Hi there, and welcome!

My name is Andi (they/them), and I am a Registered Psychotherapist located in Windsor, Ontario. Welcome to Gentle Living Psychotherapy!

As a neurodivergent, queer, and disabled therapist, I aim to create a space for healing that meets your own unique needs and desires. You, in all your glorious, nuanced complexity, are welcome here. I work with individuals and groups providing support through a trauma-informed, neurodivergent affirming, and social justice aware lens that supports you to create more freedom to be your favourite self, or to discover who that might be.

I work with clients to process childhood trauma, manage and navigate stress, explore their identities, and make changes in their lives that better support them and their needs. I am competent in working with the intersection of multiple issues, including being both trauma-informed AND neurodivergent-affirming (unfortunately still a rare thing in this field). I work with a variety of different modalities and techniques to ensure your therapy is unique to you. The work we do takes time, goes deep, and is transformational.

Combining a warm and fuzzy personality with evidence-based methods and a curious personality, I hold space for your whole self to heal or grow. I would be honoured to help you uncover your authentic self and develop a life more aligned with your values and vision. If you’re wanting to move past surface-level work, and are hoping for deeper transformation, I might be a great fit for you.

We all come into the world as whole, complex, wonderful humans. Somewhere along the way, through experiences, prejudice, stress/trauma, relationships, or pain, we often lose that connection to the part of us that is whole, unmasked, and beautiful still. Part of my work is to support clients in rediscovering that side of themselves. I believe that there is wisdom inside all of us – the answers are there. However, sometimes we need some help to uncover our truth from beneath all the negative messages we’ve picked up along the way.

I come from an empowering and client-centred focus, meaning that I support you in deciding what you want and what you feel is best for you. I provide a supportive environment in which to do just that and we work together while you develop the skills in listening to your body, understanding your own values and needs, and making the changes you wish to make. You’re the driver, if you will, and I’m your friendly GPS 😉

The human body is a fascinating and too often underused resource in our own healing and wisdom. As I have learned to trust and listen to my body and nervous system, I have taken training courses to support clients in learning to access this wisdom as well. The work I do with clients goes past simply reducing symptoms for you in the present moment – we work at identifying the wounds leading to these symptoms, healing them from the inside out, and designing and living the life you truly want to be living. It is deep and meaningful work.

Being you in your truest sense of the word and feeling valued for being that person is your birthright. I can support you through this process and help you build the skills and awareness needed along the way.

Those who work with me notice that I do things a little differently than many therapists out there. As a person living in a world that was not designed for people like me, it was important for me to create a space that honours and celebrates intersecting identities, needs, and differences. My practice is built on a foundation of systemic awareness that validates lived experiences, challenges capitalistic beliefs, and recognizes the harm created by the systems we live under. I recognize my own privilege as a white person, take responsibility for challenging my own implicit biases, and understand that impact and intent are not the same thing.

In my spare time, I like to head out on gentle hikes, spend time with my pets, read, write poems or songs, sing, meditate, or work on my latest creative hyperfixation/project (which may or may not get finished). I also love to connect with friends through sports, games, and deep conversations. I live as gently as I can in a capitalistic society, and have done my own depth work personally in therapy over my adult life.

Gentle living is having the skills and resources to be able to meet my needs, take my time, and have compassion for myself. It’s recognizing the systems and factors that are impacting me in my life and building the ability to give myself space to be human and have needs and emotions. Gentle living, for me, is walking gently among my thoughts and heart, and learning to accept and support all parts of me (including those parts that aren’t always gentle themselves).

Most of all, gentle living is a process and a way of moving through life, not a destination to arrive at.

Empathic, curious, validating, creative, integrative (bridging ideas or experiences that sometimes feel very disconnected, making logical sense of emotions, etc).

I am a white, nonbinary, queer, neurodivergent, disabled human.

The things that keep me grounded are music, animals, and nature.

On a less tangible level, my values are the web that grounds me to everything else. I value authenticity, agency, honesty and empathy, and these are what I fall back on when everything else feels confusing.

I love hikes, low-pressure sports (life softball, swimming, and yoga), and trying out new art projects. Creative expression helps me so much, and I love singing and song-writing. I am spiritual and enjoy meditation, especially being able to share energy with others.

It’s okay to take your time and to find the supports that are right for you. You deserve to work with a therapist who sees you and your worth, and who values all parts of you. It’s okay to keep looking until you find the right fit for you. Also, this whole healing thing? It’s going to be hard and messy and you’re gonna hate it at times – but it’s going to be so so worth it.

You, as you are, without any level of change, are worthy and wonderful. Rather than seeing this work as fixing you or your problems, I see it as helping you understand yourself better – your needs, your emotions, your values and desires for life. When we understand ourselves better, things start to shift and life gets so much easier to navigate.

The work I do with clients goes deep and takes time and is transformational, and I am here for the duration with you.