Sophia C. Parks,M.A. (she/her), Owner
Registered Psychologist
"I hold the following values close to my heart and my hope is to not only embody them in the therapy room, but also in my personal life: joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, mindfulness, faith, hope, and non-violence."
~ Sophia
Who Am I?
I was born on a small island, close to the equator, which the Indigenous Kalinago and Arawak peoples called Kairi Tobago or “Land of the Hummingbird and Tobacco pipe.” In English, my island home is called Trinidad and Tobago. I call Treaty 6 my second home. I am also a deeply spiritual and creative person. I am a Christ-follower, I sing in choirs and dance to Soca in my kitchen. I can sit with friends, colleagues, and clients of different religions (or none), sexual orientations, gender identities, and beliefs with warmth, acceptance, and curiosity. I am a psychologist grounded in Somatic therapies (centering the wisdom of body sensation and movement in my therapy). I believe my life is a journey of acknowledging and holding in balance all of these realms.
Professional Details
I started my counselling career in 2009 and became a Registered Psychologist in 2015. I enjoy working with individual adults to address a wide range of issues including: stress, life transitions, anxiety, depression, loss, grief, systemic racism, and trauma. I believe in creating a compassionate and safe(r) space for my clients. My hope is to help them shift towards clarity - about how environments, beliefs, or behaviours have helped them flourish, or held them back; helping clients shift towards self-compassion, effective action, and truly fulfilled living.
I am passionate about working with individuals who have experienced marginalization and I have worked and volunteered in a wide variety of community agencies that help those who have experienced trauma. I am an approved mental health provider for:
Indigenous Services Canada (NIHB)
Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP, mental health support for refugees)
RCMP, Veterans Affairs, Canadian Armed Forces
I center my therapy work around mindful, somatic therapies. My approach is integrative, incorporating the following theories/ therapies:
Feminist Therapy
Family Systems Therapy
Decolonizing and anti-oppressive practice
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (Prolonged Exposure Therapy, Exposure and Response Prevention, CBT for ADHD)
I hold the following values close to my heart and my hope is to not only embody them in the therapy room, but also in my personal life: joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, mindfulness, faith, hope, and non-violence.
Areas of Professional Competence
Trauma (complex/ intergenerational/ single incident)
Mood disorders (unipolar, bi-polar depression)
Anxiety disorders (OCD, GAD, PTSD)
Attachment (within family systems/ interpersonal romantic relationships/ relationships of power)
Systemic violence (racism, gender violence, systemic bias)
Emotional impacts of migration on individual and family systems
Interpersonal violence (abuse, assault, microaggression)
Holistic/ systems lens case conceptualization
Supervision (psychology grad students, Provisional Psychologists)
Consultation (clinical environments, trauma informed care)
Teaching (graduate level: trauma, counselling skills, somatic therapy)
I also have course work and extensive experience being a clinical supervisor and I currently supervise Provisional Psychologists. For further details on my supervision philosophy, see the "Supervision" Page. A CV is available upon request.
Sophia is not currently taking new counselling clients, but is focusing on supervising Provisional Psychologists in their journey to becoming ethical, skilled, and culturally sensitive Registered Psychologists. Sophia would be pleased to support new clients through a "team approach" as they engage in counselling with one of the Provisional Psychologists listed on the 'About Us' page.