
Athena Ferraro
Waitlist for New Clients / MSW, RSWshe/her/hersAthena is not accepting new clients right now! In the meantime, we’d be happy to add your name to her waitlist. Drop us a message and we’ll connect you with Athena, as soon as she’s available again!
Deeply passionate about her work, Athena’s counselling approach is practical, down-to-earth, authentic, compassionate, and client-centred. She works with individuals experiencing clinical depression, anxiety, emotion regulation issues, unhealthy coping behaviours, and meaning-making/existential concerns. She particularly enjoys supporting clients through life transitions. Athena uses techniques from various therapeutic modalities, including cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT), dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT), existential therapy, and solution-focused therapy.
- Individual Therapy
- You’re a new parent who wants support with perinatal mental health or adapting to parenthood
- You’re a student in search of balance in your academics and personal life or a greater sense of fulfillment and purpose
- You’re struggling with substance use and would like to understand the influences and how to improve your overall well being
- You would like a compassionate and inquisitive approach to your sessions, where you’re met with sincerity, understanding and warmth
Session Types: Individual Therapy, Virtual Therapy
Specialties: Anxiety, Clinical Depression, Coping Behaviours & Emotion Regulation, Life Transitions, Meaning-Making & Existential Concerns, Parenting, Perinatal Health & Postpartum.
Approaches: Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Existential Psychotherapy, Gottman Method Relational Therapy, Postpartum & (In)Fertility Counselling, Mindfulness, Motivational Interviewing, Person Centred & Humanistic Psychotherapy, Solution Focused Therapy (SFT), Trauma Informed Therapy.
Favourite Resources:
- Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl (Book)
- In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction by Gabor Mate (Book)
Athena completed her Perinatal Mental Health Certification (PMH-C) through Postpartum Support International, and as such, is a certified perinatal mental health professional. Athena may be of support for those (both fathers & mothers) who are experiencing depression and/or anxiety during pregnancy and postpartum, or challenges with the adjustment to parenthood.
Athena completed her clinical training at a mental health hospital in Toronto, where she worked with youth & adults struggling with a range of mental health issues, including clinical depression, anxiety, OCD, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, early psychosis, and addiction. Prior to completing her MSW, Athena worked in the non-profit sector, volunteered as part of a care-team for Hospice clients & their families, worked in Accessibility Services at a university, and worked as a Research Assistant on various projects (focused on depression & its treatment, non-suicidal self-injury, suicide intervention & prevention, acculturation & mental health, and wellness initiatives for university students).
Aside from work, Athena loves spending time with her partner and their 2 young children, nature & being outdoors, reading, live music, Radiohead, satire, road-tripping, and practicing mindfulness in everyday life.
Many Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) and extended health care plans will cover services rendered by a Registered Social Worker.