Cerasela Toba

Hello ! I am from Romania, but I have called Canada my home for the last 20 years and have been on Vancouver Island for the last 6 years. I started my healing journey in parallel with going back to school and completing a BSC at the University of Toronto and a MA at Saint Paul University. From the beginning, I have been focused on understanding trauma and healing from trauma including all manifestations of trauma like addictions, chronic pain, depression, anxiety, etc. For many years I worked in outpatient substance use programs. In 2020 I shifted from working in substance use programs to working with survivors of domestic violence and any other types of gendered violence. In October 2023 I started my private practice and I am enjoying splitting my time between by private practice and agency work. I approach therapy from an anti-oppressive perspective, understanding intersectionality and my privileges. I am queer and endeavor to create a safe, collaborative and non-judgemental space for all folx. My belief is that through attunement and safety, healing can happen. I integrate various therapeutic approaches including SE, Internal Family System, art therapy, and psychodynamic interventions that are tailored to fit personal needs. I attended SE training from 2019 to 2022. During the period of my SE training, I also took the following trainings: (1) Advanced Strategies for Healing Sexual Trauma w/ Ariel Giarretto and (2) Somatic Strategies to Address the interplay between shock and developmental trauma with Peter Levine & Diane Poole Heller. Following the SE training, I completed the following courses and trainings: (1) Unlearning as a white settler, (2) Foundations of Clinical Supervision, (3) Developmental Trauma: Early Stages and Later Stages by Dr. Raja Selvam, (4) participated in webinars trying to understand how to decolonize myself and my practice, IFS and ED, IFS and Shame and; (5) completed an 8 weeks intensive training in Internal Family Systems tailored for my workplace on how to support better DV and trauma survivors. I am registered for the Touch Skills Training for Trauma Therapist by Kathy Kain starting in December 2025. Outside work, I enjoy spending time in nature and going for hikes, painting, reading, experimenting with new recipes and exploring new restaurants.