I am a skillful therapist with 20 years of experience working in community rehab and mental health settings. My approach to therapy is evidence-based and guided by my extensive experience working with a diverse group of clients who continually inspire me.
My practice is trauma informed and neuroscience informed. I believe that our mind, body and brain all contribute to our overall sense of well-being. My practice focuses on teaching cognitive and body-oriented skills in order to optimize people’s abilities to connect to themselves and cultivate healthier relationships in their lives. If we were to work together, I would help you to:
- Feel less emotionally overwhelmed
- Feel more confident in your relationships
- Perform optimally at school, work, sports, and the arts
- Trust people in your life with greater ease
- Feel safer in the world
- Treat yourself with more kindness
- Cultivate more pleasure in your life
- Set and achieve your goals with clarity
I enrol in a variety of professional trainings every year and have trained extensively in how to help people who have experienced anxiety, depression, trauma, and sexual and intimacy concerns. For many years, I also counselled clients with communication disorders as a result of MS, strokes, and brain injuries. I am effective in helping people cope with grief, illness, disability, and caregiver burnout.
Personally, music and sports have both played major roles in my life. I regularly attend live music shows and find them incredibly nourishing. I’ve also been a competitive tennis player for most of my life and have personal experience using therapy techniques on the tennis court. As a result, I am skilled at helping artists and athletes optimize their performance and overcome their performance anxiety.
I am proficient in using the following therapeutic modalities:
- Mindfulness
- Self-Compassion
- Narrative Therapy
- Hakomi Method
- Sensorimotor Psychotherapy
- Deep Brain Reorienting (DBR)
- Somatic Sex Education (SSE) Informed Psychotherapy
Martin Vera, MSW, RSW 