School avoidance has become a challenge in Canada. According to Anxiety Canada, more than 25% of youth will engage in some form of school avoidance during their education. As therapists, we have noted this as a growing trend since schools reopened after the pandemic.
Discussing therapy with parents is the number one question asked at workshops for youth. The stigma surrounding mental health makes this conversation difficult, particularly in cultures where therapy is still seen as taboo or a sign of weakness or parental failure.
The trauma that women experienced and are experiencing right now, represents a broader issue ofintergenerational traumain the South Asian community. […]
Meet Cherry, MSW, RSW!
We’re so excited to welcome her to the team at Shanti Psychotherapy.
As a first-generation immigrant, Cherry brings a deep understanding of what it means to navigate multiple worlds, academically, emotionally, culturally. She supports adults, teens (12+), couples, and families through anxiety, depression, burnout, identity struggles, and relationship stress with warmth, insight, and a calm, steady presence.
Her approach is integrative, trauma-informed, and culturally responsive, drawing from EFT, DBT, CBT, mindfulness, and more. She offers therapy in both English and Mandarin.
Whether you’re feeling overwhelmed, disconnected, or just need a space to feel heard, Cherry is here to walk alongside you.
✨ Now accepting new clients
💻 Virtual & In-Person
🗣️ Therapy in English & Mandarin
📍Teens, Adults, Couples, Families, International Students
Book a free 20-minute consult, link in bio. Read more about Cherry on our website.
#therapistintroduction #mentalhealthsupport #culturallyresponsivetherapy #asiantherapist #torontotherapist #mandarintherapist #internationalstudentsupport #torontotherapy
Our mental health workshops offered by @rpmentalhealthmatters and facilitated by Shanti Psychotherapy offer supportive spaces for individuals to learn coping tools, build emotional resilience, connect with others in your community all while offering a safe, supportive and culturally responsive space to heal. ✨
This cohort of individuals focuses on a youth co-ed program, a sisterhood program and a community healing program for adults. Last week our community healing program focused on Intergenerational trauma and how to break cycles! 💪🏽
Join us in making mental health care more accessible, empowering our community from the inside out 🤍
Visit our website to learn more about the work we do!
#mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealthmatters #torontowellness #torontotherapy #torontotherapist #southasianmentalhealth #communitymentalhealth
Being an international student can be incredibly rewarding, but also deeply exhausting.
You’re adapting to a new culture, managing expectations from home, juggling school, finances, maybe even a job, all while trying to find your place.
It’s no wonder burnout can creep in quietly.
Here’s your gentle reminder:
✨ Take breaks.
🥗 Nourish your body.
🛌 Get enough rest.
🧘♀️ Slow down and breathe.
💬 Talk it out.
🤝 Find your people.
You’re allowed to take care of yourself, you’re human first. Read more about the international student experience on our website blog post.
#internationalstudents #burnoutsupport #mentalhealthmatters #studentwellbeing #restisproductive #youmatter #mentalhealthawareness
It truly takes a village to support international students who choose Canada for their education! Read our latest blog on what it’s like for international students on our website.
I was honoured to speak at OASDI’s 2025 Annual Conference, where I introduced CARES — a trauma-informed, culturally grounded program designed to help high school educators support international students navigating stress, anxiety, and adjustment challenges abroad.
Educators wear so many different hats in their relationships with their students and need so much support to do so!
Each educator left equipped to take CARES back to their schools, creating ripple effects across communities.
A huge thank you to OASDI, for the collaboration and commitment to this vital work. We at Shanti Psychotherapy are proud to be Canada’s first clinic dedicated to supporting International Students through direct, culturally grounded therapy and supports by those who understand the journey firsthand. Special thanks to all the grassroots efforts within the community to support our international students with programming, community connection and support.
@laadliyan , Celebrating & Empowering Daughters. Special thanks to Ruchira Asiwal with @studyinsured ™ for sharing her own story!
It takes a village and we are here for it.💛
#Internationalstudents #Studentwellbeing #Educatorsupport #CARESprogram #mentalhealthsupport #Shantipsychotherapy
Pride began as protest. As we celebrate, we remember the Black and Brown queer and trans communities who led the way.
At Shanti Psychotherapy, solidarity means unlearning, growing, and showing up, even when it’s uncomfortable.
Because if liberation doesn’t include queer and trans people, it’s not liberation.
This Pride Month, and always, we honour the legacy, resilience, and joy of 2SLGBTQIA+ communities. 🌈💖
#PrideMonth #2SLGBTQIA #QueerJoy #TransRightsAreHumanRights #TherapistsForJustice #ShantiPsychotherapy #MentalHealthMatters #PrideIsPolitical
We are filled with deep gratitude after participating in the inaugural Thrive 2025 South Asian Women’s Health Conference, a groundbreaking event rooted in courage, compassion, and collective healing.
To Manvir and Herleen, the visionary founders of Laadliyan and the South Asian Women’s Collective—thank you. Your devotion to building spaces of safety, strength, and sisterhood reminds us that real change begins with those brave enough to bring us together. 💛
At Shanti Psychotherapy, we were honoured to lead workshops on intergenerational trauma and dismantling the Good Girl archetype within the South Asian diaspora. We came together as a multigenerational group. We reached so many whose stories echoed in our own—and felt the truth of what we already know: there are countless people in our communities working quietly, tirelessly, and often invisibly to shift what we’ve inherited.
