Leslie Vesely

She/Her

Registered Psychotherapist

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Fees

$160+HST for Individual Counselling.
$170 + HST for Family Therapy
$170+HST for Couple Therapy/Relationship Counselling/Marriage Counselling

Supporting Ages

Adults 18+ | Teens 12-17

Language

English

Service Type

Couple/Relationship Therapy • Family Therapy • Individual Therapy • Therapy for Teens

Form of Accessing Therapy

Phone Therapy • Virtual Therapy

Particular Areas of Focus

Relationship concerns (romantic, platonic, familial), Parenting, Anxiety, Depression, Stress/Burnout, Self-worth, Cultural Identity, Grief/loss.

About Me

I am a first-generation Canadian, with my parents bring Peruvian. I can conversationally speak Spanish (though I am a much better listener!) and regularly try to find ways to incorporate my Peruvian heritage into my life.

As many others, I hold many roles – I am a sister, daughter, aunt, niece, friend, and partner. I am also a researcher by day, therapist by night, and full-time advocate of mental health. My lifelong goal is to continuously find ways to incorporate social justice practices into my work as a therapist and in the broader social system by producing research that can support equitable health care. In my down time, I tend to my own mental health by journaling, drawing, doing origami, going for long walks in nature (or just sitting under a tree in silence), and spending lots of time with family and friends. I value creativity, curiosity, open-mindedness and authenticity.

About Me As a Therapist

About me as an Individual Therapist…

Life is a winding road with many twists and turns. Sometimes it can be difficult to decide which path to walk down, to explore the path less taken, or to muster up the courage to take the path we know is best for us.

On this journey, our strengths can become buried – like little gems in the sand, making them difficult to see and draw from. I understand my role as a gentle guide – someone to walk alongside you as you explore these paths and winding roads. In taking a strengths-based approach, I help you identify and brush off the (sometimes) buried strengths you have and find helpful ways of using them.

I believe that people are the expert of their lives, and it is my role to help people get curious about themselves by offering a non-judgemental, authentic, and warm space.

It would be a pleasure to walk alongside you in this journey.

About me as a Couple Therapist + Family Therapist…

Relationships are like salsa dancing (or any other partnered/group dancing). The steps we take impact the steps and movements of those around us. Likewise, our thoughts, feelings, and behaviours are impacted by those around us, and they are impacted by us. Sometimes we find ourselves dancing to different beats, which can lead us to step on each other’s toes or feel disconnected from each other.

I understand my role as a curious dance instructor – someone to help you explore different rhymes or dancing that aligns better with you individually and together. I aim to help couples and families (re)connect with their strengths, recognize patterns of interaction, and explore possibilities for the relationship.

I see couples and families as the expert of their relationships, and it is my role to create a non-judgemental space for them to get curious about themselves, each other and the relationship.

It would be a pleasure to work with you and find the rhyme that fits.

Credentials and Experience

Experience

4+ years of experience providing counselling services to individuals, couples and families ranging in ages in educational, agency and private practice settings
1 year experience as a Counsellor, Violence Against Women agency
2 years experience as a Co-Facilitator, Partner Assault Response Program (PARS), agency
Over 2 years of experience in Private Practice
- Couples
- Families
- Individuals
Published articles in a wide variety of topics including but not limited to: gender dynamics in couples therapy, regulation of psychotherapy, binational couples, virtual healthcare in Canada.

Education

Graduated with a Masters in Science Couples and Family Therapy, University of Guelph
- This included 500 hours of direct experience with clients in the context of individual, couple and family therapy with specific training in the following approaches across two years:
  - Dialogic Model
  - Solution Focused Therapy Model
  - Narrative Model
  - Emotion Focused Therapy Model
  - Aspects of Gottman Method
- Certificate in Intensive Sex Therapy
Graduated with a Masters in Arts Social Anthropology, York University

Therapeutic Approaches

Anti-Oppressive • Attachment Based Therapy • Brief Solution Focused Therapy • Dialogic/Collaborative Therapy • Emotion Focused Therapy • Integrative • Narrative Therapy • Psychodynamic • Strengths Based • Trauma Focused

Areas of Support

Anger Management • Anxiety • Behaviour Challenges • Boundaries • Break Ups • Burn Out • Co-Parenting • Codependency • Communication • Death • Depression • Divorce/Separation • Emotion Regulation • Faith/Spirituality • Family Relationships • Fertlity Challenges • Friend Relationships • Gender Identity • Grief • Harm Reduction • Immigration/Emmigration • Imposter Syndrome • Infidelity/Deceit • Intimate Partner Violence • LGBTQIA2+ Experiences • Life Transitions • Loneliness • Loss • Marginalization and Oppression • Marriage and Romantic Relationships • Men’s Issues • Panic Attacks • Parenting • Perfectionism • Personal Identity/Growth • Post Partum • Pre Marital • Religion • School Challenges • Self Esteem/Self Worth • Self Harm • Sex and Intimacy • Sexual Abuse • Sexual Identity • Social Anxiety • Stress • Suicidal Ideation • Trauma • Work-Life Balance

Your Selected Diamond Winner for Toronto Star's Marriage, Family and Individual Counselling Two Years In a Row!