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Psychotherapy Services 

Our team is passionate about supporting those in the perinatal period and beyond. We know this is a life changing and transformative time. We provide support for those family planning, trying to conceive, perinatal loss, fertility, pregnancy, birth, postpartum and through parenting in the early years. 

 

We provide in person services in Newmarket at Parenting From Within as well as virtually for those throughout Ontario. Our team has specialized training in perinatal wellness and mood and anxiety disorders as well as lived experience.   

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Our approach to care is based on attachment, connection and community. At Parenting From Within, we are committed to meeting you where you are and honouring your goals and needs throughout your journey. 

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Thank you for including us in your community of connection and care. 

Image by Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦

Kelley Hassanpour,

RN Psychotherapist

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I'm Kelley Hassanpour, a Registered Nurse in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and a Nurse Psychotherapist, I have had the honour of working with the perinatal population for the last 15 years.

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​We live in a culture that holds the narrative of the journey through parenthood with unrealistic positivity. We are often told that becoming a parent is the best time of our lives and that we should enjoy every minute of it. This leaves many people wondering why they aren’t enjoying every minute of it. Many parents wonder why they are feeling sad, anxious, overwhelmed, or having scary thoughts about their baby. So many of these feelings can leave you feeling isolated and that you are the only one experiencing these feelings.

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I am trained in Perinatal Mental Health which includes the prenatal, pregnancy and postpartum periods. I work with clients who are living with a Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorder, including depression, anxiety and trauma. I also have training in reproductive trauma including fertility, termination, birth and the NICU. We can work together to work towards managing your symptoms in a warm, non-judgemental, practical way.

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I am an Internal Family Systems (IFS) informed therapist having completed the Stepping Stones and Stepping Deeper program through IFSCA . I have also had the opportunity to create a core curriculum using IFS in the Perinatal Population. I believe that IFS is a natural fit for the Perinatal population. 

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Kelley sees clients in person in Newmarket and virtually across Ontario Monday though Friday between 9am-3pm.

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Kelley's rates are $140 per 50 minute session. 

Emma Fernando,

RN Psychotherapist

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I'm Emma (aka Emalin) Fernando, a Registered Nurse and second generation Canadian. My personal and professional experiences have given me an unbridled desire to help others to feel heard, feel connected and find ways to care for themselves during some of the hardest times. As a person of colour with lived experience of a complicated perinatal journey, I recognize that there are unique experiences that we face and I’m here to make space for all of it, in any way it shows up. I want to help others to identify their needs and find ways to nurture themselves while still being present and able to navigate the rest of their life.

 

In my psychotherapy practice, I am committed to providing compassionate, culturally-sensitive, and trauma-informed care to all people in Ontario, including people of colour, immigrants, those with visible/invisible disabilities, those experiencing financial strain and LGBTQ+ individuals. I choose to work with clients at any point in their journey [(in)fertility, conception, pregnancy, birth, postpartum, loss or long after]. I have worked for 17 years in various community, hospital and educational settings as a nurse in Ottawa and the surrounding area. Advocating for the needs of patients and providing access to quality care has been at the forefront of my nursing practice and it continues to drive me today. I offer counselling and/or therapy options to clients that are experiencing challenges or loss in their life related to their reproductive or perinatal story. In our shared session space, I hope that folks can feel comfortable to come as they are, be honest, be vulnerable and are interested in working on what is challenging them. In my practice I bring warmth, humour, positivity, understanding, patience and encouragement.

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I feel that cost should not be a barrier to care, so if you feel that you could use my services but do not have access to financial means or private insurance, please reach out as I do offer limited sliding scale options

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Emma sees clients virtually across Ontario on evenings and weekends. Emma's rate is $140 per 50 minute session.

SUPPORT GROUP FOR GRADUATE NICU FAMILIES

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Having a baby in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit can be an extremely isolating experience. This 6-week, closed therapy group will connect you with others with similar lived experiences. You will learn about common experiences during and after a NICU stay, including Perinatal Mood & Anxiety Disorders, Trauma and Grief and develop strategies and tools for coping.

 

The group is facilitated by Christine, a Certified Perinatal Mental Health Professional and RSSW, currently working as a therapist in private practice with a focus on people in the perinatal period experiencing mental health issues and Kelley, a Registered Nurse & Psychotherapist with over 15 years’ experience working in the NICU, as well as education in Infant & Early Child Mental Health & Perinatal Mental Health.  

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The objectives of this group are:

  • Normalize NICU experiences

  • Understand what happened in the NICU

  • Learn to trust yourself and your parenting abilities

  • Recognize the signs & symptoms of a Perinatal Mood & Anxiety Disorder

  • Develop tools to manage fear, anxiety, and depression

  • Understand the signs and symptoms of trauma and grief and develop coping strategies

  • Receive peer support from other families who have had similar lived experience

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Eligibility Criteria:

  • Baby must have been discharged from the NICU a minimum of 3 months ago

  • This group is not suitable for bereaved parents (*case by case basis in incidence of a surviving multiple)

  • This group is open to Ontario Residents as per College regulations.

 

Our Spring group is now full. Please send us an email to be put on the waitlist for our fall group.

What is a RN Psychotherapist?

As per the Regulated Health Care Professionals Acct (RHPA), certain regulated professions (nursing being one of them) are allowed to practice psychotherapy with clients. As a Registered Nurse (RN) who is registered with the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO), Kelley & Emma must identify to clients that we are a RN Psychotherapist when practicing psychotherapy.

Several extended health care benefit plans are now updating their policies to include coverage for RN Psychotherapy.

If you have any questions about RN Psychotherapists, please feel free to reach out!

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