Meet Simon
Why I Offer Psychotherapy: A Personal Story
I’ve searched far and wide—across cultures, geographies, and healing practices—for answers to my life’s deeper curiosities. From the intimate pains of my upbringing and the ancestral burdens laid upon it, to the macro-scale disappointments of socioeconomic inequality and the injustices of climate change, my journey has been one of listening closely to the body, tending to emotional wounds, and learning how healing unfolds through connection, within ourselves and with others.
I am the grandson of Holocaust survivors, and I grew up in a home shaped by both inherited and lived trauma. My early life contained experiences of joy and happiness as well as conflict, aggression, and experiences of disconnection and hurt that were once difficult to name. Over time, I came to understand that pain doesn’t just live in the past; it often finds expression in the present, through our relationships, habits, and disconnections from our authentic self.
These experiences instilled in me not only a personal commitment to healing and authenticity, but also a belief in the transformative power of change. I hold a deep hope that when individuals reconnect with themselves, and begin to move with greater authenticity, connection, and alignment, they contribute to a more connected and compassionate world.
My Healing Journey and How It Shapes My Psychotherapy Practice
My own healing journey has been far from linear. As a motivated academic and athlete, I often channeled energy and discomfort into performance and achievement, pushing through pain and trying to control my emotions. But over time, my body stopped cooperating. I carried persistent tension that stretching and movement alone couldn’t resolve, and my inner critic grew louder, speaking with increasing harshness about my perceived shortcomings and failures. My search for wellbeing took me across cultures and geographies, where I was exposed to diverse ways of understanding and approaching pain, [dis]connection, and wellbeing. These experiences deepened my appreciation for how healing can look different across contexts, and how relational, embodied, and community-based practices can open unexpected doors to transformation.
It wasn’t until I encountered Dr. Bessel Van der Kolk’s The Body Keeps the Score and Dr. Gabor Maté’s When the Body Says No: The Hidden Cost of Stress that I began to understand the emotional roots of physical pain. That discovery led me to mindfulness, psychedelics, and eventually to IFS and somatic therapy as part of my own healing. These practices helped me soften, become more present, and begin the lifelong process of integrating the parts of myself that had been neglected or cut off.
Today, I support others navigating similar terrain; clients who feel stuck in their bodies or in their relationships, who long to feel more at ease, more connected, and more fully themselves.
My Approach to Psychotherapy and Relational Healing
Clients often describe me as warm, intuitive, and grounded. I work relationally, meaning the connection between us is of highest value and becomes part of the work itself. I am intentional in my approach, balancing the reality that healing takes time with a gentle, concious effort to support insight, movement, and meaningful change. I offer a space grounded in curiosity and non-judgment, where your agency is priortized and your healing process is respected and supported at your pace. You are invited to explore only as deeply or as quickly as feels right for you.
I draw primarily on Internal Family Systems (IFS), Emotion-Focused Couples therapy, somatic therapy, and humanistic approaches such as Gestalt, existential, and person-centered therapy. I meet clients where they are, with a calm, grounded presence and a gentle sense of humour and playfulness when it feels supportive to the work.
My Education, Experience, and Systemic Lens
Before becoming a psychotherapist, I spent over a decade in higher education as a professor, lecturer, career advisor, community builder, facilitator, and mediator. I hold master’s degrees in both Counselling Psychology and Human Geography. My academic background includes a particular interest in political economy and creating more egalitarian, environmentally conscious communities and food systems. These experiences inform my work with a systems lens. I recognize that healing happens not just within the self, but in relationship to the world around us.
I am trained in Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy, Emotion-Focused Couples Therapy, Somatic Therapy, Psychedelic Harm Reduction and Integration (PHRI), as well as the Fundamentals of Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy. I also hold certifications in Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) and Mental Health First Aid.
I offer psychotherapy to private and insured clients across Ontario, under the supervision of Bonney Elliot, RP.
A Personal Note
This work is not just what I do, it is how I continue to live, grow, and repair. I am continually humbled by the courage my clients bring to this process, and I am grateful and honoured to walk beside them.
© 2023 Simon Erlich Psychotherapy