Counselling & Psychotherapy
Robin Lloyd, M.S.W., R.S.W., Counsellor
Simone Bowman, Psychotherapist, Reiki Master
Dr. Ilze Arielle Matiss, Ph.D., C.Psych, Registered Psychologist


About Robin Lloyd
M.S.W., R.S.W., Counsellor

The terms counselling, psychotherapy and therapy are all labels used to describe a similar psychological process in which talking is the primary method of intervention. Often the specific education or training of the individual practitioner will influence the label chosen to describe her services. I prefer to use the term counselling.

I earned a Master’s Degree in Social Work, with distinction, from Wilfrid Laurier University in 1998. I provide high quality, culturally sensitive and insightful service and have been in private practice since 2003. I am a member of the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers, as well as the Ontario Association of Social Workers.

Life can be hard. Sometimes we don’t know how to cope. Change can be thrust upon us and other times we want to make a change and feel stuck. We may experience difficult feelings such as hopelessness, fear, anger or grief. We can feel lost, alone and confused.

During counselling, I meet with people (youth, adults, men and women, from diverse ethnicities and sexual orientations), to help them as they work through whatever social, emotional, psychological, spiritual or physical concerns they have.

Because I value the life experiences of those seeking my services I work collaboratively with people. My counselling is holistic as I draw from several different models in order to meet the unique needs of each of my clients. I use my intuition and creativity during our sessions.

I have received training in a variety of approaches, including Solution Focused Therapy, Mindfulness, Emotional Freedom Techniques, Narrative Therapy, Emotionally Focused Therapy, and Motivational Interviewing. My practice is also influenced by psychodynamic, feminist and anti-oppression theories.

My mission is to encourage and support personal growth, acceptance and choice.

Some of the issues people have worked on with my assistance include:

- Addictions
- Grief
- Stress
- Anxiety/Depression
- Trauma
- Self-Esteem
- Body Image
- Separation/Divorce

What Is Social Work?
In the early 19 century social work had its roots in charities and settlement houses. From the beginning, social workers systematically investigated the causes of human suffering as well as provided relief. They also worked as change agents, influencing political decisions in significant areas such as poverty, labour laws, family allowance and benefits. Some of the early values of social work were ethical practices, professionalism and betterment of society.

Today, social workers continue the work of our pioneering ancestors, assisting individuals, families and communities to resolve problems that affect their day-to-day lives.

For more information about social work please visit the website of the Ontario Association of Social Workers.

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About Simone Bowman
Psychotherapist, Reiki Master, Life-Centered Transformational PsychotherapyTM

Life Centered Transformational PsychotherapyTM is a holistic approach that offers you a gentle and safe way to identify and transform internal blocks into life-enhancing energies. This process combines a wide variety of established techniques and innovative approaches for healing at every level: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.

This process draws upon various therapeutic modalities including:

- Body-Centered Focusing
- Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP)
- Voice Dialogue
- Spiritual Principles
- Dreamwork
- Relationship Skills

This is a body-centered approach that encourages you to connect to your inner wisdom, which serves as your guide throughout the process. As a result, you will develop a more deeply trusting relationship with yourself as you hone your intuition. This approach is a partnership, where we create ways for you to support and nurture yourself.

Our work together may integrate energetic healing processes such as Learning Path Integrated Technique, Emotional Freedom Techniques and other energy therapies.

Emotional Freedom Techniques
As Gary Craig, founder of Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) says: "The cause of all negative emotions is a disruption in the body’s energy system."

EFT is an energetic healing modality that works with the subtle energies of the body. It involves stimulating the end points of the body’s meridians to balance any energetic disruptions. It is a simple technique that works effectively with phobias, fears, negative memories, anxiety, post traumatic stress disorder, cravings, etc.

Learning Path Integrated Technique
Learning Path Integrated Technique (LPIT) is an energetic healing process created by Olga Nickle in Toronto. The focus of LPIT is to work with and clear the first root cause of any internal block that is manifesting physically, mentally, emotionally or spiritually.

The LPIT process involves identifying a first root cause, learning from it, bringing healing to it and re-arranging all future events with the new learning and new healed state. This is all done energetically, using hand diagrams to work with the energy body.

LPIT is a completely gentle approach – the whole process takes place on a higher level of consciousness. After Learning Path, you may experience a sense of lightness, acceptance, freedom from pain or internal conflict, contentment, compassion and peace.

