Hilary Masemann, MACP, B.Ed.
Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying)
She/her/hers
I do individual therapy with teens and adults. I offer sessions both online and in-person.
I am trained in Narrative Therapy, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT). I also use theories and techniques from Internal Family Systems (Parts Work), Mindfulness, and Art Therapy. What does that mean for you? I have a lot of different tools in my therapist tool box that I can employ to help you!
Because I was a high school teacher for twelve years, I have a lot of experience (and love for!) working with teens. I have helped young people navigate the school system, academic difficulties, issues with friends, family relationships, depression and anxiety.
A former professional artist, I now facilitate an art group for marginalized adults and have experience developing programs for neurodiverse people and those with traumatic brain injuries. I believe in the therapeutic value of art-making, and bring it in to sessions where needed.
As a woman and a mother, I am committed to helping women develop their innate strengths. I became a therapist because I believe in the process of therapy — connecting with someone who is interested in you and your deeper experience of life can change everything. It certainly did so for me.
When I am not working, I love spending time with my family, weight training, reading, knitting, sewing, and being outside in nature. In the summer I go on canoe trips.
My philosophy
My practice is feminist, anti-racist, trauma-informed and LGBTQ-affirming.
I believe we have to question the systems in place in our society, and examine how those systems (colonialism, racism, sexism, classism, homophobia and so on) may be contributing to the “problem” - which may show up as anxiety, depression and so on.
Too often, we blame ourselves for the ways in which we are not coping - when in fact, external factors make it extremely difficult for us to cope!
I also believe that negative experiences in childhood and onward get stored in our bodies and minds as trauma, and that we develop coping strategies to deal with those experiences that may not be helpful as we get older. Trauma is not our fault, but it is our responsibility to work through it so we can live a richer, more fulfilling life.
Our task in therapy is to untangle all these different strands and understand the essential YOU - what you want, who you are, and the life you CHOOSE.
