"It's bad enough that our clients lost their childhood; it's unacceptable that they lose their adulthood too" Judith Herman
Welcome to my website!
Tips for finding the right therapist: I've answered each question
About Gisèle Harrison MSW, RSW
I am a registered social worker, a certified EMDR therapist and an EMDR Consultant in Training (Welcome to EMDR Canada - EMDR Canada), I am also the EMDR Canada Regional Coordinator for Windsor-Essex. I am a certified relational life couples therapist (Home - Terry Real), a sex therapist, a yoga/meditation teacher, and have considerable training in polyvagal theory, ego state work (parts work), attachment theory and somatic psychology. I am a former guest columnist for the Windsor Star. I have also completed an extensive family mediation program with internship to follow.
To ensure that I am providing the most cutting edge therapy, I engage in bi-weekly consultation, peer consultation, study groups, as well as listen to various podcasts (listed in calming and movies, podcasts...pages of my website) as well as ongoing training and development.
My decades long path to becoming a seasoned therapist has been fueled by a quest to secure excellent mental health services for myself and for the folks around me. My own healing path has been filled with friendship, laughter, tears, pain, discovery, hard work, adventure, travel to distant lands (even within my own inner landscape) and an unlimited budget (not really, but I do allocate a generous chunk of my income to training, consultation, retreats, and of course my own therapy).
I have been an intersectional feminist activist for over 45 years. My mother introduced me to formal activism in the way of a strike/protest march when I was in elementary school. I have learned over the decades that understanding oppression and my location in the world, is an ever evolving undertaking. I work tirelessly to maintain the energy and conviction required to obtain freedom and equity for all folks.
From 2010 to 2022 my activism was centred on securing dignity and basic human rights for my aging parents that moved into a nursing home in 2015. My father passed away in November 2019 and my mother passed away in 2022. For the last years of their lives they resided in an understaffed overpriced nursing home that was allotted the most minimal resources to ensure residents were cleaned, dressed, toileted and put to bed. There was minimal time and practically no resources allotted to creating opportunities for meaningful engagement with other folks and the world around them.
Previous to developing Alzheimer's disease my mother's life was filled with family, friends and visitors that have either passed away or have quietly disappeared from her life. The stress of caring and advocating for and my father was the most emotionally taxing endeavor I have ever undertaken. It is during this time that I learned that nursing homes are to ageism what the prison industrial complex is to racism. Unfortunately nursing homes are the perfect place to witness the intersection of multiple forms of oppression within both the resident and staff population: ageism, ableism, classism, heterosexism, capitalism, special needs, and of course racism.
I am a thoughtful neighbour, a loyal adventurous fun friend, a committed loyal wife, a dedicated loving daughter, a grateful step-mother, a joyful grand-mother, a privileged dog owner, a lover of nature and nature walks, and a voracious reader/learner passionate about cultivating inner and outer peace. Hopefully this translates into being an effective guide for the folks that work with me.
Welcome to my website!
- I am a certified EMDR therapist and an EMDR approved Consultant and have been practicing EMDR since 2001.
- I am accepting clients as well as Consultees that have completed EMDR Basic Training.
- Whether or not we work together, I'd like to invite you to go through my website which is filled with helpful resources, calming strategies and information. This website should not be used instead of counselling but as an adjunct to therapy.
- If you are seeking a referral, please note that I have a strong bias toward EMDR trauma therapists with training and experience in structural dissociation, PTSD and C-PTSD, polyvagal theory, somatic psychology, attachment theory, mindfulness and yoga.
- Not all EMDR therapists have this training so please carefully browse thru this list to find someone that would be a good match for you (please note that most of us are not insured to see clients out of Province) Find a therapist - EMDR Canada
- I am an intersectional feminist activist with a solid background in understanding how systemic structures (ie racism, classism, sexism, ableism, ageism, heterosexism...) contribute to suffering and trauma.
Tips for finding the right therapist: I've answered each question
- How many years of experience do you have? I graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University's Master in Social Work in 1999.
- How much training and experience did you receive prior to entering into private practice? I had over 6 years of community practice works in various clinical settings prior to entering into private practice.
- Do you obtain ongoing regularly scheduled consultation/mentorship? If yes, with who? I attend weekly group consultation thru Beyond Healing Center; 2 different monthly EMDR Regional Peer Consultation Group; Monthly Individual Consultation with Beyond Healing Center.
- What kind of training are your currently engaged in? I attend as many advanced training workshops as possible re: Somatic Psychology, Attachment Theory, Polyvagal Theory, Ego State Therapy, Structural Dissociation, Yoga, Buddhist Meditation, Chronic Illness/Pain, Autoimmune Disease, Family Mediation, and EMDR Advanced Training.
