Gwen Islam

I have been very lucky to have had the chance to work with a wide variety of individuals across a number of different settings. My main focus is trauma therapy and grief. I have been doing primarily individual therapy for the past 5 years and before that I ran the trauma skills portion of an intensive outpatient program and I have served as the clinical program manager for a home for individuals with mental health and substance use disorders. I believe no matter where you are from or what your concerns are, you deserve support, care, and a chance to thrive.

I strongly believe that you are the expert in your own life, and it's my job as a therapist to ally with you around what your goals are and collaboratively determine what types of support would best help you to get to where you want to be. No person fits perfectly into a box, so I don't try to force a particular style on anyone. I typically pull from a variety of evidence based practices depending on the needs of each individual. I am trained in EMDR, DBT skills as well as CBT. I also incorporate ACT principles and somatic exercises to support whole person healing.

My primary goal from the first session on is to create a space where you feel safe and empowered to reach for the life you want to have. I believe as humans we need connection and a space free from judgement in order to be able to learn and grow to our full extent. I will work collaboratively with you to try and understand what your goals are and develop a treatment plan centered on those hopes.