Akhila Appadurai
(she/her) RP (Qualifying), MEd
Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) 

Therapy invites a sense of openness - about your struggles, the unknowing, the taboos. Your stories, your lived experience, and every aspect of you, is embraced here. With warmth and honesty, our work together takes on a fluid path to better understanding what you value most, who you want to be, and why. I create meaningful connections with my clients that encourage trust, respect, grounding and humour, making therapy look and feel different from what you may have envisioned, or previously experienced. In my work with my clients, we delve into understanding the mind-body connection, familial and relationship dynamics, attachment and nervous system regulation, identity building, existential thoughts, and everything else under the sun. Through curiosity and intentional practices, I help clients find a space for personal exploration to challenge their beliefs about their personal narratives, and the systems in which they operate under. Within this, together we work towards rebuilding a deep sense of knowing, confidence, and resilience. 

I am a therapist who is relational and narrative-based, my practice being rooted in culturally responsive, trauma-informed, and anti-oppressive frameworks. I also often incorporate aspects of somatic body work and parts work inspired by Internal-Family Systems, to help clients bridge a connection with the parts of themselves that need to be better understood. My non-pathologizing approach to therapy means I look to use the same kind of language that you do in session - we focus on how you view and understand your life experiences, and look to understand what healing means to you. I work with adults in all stages of life who are working through personal challenges, repeating dynamics & patterns that no longer feel right, experiencing disconnection from Self or communities, and who are feeling misunderstood, angry, anxious, lost, or depressed, to say the least. I believe that within every person lies the answers - healing is realigning oneself back to ways of knowing and relating that already exist within us.

I hold a Master of Education in Psychotherapy and Counselling from University of Toronto, where I also hold a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. I am a Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario, which regulates the controlled act of psychotherapy in the province. My extensive experience with the non-profit sector in community-based initiatives rooted in equity and justice, inform the lens in which I understand and practice therapy, recognizing and advocating for how lived experience, identity and social context are embedded in a holistic approach to mental health care. I have been on my own therapeutic journey for 8+ years, as well as I engage in ongoing clinical supervision. My commitment to learning, whether through my own therapeutic journey or through my colleagues/peers, is constant and unwavering. My values in my personal life reflect how I approach my work with humility, genuine care, and honesty.