Dawn is a Registered Psychotherapist with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO) and brings over 20 years of experience in community-based mental health care. Her work focuses on trauma, PTSD, anxiety, grief, depression and operational stress injuries. She has extensive experience supporting Veterans, First Responders and individuals exposed to high levels of cumulative stress and trauma. Dawn’s approach focuses on understanding the story behind the symptoms, recognizing that anxiety, emotional shutdown, anger, addictions, relationship struggles, and other emotional difficulties often develop in response to cumulative stress, trauma, and lived experiences. Using a trauma-informed, client-centred approach, she helps individuals better understand their responses, strengthen emotional regulation, increase insight, and regain a greater sense of control and stability.
Her therapeutic work integrates evidence-based modalities, including Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Solution-Focused Therapy (SFT), Narrative Therapy, psychoeducation, emotion regulation skill-building, grounding strategies, and trauma-focused interventions. Treatment planning begins early in the therapeutic process and is individualized to each person’s goals, needs, readiness, and pace.
Dawn is advanced trained in Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART), an evidence-based trauma therapy shown to be effective in the treatment of PTSD, trauma, anxiety, grief, and operational stress injuries. ART can help individuals process distressing experiences without requiring detailed verbal retelling of traumatic events, supporting meaningful progress while reducing emotional overwhelm often associated with trauma work.
With extensive experience working alongside Veterans and First Responders, Dawn has a strong understanding of service culture, operational stress, critical incidents, moral injury, cumulative trauma exposure, hypervigilance, and the challenges of balancing demanding careers with personal and family life. As the proud mother of a currently serving Canadian Armed Forces member, she also brings a personal understanding of the unique realities, pressures, and impacts military service can have on both members and their families. Her work emphasizes safety, trust, practical coping strategies, resilience, and the creation of a respectful therapeutic environment where individuals feel understood and supported without pressure or judgment.