A woman with blonde hair wearing an off-the-shoulder black dress and a heart-shaped necklace, standing outdoors near trees and greenery.

Hi, I’m Annette

I’m a Registered Psychotherapist with a background in Kinesiology, Iyengar yoga and advanced training in nervous system–led and somatic psychotherapy.

I specialize in women’s health, helping women of all ages feel within their bodies to let go and find a place where they heal from within. Coming from lived experience, I take a 360 approach to incorporate all the layers involved in discovering the blockers holding us back and uncovering our true authentic self through a state of regulation.

Registered Psychotherapist & Yoga Teacher

My Story

From Survival to Safety

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Early Years

I grew up in Windsor, Ontario, the youngest of six children.

I was a National and Varsity Track & Field athlete and later completed a degree in Kinesiology at the University of Windsor. Early on, I learned about discipline, resilience, and how the body responds under stress — lessons that continue to shape my work today.

Turning Point

After moving to Toronto at the age of 23, I was diagnosed with Lupus.

This experience marked a shift in how I understood health and healing. It became clear that stress, the nervous system, and the body are deeply connected - and that symptoms often reflect adaptation rather than failure.

“The body keeps the score” – Gabor Mate

Motherhood

Alongside building my family life and learning to live with my condition, my interest in health, psychology, and the body–mind connection continued to deepen. Being married for over 30 years and raising three daughters gave me firsthand insight into the emotional, physical, and relational demands people navigate across different stages of life.

These lived experiences now inform how I work - with perspective, patience, and respect for complexity.

The most important gift a parent can give a child is not perfection, not success, not even happiness - but attuned presence.

Career Pivot

As my understanding evolved, I pursued formal training to bring clinical depth to this work.

I completed my Master’s in Counselling Psychology, integrating lived experience with evidence-based psychotherapy and trauma-informed care.

This training marked a shift not only my career but my purpose - to help women heal within.

I’m a Registered Psychotherapist and a Nationally Certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher, with advanced training in Compassionate Inquiry®, EMDR, and Internal Family Systems (IFS). My work continues to evolve through ongoing professional education and clinical practice.

In 2026, I’m completing advanced professional training with Dr. Luke Sniewski, deepening my work in somatic and nervous system–based trauma resolution. I also continue to intern and practice with Compassionate Inquiry, a psychotherapeutic approach developed by Sat Dharam and Dr. Gabor Maté that helps reveal the patterns beneath the ways we learn to cope, adapt, and survive. This spring, I will also be commencing Tension Release Training, further supporting my body-based, regulation-focused work.

Alongside my clinical practice, I work with athletes - from adolescents to professionals - through a trauma-informed, somatic lens. In this work, performance challenges are understood not as flaws, but as intelligent adaptations of the nervous system. Rather than forcing change or pushing potential, the focus is on resolving internal stress patterns that interfere with embodiment, self-trust, and authenticity. When safety is restored in the body, sustainable performance, creativity, and capacity can naturally emerge.

A guiding principle in my practice is:

“Where there is tension, pay attention.”

I support individuals in moving from survival into safety by building nervous system stability, body awareness, and self-compassion. Regulation is the foundation of my work.

Today

Certifications & Professional Training

  • Licensed with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario, adhering to established ethical and professional standards.

  • Advanced academic and clinical training to support complex emotional and psychological concerns.

  • A science-based foundation in human movement, physiology, and the nervous system that informs my somatic and trauma-focused work.

  • Completed the one-year professional training developed by Dr. Gabor Maté, focusing on trauma, unconscious patterns, and nervous system awareness

  • Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing for the treatment of trauma and distressing memories.

  • A structured, evidence-based approach to working with internal parts and attachment patterns

  • Integrating therapeutic movement, alignment, and breath to support regulation and embodied awareness.

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