- What training have you already completed outside of your degree? This is a very long list that I'd be happy to provide to you. That being said I am a certified EMDR therapist, Approved EMDR Consultant, Yoga Teacher, Meditation Teacher, Relational Life Therapist, and have completed University of Guelph's Intensive Sex Therapy Program.
- What is your specialty? (Beware of folks with a long list of specialties) PTSD, C-PTSD, anxiety, trauma, stress, depression, relationship issues, sex therapy all from an intersectional anti-oppressive feminist lens.
- What is your understanding of structural/systemic issues that contribute to individual, group and intergenerational traumatic experiences? (ie systemic racism, sexism, ageism, heterosexism, classism...) I have spent and will continue to spend decades participating in anti-racism, anti-oppression training workshops, reading books, writing papers and opinion pieces; and marching and organizing marches and writing campaigns. I believe that the personal is political which means that all of our pain can be linked to larger political issues, so my approach includes linking personal problems to systemic issues like poverty, violence, sexism, heterosexism, racism, ableism, and ageism.
- What is your cancellation policy? Do you apply this policy toward yourself? Click on my fees and cancellation policy page and YES, I apply my cancellation policy to myself.
- Are you a member of a college that regulates your profession? If not, why? I am a member in good standing of the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers.
- Have you and do you continue to engage in your own therapy? YES, and YES - I'm a lifer!
- How will we address conflict in our therapist/client relationship? I welcome feedback and if that feels scary to you, I vow to help you express your concerns. When/IF I do something that leads to a rupture in our relationship I vow to repair the rupture so that it can provide you with a "disconfirming experience" (in other words in a way that will feel empowering for us both).
- How do you provide/receive feedback? I work really hard to communicate my truth (and I know my truth is not THE truth) from a place of kindness and compassion. I also work hard to receive feedback in a way that allows other folks to feel seen, heard and understood.
- What do you look for in a client? Please go to "My Ideal Client" page.
- Do you believe therapists need therapy? Absolutely! I would never choose to see a therapist that does not also invest in their own therapy.
- How do you develop treatment plans for your clients? I am trained in Somatic Integration and Processing Case Conceptualization Episode 46: Somatic Integration and Processing - Notice That (emdr-podcast.com)
About Gisèle Harrison MSW, RSW
I am a registered social worker, a certified EMDR therapist and an EMDR Consultant in Training (Welcome to EMDR Canada - EMDR Canada), I am also the EMDR Canada Regional Coordinator for Windsor-Essex. I am a certified relational life couples therapist (Home - Terry Real), a sex therapist, a yoga/meditation teacher, and have considerable training in polyvagal theory, ego state work (parts work), attachment theory and somatic psychology. I am a former guest columnist for the Windsor Star. I have also completed an extensive family mediation program with internship to follow.
To ensure that I am providing the most cutting edge therapy, I engage in bi-weekly consultation, peer consultation, study groups, as well as listen to various podcasts (listed in calming and movies, podcasts...pages of my website) as well as ongoing training and development.
My decades long path to becoming a seasoned therapist has been fueled by a quest to secure excellent mental health services for myself and for the folks around me. My own healing path has been filled with friendship, laughter, tears, pain, discovery, hard work, adventure, travel to distant lands (even within my own inner landscape) and an unlimited budget (not really, but I do allocate a generous chunk of my income to training, consultation, retreats, and of course my own therapy).
I have been an intersectional feminist activist for over 45 years. My mother introduced me to formal activism in the way of a strike/protest march when I was in elementary school. I have learned over the decades that understanding oppression and my location in the world, is an ever evolving undertaking. I work tirelessly to maintain the energy and conviction required to obtain freedom and equity for all folks.
From 2010 to 2022 my activism was centred on securing dignity and basic human rights for my aging parents that moved into a nursing home in 2015. My father passed away in November 2019 and my mother passed away in 2022. For the last years of their lives they resided in an understaffed overpriced nursing home that was allotted the most minimal resources to ensure residents were cleaned, dressed, toileted and put to bed. There was minimal time and practically no resources allotted to creating opportunities for meaningful engagement with other folks and the world around them.
Previous to developing Alzheimer's disease my mother's life was filled with family, friends and visitors that have either passed away or have quietly disappeared from her life. The stress of caring and advocating for and my father was the most emotionally taxing endeavor I have ever undertaken. It is during this time that I learned that nursing homes are to ageism what the prison industrial complex is to racism. Unfortunately nursing homes are the perfect place to witness the intersection of multiple forms of oppression within both the resident and staff population: ageism, ableism, classism, heterosexism, capitalism, special needs, and of course racism.
I am a thoughtful neighbour, a loyal adventurous fun friend, a committed loyal wife, a dedicated loving daughter, a grateful step-mother, a joyful grand-mother, a privileged dog owner, a lover of nature and nature walks, and a voracious reader/learner passionate about cultivating inner and outer peace. Hopefully this translates into being an effective guide for the folks that work with me.
