Avi Soudack

Registered Psychotherapist

Looking for help?

Are you experiencing painful emotions? Do you find yourself stuck in counter-productive or destructive patterns of behaviour and thinking? Are you struggling to understand where you have come from or where to go next? We all face such challenges — some life throws at us, some develop in relationships, and still others we create ourselves.

I can help you face these challenges constructively. Together, we can identify what’s blocking you, explore your purpose and direction, and construct for you a healthy narrative that’s founded on acceptance, understanding, flexibility, and growth.

Who I work with

My clients are adults of all ages and varied identities, dealing with a wide range of mental health and personal growth issues. I often work with university and college students, with people in STEM, health care, media, and finance, and with older adults.

How I work

I take a holistic view: What are you feeling? What forces are acting on you? What relationships and past experiences give meaning to your life? What are the patterns of behaviour and habits of mind that shape you today? What are your goals and what are your fears?

I endeavour to build a strong, supportive, and respectful relationship with you that will be the basis for our work together. From that foundation, I work collaboratively with you, at a pace you are comfortable with. I work hard to understand and relate to your situation and to reflect back to you what I see. I use whatever means of communicating works for you: words, of course, but also metaphors, and stories, and diagrams—I love diagrams.

Change is possible. It comes from being mindfully aware, being open to experience, welcoming emotions whether pleasant or painful, reflecting on our purpose and values, and examining and altering the patterns that constrain us. I can’t change you, but I can help you to learn to begin changing yourself.

My toolkit

I draw on a range of therapeutic techniques, mixing and matching what would serve you best. Sometimes, focusing on patterns of thought is key. At other times, it is most productive to work with emotions and how our bodies respond to and hold feelings. In some cases, our focus may be on skills, such as grounding in the face of stress, communicating in difficult situations, or managing habits of mind or action. Often, if the work goes deeper, we may turn to examining the past in order to chart a better path forward.

The therapeutic approaches I borrow from include: Psychodynamic, Adlerian, Acceptance and Commitment (ACT), Cognitive Behavioural (CBT), Dialectical Behavioural (DBT), Emotion Focused (EFT), Motivational Interviewing, Internal Family Systems, Mindfulness, and Solution Focused therapy.

Where I’m coming from

I value authenticity, relish diversity, and believe everyone deserves respect, opportunity, and encouragement. I recognize the physical and psychological reality of racism, sexism, and ablism and the impact of socio-economic class in society. My practice is trauma informed, LGBTQ+ positive, and strengths-based.

My qualifications

I am a Registered Psychotherapist (RP) in independent practice, licenced by the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (lic. #11004).

I am a clinical associate at Lisa Bradford and Associates psychology and therapy clinic.

I have a Master of Psychology (MPsy) degree from the Adler Graduate Professional School, a Masters degree in Communications Research (MA) from the University of Pennsylvania, and a Bachelors degree in Culture and Communications from the University of Toronto (BA, honours).

I have worked as a teacher, researcher, interface and information designer, consultant, manager, and executive. All that life experience grounds my work. You can check me out on LinkedIn .

Where and how

I work in-person in downtown Toronto and remotely over the web or by phone. I offer daytime and evening sessions. My rates are competitive and I offer a sliding scale. Sessions are typically 50 minutes long. I use the remaining 10 minutes of the hour to make notes and work on your case.