Salwa Mawji, MSW, RSW
Availability: Accepting New Clients
Populations Served: Adults, Couples
Services Offered: Couples Therapy, Relationship Counselling
Areas of Treatment: Couples therapy, premarital, relationship issues, interpersonal problems, parenting challenges, life-transitions, stress and burnout, anxiety, self-esteem.
Hello, I’m Salwa. I am a Registered Social Worker and I hold a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Toronto. I have experience providing therapy for a variety of concerns, such as relationship challenges, anxiety, depression, self-esteem and difficult life transitions. I am passionate about supporting adults and couples in improving their friendship and intimacy as well as managing conflict. I also enjoy supporting parents in learning to navigate and respond to their children’s emotional needs.
Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends as well as baking, reading, or trying out new restaurants and cafes in my neighborhood.
How I can help
My style is collaborative, compassionate, strengths-based, and humorous. I hope to not only help you navigate through your current life stressors, but to also explore ways for you to live a life that feels meaningful and purposeful.
In our therapeutic journey together I will work with you to determine the best path forward, finding a balance between exploring the thoughts and emotions that are present and using practical strategies that you can begin to use within your relationship.
Having been on the client side of therapy, I understand how difficult and vulnerable it can be to share your story, as well as feeling emotionally disconnected from your partner, and the desire for closeness and connection. As someone who has been married for over 6 years, I have come to realize that although marriage and relationships are often encouraged and celebrated in our society, we are often not equipped with the tools or knowledge of how to make relationships work.
My approach
I use a culturally sensitive and anti-oppressive framework, drawing on your perspective as a guide while considering the aspects of your identity and culture that matter most to you.
I draw from the Gottman Method and Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) which are both evidence-based therapy approaches that help clients identify and interrupt unhelpful interaction cycles that may contribute to relationship distress. I believe that emotions are valuable sources of information to help you and your partner express your vulnerability to each other to feel more connected and have deeper intimacy.
I value ongoing professional development and learning in my practice, and will often draw on my training from Acceptance-Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical-Behavioural Therapy (DBT), and mindfulness approaches in my work.
Therapy Approaches:
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Emotion-Focused Family Therapy (EFFT)
Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT)
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Languages:
English
Training & Professional Membership
Gottman Method Level 1
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) Psychwire
Emotion Focused Family Therapy (EFFT) Core Skills, International Institute for
Emotion-Focused Family Therapy
Dialectical Behavioural Therapy, 5 day Intensive Training, Kinark Child and Family Services
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) Level 1, Wilfred Laurier University
Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers (#840015)
Ontario Association of Social Workers
