405 The West Mall, Etobicoke Toronto

Susan Schafer

M.Psy.,
Registered Psychological Associate (Supervised Practice)

Works With: Individual & Couples
Modality: In-Person & Virtual Services
Availability: Weekdays – Daytime and Evenings, Weekends
Approaches: CBT, DBT, Somatic, EMDR, IFS, , EFT-C, Gottman Method
Specialities: Depression, Anxiety, Trauma & Dissociation, Grief, Relationship Concerns
Languages: English

Love is the language of relationships. And relationships shape who we are.
Throughout our lives, we become ourselves through relationships: they are how we learn to know and love ourselves.

When your relationship becomes distant, difficult, or distressed, it can feel like your world is falling apart. In our work together, we find ways to strengthen your relationship, reshaping it into one that feels closer, more reliable, and comforting.

Most humans at one time or another experience the painful ruptures that occur in relationships. And our work in couple therapy is to heal those ruptures. My passion to understand and heal comes from helping people who are struggling to create safe and loving connections.

I work with a framework that offers support for relationship ruptures and healing. IFIO — Intimacy from the Inside Out — offers a way to help couples understand how they unwittingly keep themselves out of connection. And it brilliantly helps them learn new ways of relating to themselves and each other that can foster safer, more loving connection.

My clinical approach with adults is integrative, and I employ a variety of therapeutic modalities and interventions, including: Emotion-Focused Therapy, Gottman Method, and Internal Family Systems (for couples).

Therapy can be life-changing when the client feels seen, heard, understood, and warmly accepted by the therapist, and when the therapeutic relationship is built on a foundation of safety, trust, respect, and collaboration.

At Therapy Villa, I provide services under the supervision of Ms. Niyati Gandhi, M.A., C.Psych.

Client Focus

  • Individual Adults
  • Couples

Areas of Expertise

  • Intimacy – Emotional, Physical, and Sexual Connection.
  • Communication Difficulties – Arguments, Fights, Anger, Resentment
  • Infidelity and Open Relationships – How to Learn to Trust
  • Power Dynamics – Defining Roles
  • Balancing a Healthy Relationship and a Mental Health Condition
  • Managing Finances and Dividing the Workload
  • Parenting and Impact of Extended Family (E.g. In-laws)
  • LGBTQ2* Relationships
  • Abuse and Trauma
  • Ethnic, Cultural, Religious, or Political Differences

Training

  • Masters’ degree in Psychology – Adler Professional Graduate School, Toronto
  • Business Administration – University of Western Ontario (Richard Ivey School of Business)

Professional Licenses

  • Registered Psychological Associate (Supervised Practice), The College of Psychologists of Ontario
  • Registered Psychotherapist, The College of Registered Psychotherapists

Languages

  • English

Have A Question?

Ask us about therapy, our services, or about your concerns.

Book A Free Consult

A complimentary 20-minute call with us to discuss your concern.