Gaya Sockalingam is a Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO). With over 17 years of experience in the social work and mental health sectors, she has supported children, adolescents, and families across a range of community-based settings. She is currently completing advanced clinical training in psychoanalytic psychotherapy through the Canadian Institute for Child and Adolescent Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy (CICAPP), which continues to deepen her clinical perspective and therapeutic work.

Throughout her career, Gaya has worked with children, adolescents, and families navigating trauma, developmental concerns, emotional and behavioural challenges, family conflict, life transitions, and the impacts of gender-based violence. Her experience spans children’s mental health, family services, early childhood, education, supportive housing, and violence prevention, providing her with a broad understanding of the emotional, developmental, relational, and systemic factors that influence children and families.

Gaya’s approach is grounded in relational, trauma-informed, and psychodynamic psychotherapy. She believes that our experiences and relationships shape how we see ourselves, connect with others, and make sense of the world around us. Drawing from psychodynamic psychotherapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), and the Integrative Trauma and Attachment Treatment Model (ITATM), she works collaboratively with clients to explore their experiences, emotions, and patterns of relating in ways that support greater understanding and connection.

Gaya is committed to creating a warm, thoughtful, and collaborative therapeutic environment where children, adolescents, and families feel understood, respected, and supported. She approaches each therapeutic relationship with curiosity, compassion, and care, recognizing the importance of meeting each person’s unique experiences and needs. Through this collaborative process, Gaya supports clients in developing a deeper understanding of themselves, their relationships, and the experiences that shape their lives.

email: gsockalingam@thewillowcentre.com
phone: 416-250-1540 x21