Simone Bowman is a certified Transformational Psychotherapist, Usui Reiki Master and adult educator. Her work integrates energetic healing processes such as Learning Path Integrated Technique, Emotional Freedom Techniques, and Donna Eden’s energy medicine.

By integrating transformational psychotherapy, reiki and other energy therapies, Simone offers clients an experience of wholeness by addressing all levels of the individual – physical, emotional, mental and spiritual.

Simone Bowman believes in the potential for each one of us to live authentically and create our own reality. Her passion is to support personal growth in others, to help others connect to their true essence.

“Within each of us there is a wellspring, where we can find all that we need for healing. I help clients to tap into that place, not only in their work with me, but throughout their lives.”

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About Dr. Ilze Arielle Matiss
Ph.D., C.Psych., Registered Psychologist

I help individuals and families (children, adolescents, parents) access their own strengths and resources to create solutions that enable them to live happy, balanced lives, and be the best they can be.

Life is a journey, and we are each doing the best that we can at any given time. As we increase our awareness, we are able to make different choices in our lives and, as a result, improve the experiences for ourselves and those that we care about most. Challenges can be approached as problems that need to be eliminated and/or solved, or as opportunities for guidance, learning, growth, and the co-creation of solutions and alternate stories. I am excited to be part of a setting that offers wholistic, integrative alternatives to families, children, adolescents and adults to be the best that they can be as naturally as possible.

I am a Registered Psychologist with the College of Psychologists of Ontario and a member of the Ontario Psychological Association. I work with children, adolescents, families, and adults. I bring 20 years of experience in the fields of school psychology, education and counseling to my practice. I earned my Ph.D. (1998) in School Psychology and my M.A. (1987) in Early Childhood Focus in Psychology from the Department of Applied Psychology at University of Toronto/OISE. I completed my B.Sc. (1986) at the University of Toronto majoring in Psychology and Women’s Studies.

I believe in being a life long learner and continually exploring new ways of working with and guiding my clients. Following the completion of my Ph.D. I participated in a 3-year Externship program in Solution-Focused and Narrative Practices through the Brief Therapy Training Institute at the Hincks-Dellcrest Centre in Toronto (1999-2002). I am also a certified EmpowermentPlus® Level III practitioner (2006). I recently completed the Awakening the Coach Within coaching training course with Ellen Goldhar (2008). I have participated in two weeklong training retreats and self-study courses with Paul Scheele and Learning Strategies Corporation (2007-2009). Trainings and workshops, personal practices, and/or interests include mindfulness meditation, guided visualization, meditation and relaxation practices, ways of working with energy, accelerated learning strategies and techniques, NLP, intuitive work, narrative and solution-focused thinking, positive psychology, and ways of exploring and supporting balance in mind-body-spirit.

I have extensive training and experience with assessment and diagnosis through my work as a school psychologist. My passion is in guiding people to re-connect with their own magnificence and resources (as learners, as teachers, as parents, as individuals, as fellow human beings...) and helping them to align their energy with what they desire to create in their lives. Rather than strengthening our commitments to "problems", we work together to shift perspectives, change energy and focus thoughts, in order to bring more buoyancy and hopefulness to life challenges.

I work with issues related to ADHD alternatives, learning, school, intellectual development, life transitions, worry, stress, parenting, and offer counseling, life coaching, consultation and networking on these topics. Taking the view that everything is energy, there are many ways to support and channel our energy in healthy ways. I find that different supports are helpful and appropriate at different times in people's lives. I explore additional supports for my clients, when needed, that are in alignment with their beliefs, needs, interests, and budgets. My private practice here at the clinic includes working in cooperation with a community of alternative health care professionals as well.

I offer a number of workshops including: "The Happiness Generator", "Living Life Abundantly", "EmpowermentPlus® and ADHD alternatives" (please see empowermentplus.org), and topics related to strategies to support learning, better understanding personality and learning styles, stress-management, parenting.

Please call 416-705-7137 or e-mail me at dr.ilze@ilzematiss.com to book a free introductory consultation (approximately 20 minutes) to help explore the appropriateness-of-fit between the services I offer and your needs. Initial consultations and regular appointments can be booked by contacting me directly or through the clinic.

What would you choose to do if you knew that you could not fail?

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