Every refugee and newcomer story is shaped by questions of survival, belonging, and identity:
Who am I now? Where do I belong? How do I carry both my past and my future?
Agencies that serve these communities—whether large settlement organizations, hybrid service providers, community-based programs, or grassroots collectives—are also drawn into these questions.
Staff, managers, and leaders are not only managing policies or programs. They are asked, again and again:
The Dignity First Approach™ offers a framework to hold these realities, while strengthening the structures that carry both people and mission.
ensuring your external mission is reflected in your internal practices
creating systems that prevent burnout and support long-term staff retention
creating systems that prevent burnout and support long-term staff retention
placing frontline and lived knowledge at the center of organizational decisions
acknowledging that refugee work is never only technical. It calls us into deep human questions of identity, meaning, and responsibility—questions that affect both staff and leadership.
The Dignity First Approach™ creates space for agencies to align their systems with the realities of care, across every level—from frontline practice to executive leadership.
Because every agency is different, the process adapts. It may begin with:
Whether your agency serves hundreds of clients or a handful, the process is always relational, grounded, and adapted to your context.
When agencies embrace the Dignity First Approach™, they often see:
Because dignity is not only an outcome of refugee services—it is the foundation of how those services are carried.
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I am an Ottawa-based Registered Psychotherapist and have a full-time private practice. In the past, I worked in social service agencies for many years. I offer individual, relationship, and sex therapy in English, Arabic, and Armenian to adults 18+, and I do not work with minors.
In 2011, I earned a master’s degree in Counselling from the University of Ottawa. I am a Registered Psychotherapist in Ontario (CRPO#001132) with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario. In addition, I am a Certified Counsellor with the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA#3058). My clinical training focuses on relationship and sex therapy and trauma/PTSD. Since 2013, I have been at Algonquin College as a seasonal professor, teaching courses in mental health and addiction.
I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to publish peer-reviewed articles and contribute chapters concerning Counselling, coming out, and trauma related explicitly to LGBTQ+ refugees and newcomers to Canada. I have presented numerous workshops and continue to offer trainings nationally and internationally on the mental health of LGBTQI+ and SOGIE refugees and asylum seekers.
Professional Work
Early in my professional career, I specialized in individual therapy and served clients with depression, anxiety, PTSD, and grief. Since then, I have taken my clinical work to a higher level and gained more experience in four areas: PTSD and Trauma, Sexuality and Gender Identity, Sex and Relationship Therapy, and Refugee mental health issues. I have received various trainings in these areas since choosing to specialize. As an example, I received training from Division 56, Trauma Psychology, Physicians for Human Rights, and the Global Institute of Forensic Research in writing immigration evaluations for immigration courts. Furthermore, I have completed multiple trainings in trauma/PTSD therapy and relationship therapy (Poly. Kink). I have participated in numerous training opportunities in the field of sex therapy, sexuality, and gender identity.
I am a LGBTQI+/poly/kink/CNM supportive and informed therapist.
Therapeutic approaches
In addition to Narrative Exposure Therapy for PTSD (NET), I have also been trained in Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) for PTSD and Experiential Therapy and Focusing. I integrate social justice and rights-based principles into my work as a trauma-informed therapist.
Awards
In recognition of my dedication to helping LGBTQ+ refugees and asylum seekers in Canada, I received the 2017 Humanitarian Award from the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA).
AffiliationsI have an international affiliate membership with Division 56, Trauma Psychology, the American Psychological Association (APA), and the Global Institute of Forensic Research.
