Julia Balaisis
Junction - Toronto (Roncesvalles / Bloor - Dundas West Subway)
(virtual sessions)
Julia Balaisis is a psychotherapist and couples counselor who offers a compassionate presence and extensive and varied expertise to help adults and couples access their inner wisdom, develop effective life skills, manage crises and fulfill their most vital needs.
"I believe that a client's difficulties improve when we can understand the patterns or habits beneath worries, fears and conflicts. When we understand this and, more importantly, bring compassion to all parts of the self, we gain new power and capability to make decisions that serve our inner needs and act in our own best interest. I help my clients identify ineffective patterns in their thinking or behaviour, suggest alternative ways of understanding experiences, and help them find new strategies for problem solving and achieving greater happiness in their lives. All this happens within the context of a caring therapeutic relationship."
Julia's thirty plus years in education and ongoing university lecturing is brought to bear on her work as a therapist. Most recently she has taught courses that focus on Adult Development and Brain Plasticity and Neuroscience. Julia keeps up with the latest in research in the field through her genuine love of continued learning and seeks to apply this understanding in responding to clients' individual learning styles. Julia holds a Ph.D. from the University of Toronto.
Julia's treatment approaches include helping clients access and understand their emotions and the needs connected to them (EFT); identifying and improving upon ineffective thinking and behaviour patterns (CBT); and, de-sensitizing and re-processing trauma (EMDR).
Julia's work with couples primarily follows the protocol of Emotionally Focused Therapy for Couples whereby the relationship's distressing negative cycle is understood and the creation of secure attachment in the relationship is facilitated. Julia's couples work is primarily influenced by Sue Johnson as well as by the contributions of Les Greenberg, Esther Perel, Terrence Real, John Gottman and Stan Tatkin.
Julia welcomes individuals and couples who experience emotional distress due to trauma, loss, anxiety, panic, low self-esteem, depression and a myriad of relationship problems as well as working with clients to provide guidance and support for life changes and decision making.
As well as her love of psychotherapy, Julia is an avid Tango dancer, a keen theatre goer, and enjoys travel, cooking, gardening and various arts and crafts.