Deanna Hart

If you've been living in survival mode, feeling disconnected from yourself, or struggling to understand why certain patterns, emotions, or experiences keep showing up in your life, therapy can help you feel safer, steadier, and more like yourself again.

I am a Registered Social Worker and Psychotherapist who works with adolescents (16+), adults, and older adults experiencing trauma, anxiety, depression, grief, stress, relationship difficulties, emotional overwhelm, and life transitions. I have a particular interest in supporting individuals impacted by complex trauma, domestic abuse, sexual violence, human trafficking, and nervous system overwhelm.

Many of the people I work with have spent years managing life in survival mode. They may struggle with chronic anxiety, emotional shutdown, people-pleasing, self-blame, shame, difficulty trusting others, or feeling disconnected from themselves and their needs. Others come to therapy after experiencing traumatic events that continue to affect their relationships, sense of safety, or ability to move forward.

My approach to therapy is collaborative, compassionate, and trauma-informed. I believe symptoms often develop as adaptations to difficult experiences rather than signs that something is wrong with you. Together, we work to understand those patterns, build safety and self-compassion, and create meaningful and lasting change at a pace that feels manageable and supportive.

My work integrates evidence-based and trauma-informed modalities that are tailored to each client's needs and goals, including:

• Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
• Parts Work and Ego State Therapy
• Somatic and Polyvagal-informed approaches
• Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy (EFIT)
• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
• Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
• Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT)
• Motivational Interviewing (MI)
• Solution-Focused Therapy

Sessions are guided by your readiness and goals. Therapy does not need to involve reliving every difficult experience or moving faster than your nervous system can tolerate. We work together to build safety, strengthen coping skills, and process experiences in a way that feels collaborative and sustainable.

I hold a Master of Social Work from the University of Windsor and am a registered member of the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers (OCSWSSW). My professional background includes psychotherapy, addiction counselling, crisis intervention, community mental health, and post-secondary education.

Prior to private practice, I worked in addiction services supporting individuals through recovery and withdrawal management, collaborated with multidisciplinary medical teams in a Rapid Access Addiction Medicine (RAAM) clinic, provided crisis intervention and safety planning for victims of crime through Victim Services, and supported individuals transitioning from inpatient psychiatric care back into the community through the Canadian Mental Health Association.

In addition to EMDR training, I have completed additional training in complex trauma, domestic violence, human trafficking, motivational interviewing, emotionally focused therapy, and somatic and polyvagal-informed approaches.

Whether this is your first time reaching out for support or you're returning to therapy after previous experiences, we will take things one step at a time and work together toward the changes that matter most to you.