Alia Ziesman

Life is both hard and genuinely worth it, and the experiences that have shaped you — trauma, loss, systemic inequality, relationships that have left their mark — don’t define you, even when they feel like they do. I provide a compassionate and non-judgmental space to explore how your history and relationships have shaped your experience, and to develop a clearer sense of how thought patterns and beliefs keep you stuck in your head rather than present in your actual life.

I hold two Master’s degrees — in Sociology and in Counselling Psychology — and bring over a decade of experience in the non-profit sector, including direct work with refugees and newcomers. I have served on the Leadership Committee for the Guelph-Wellington Local Immigration Partnership since 2012 and have volunteered with Women in Crisis, Immigrant Services, United Way, and other community organisations. I hold Gottman Method Level Two training and have completed over 25 additional professional trainings in trauma-informed practice, narrative therapy, CBT, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and related approaches.

My integrative practice draws from narrative therapy, attachment theory, and strengths-based frameworks. I work with individuals and couples, and I am LGBTQ+ allied.

Having engaged in my own therapy for more than twenty years, I understand personally what the vulnerability of reaching out actually costs — and what it makes possible over time. I think of life as an ocean: constantly in motion, shaped by forces both within and outside our control. With intention and real support, finding steadier footing within that motion is possible.

As someone with profound personal experience of grief, I also understand the particular weight of loss, and I bring genuine empathy — not just professional knowledge — to that part of the work. I look forward to connecting with you.