Pouya Bakhshaei, MD, Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying)
Let’s Talk! Let’s Act!
It is so rewarding for me to help you learn to think in new ways and discover the freedom and power you didn’t know you had. Once we understand our situation in a new way, we know what to do about it. Part of my job, of course, is to guide you, but I will strive to help you get to a point where you don’t have to rely on professional help anymore.
I hold a professional doctorate in medicine from Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Science in Iran. I am currently completing a Master of Clinical Psychology degree at Adler Graduate Professional School. I am a member of the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO) and of the Ontario Psychological Association (OPA).
I provide individual therapy to children, adolescents, and adults struggling with anxiety disorders (social anxiety, agoraphobia, panic disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), body-focused repetitive behaviours (BFRBs), such as trichotillomania or hair-pulling disorder, excoriation or skin-picking disorder, depression, and eating disorders.
As a general physician registered in Iran with ten years of practice, I have always witnessed that most of my patient’s concerns were related to anxiety, putting them in a vicious cycle of hardship. Living with anxiety can mean a life full of challenges, and the challenges of living with anxiety can be significant. I’ve learned that medication is not the only component of surpassing the difficulties in life.
As an immigrant, I’ve experienced that anxiety could surround us, penetrate us, and take us over. It, like a force field, becomes a barrier. Daily living with anxiety becomes an effort at best, daunting, and nearly impossible at worst. I’ve learned that by receiving proper help and practicing a well-fit therapeutic approach, we can unhook from ongoing ineffective feelings and thoughts.
As a master’s student of clinical psychology, I believe psychotherapy can help us regain our compass in life. We can provide context for our emotions by unhooking from the underlying causes. Rather than being paralyzed by fear, we can understand our feelings, accept them, and make real progress toward our goals.
As an experienced life coach with five years of running workshops in the middle east, I view therapy as a relationship based on trust and truth generally aimed toward understanding and empowerment. I aim to facilitate healing and growth in clients of all ages by providing a non-judgmental therapeutic relationship where they can talk about the most challenging part of life, receiving respect, care, interest, and acceptance.
The therapy of my choice leads to believing that every individual has an innate capacity to heal and grow. I offer an opportunity when people feel stuck and lost to assist them in uncovering and cementing their strengths to overcome the obstacles they face. I can help individuals explore their authentic talents, values, and goals to help them fully navigate life.
Addressing self-judgmental thinking is essential to me. It turns out there is a way to talk about the hardest, most challenging parts of life along with being self-blamed, self-judged or self-criticized in a helpful way, and it is so fun to help people to do this.
My super nerdy side is all about science and logic but also love, humor, and absurdity! To me, not everything important is serious!
The therapeutic relationship is the central foundation of my work with each person. I understand that healing and growth in therapy occur when a client feels heard, respected, and cared for. One of the cornerstones of my therapeutic work is that I tailor my approach to each person’s unique situation.
My therapeutic approach encompasses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Mindfulness, Individual Therapy (Adlerian), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Psychodrama.
I am fluent in English and Farsi and work with English and Farsi-Speaking clients.
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