To all the unseen labourers of healing and equity: we see you. We thank you. We are humbled to walk alongside you.
✨ Healing happens in ripples, and when we ripple together, it becomes a wave.
📖 Visit our website to explore our work, including our latest blog on the Good Girl archetype and our upcoming digital workbook to support your healing journey, wherever you are.
📲 Follow our friends @laadliyan and @sawcollective_canada
#Thrive2025 #ShantiPsychotherapy #IntergenerationalTrauma #SouthAsianHealing #CollectiveCare #GoodGirlArchetype #Laadliyan #SouthAsianWomensCollective #MentalHealthMatters #HealingTogether #RippleEffect #BIPOCWellness #CulturallyResponsiveCare
Are you mad at me? Did I do something wrong?
Sometimes it’s not just anxiety, it’s a nervous system shaped by childhood and intergenerational trauma. When you grow up reading the room for safety, even small mood shifts can feel like danger. Healing means learning you’re safe now. 💭🧠
Reach out to us on our website to access support.
#intergenerationaltrauma #traumahealing #nervoussystemsupport #innerchildhealing #mentalhealthawarenes #southasiantherapy #southasianmentalhealth #southasiantherapist #therapistsofinstagram #traumatherapy #grouptherapy
Breaking free from the “good girl” mold isn’t rebellion, it’s liberation.
The “good girl” archetype teaches us to be quiet, self-sacrificing, accommodating, emotionally contained, and endlessly nice, even at the cost of our own well-being.
But this isn’t just personality, it’s survival, passed down through generations.
When we silence our needs to be seen as nice, compliant, or perfect, we carry the weight of generations before us.
Healing starts when we say no without guilt, set boundaries without apology, and honour our truth over others’ expectations. 💥
It’s time to redefine what “good” means, for you. You don’t owe anyone your obedience, especially at the expense of your peace.
Read more about the socialization of the good girl in south asian culture, on our website blogpost.
Attend our workshop on intergenerational trauma: the socialization of the good girl at THRIVE 2025, tickets available on our website.
#intergenerationalhealing #breakthegoodgirl #therapytalk #boundariesarebeautiful #mentalhealthmatters #selfliberation #peoplepleasingrecovery #therapyishealing #unlearnandreclaim #southasianmentalhealth #desifamilytherapy #southasiantherapists
Our mental health workshops offered by @rpmentalhealthmatters and facilitated by Shanti Psychotherapy offer supportive spaces for individuals to learn coping tools, build emotional resilience, connect with others in your community all while offering a safe, supportive and culturally responsive space to heal. ✨
This cohort of individuals focuses on a youth co-ed program, a sisterhood program and a community healing program for adults.
Join us in making mental health care more accessible, empowering our community from the inside out 🤍
Visit our website to learn more about the work we do!
#mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealthmatters #torontowellness #torontotherapy #torontotherapist #southasianmentalhealth #communitymentalhealth
Feeling drained or unmotivated lately? You might be experiencing burnout. 💭 Here are a few gentle check-in questions to help you tune into what your mind and body might be telling you:
✨ Are you holding tension in places like your shoulders or stomach?
✨ Have you stopped prioritizing things that bring you joy?
✨ Are you neglecting parts of yourself that truly matter?
Burnout can creep in quietly—but you don’t have to navigate it alone.
Feel free to reach out for support or therapy. You deserve care, too. 💛
You can find lots of resources for support on our blog, which you can access on our website using the link in our bio.
#BurnoutSupport #TherapyIsForEveryone #SelfCompassion #southasiantherapy #mentalhealthmatters #torontotherapy #southasiantherapist #southasianmentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness
Anxiety is a complex response involving the brain, body, and emotions, with additional challenges for BIPOC communities due to systemic stressors like racial discrimination and intergenerational trauma. 🧠💥
The three-legged stool analogy helps explain how anxiety affects the thinking mind, physical body, and emotional system, all of which must be addressed for effective management. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), mindfulness, and body-based practices target each leg, helping restore balance by retraining the brain and calming the nervous system.
At Shanti Psychotherapy, we offer evidence-based, culturally relevant care to help you understand and manage anxiety.
Read more on our blog by Rohama Kabeer, R.P by visiting our website for strategies and tips to manage anxiety!
Use the link in our bio to reach our website and blogposts.
#AnxietyScience #NeuroscienceOfAnxiety #BIPOCMentalHealth #TherapeuticSupport #SouthAsianMentalHealth #DesiTherapist #FamilyTherapy
Join us for at THRIVE 2025 for a Healing from Intergenerational Trauma Workshop: The Socialization of the “Good Girl” in South Asian Women and Girls.
A full day event dedicated to unpacking cultural narratives, fostering self-awareness, and supporting healing within our communities, including a workshop facilitated by us at Shanti Psychotherapy.
📅 May 25th | 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
🎙 Workshop facilitated by Angie Agrawal Holstein, Rohama Kabeer, and Rashmi Kumar.
🔗 Tickets available via the link in our bio
This event is hosted by @sawcollective_canada & @laadliyan , and we at Shanti Psychotherapy are excited to be part of it.
We invite South Asian women and girls to explore the roots of intergenerational patterns and connect in a space of growth and reflection. Let’s break cycles and build new legacies together. 💜
#IntergenerationalHealing #SouthAsianMentalHealth #GoodGirlSyndrome #CulturalHealing #TraumaInformedCare #SouthAsianTherapist #SouthAsianMentalHealth
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