Meena Hira, Intern

(she/her)

Areas of Focus

• Anxiety

• Depression

• Trauma

• Migration / settlement

• Family and relationship difficulties

• Identity

LANGUAGES

• English

• Punjabi

Life is complicated and messy, but everybody has the capacity to heal. My goal is to create an open, comfortable, and nonjudgmental space for individuals to work collaboratively towards healing. I believe that every individual is unique, they are the experts in their own lives, and it is with this framework that we can work together to move towards what healing means to you.

My approach to counselling is trauma-informed, feminist, culturally sensitive, and person-centered. I also believe in the mind-body connection and how we experience stress, trauma, and emotions in our bodies. I honor diverse perspectives and experiences and understand how feeling different can interfere with healing while living in oppressive societal structures. I work with individuals who are facing issues such as stress, depression, anxiety, cultural identity, past trauma, relationship difficulties, and more.

As a second-generation Canadian and woman of color, I understand the struggles of juggling multiple cultural identities and oppression. I have worked with LGBTQIA+ youth and adults, and individuals with diverse gender identities and cultural backgrounds.

I am beginning my career as a therapist after working with youth in Child Protection and youth/adults in Residential Care. I also have experience working as a mental health advocate and currently volunteer with an organization that supports survivors of intimate partner violence. In my free time I enjoy hot yoga, travelling, and watching movies.

Approaches

• Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT)

• Feminist Therapy

• Person-Centered

• Bodily Response to Emotions