therapeutic modalities that I choose to practice from today. I approach sessions with a heightened sensitivity towards my clients’ stories and strive to understand how the intersection of their various identities (e.g.: race, culture, religion, class, gender and sexual orientation) shape their sense of self, relationships and experiences in the world.
After immigrating to Canada, I lived in Scarborough, one of Toronto's most diverse areas along with a high prevalence of low income households. Experiencing the inequality, poverty and limited access to resources has driven my passion for social justice and advocating for accessible and emphatically informed practices in the field of mental health. These experiences have shaped my outlook on life, as well as the reasons why I pursued a Bachelor degree in Psychology then a Master’s in Social Work at the University of Toronto.
What I do
Through my undergrad, I volunteered at the University of Toronto Women’s Centre and Student Accessibility Services, while working as a Research Assistant for various Psychology professors. In my last year, I joined the North-South Partnership for Children, a non-profit organization that worked with First Nations communities through community-lead research. I also worked at the East Scarborough Storefront, as a Community Resource Specialist, in the Kingston-Galloway-Orton Park Community. These experiences further solidified my passion for social justice and after graduating, I worked at Native Child and Family Services as a Therapeutic Access Worker. Through this work, I was motivated to build more knowledge and decided to pursue graduate training, specializing in mental health counseling.
I have 7 years of clinical experience as a therapist. I completed my Master of Social Work, with a focus on Children and Families, at the University of Toronto in 2016. After receiving my degree, I worked as a Child-Youth-Family Therapist in a community mental health setting in Toronto for 5 years. In this position, I worked with various age groups (e.g., children, teenagers, young adults, parents) and provided individual, family and group therapy. I also developed and facilitated workshops at the Scarborough Women's Centre, focusing on women's mental health including impacts of gender-based violence and trauma. For the last 2 years, I have been working at the University of Guelph, where I support students with a range of mental health concerns in individual and group counseling.
I have been in private practice for the last 4 years, supporting clients with anxiety, depression, stress, parenting support, loneliness, life transitions and impacts of trauma, including intergenerational trauma. Many of my clients are immigrants, first or second generation immigrants, and folx coming from diverse backgrounds (e.g.: race, culture, religion, gender and sexual orientation). The therapeutic work includes, but is not limited to, creating spaces of safety, exploration, understanding, and healing. I focus on building relationships with my clients that are based on a foundation of trust and respect, creating an atmosphere in which my clients can build a strong sense of self.
Get In Touch
If you have any questions, please feel to send me an email or schedule a 15-minute consultation. I look forward to working with you!