Meet the Circle of Support

Registered Social Worker (MSW, BSSW, RSW)

Emily founded Maternal Health Niagara with the vision of building a circle of support for individuals and families during the reproductive period and beyond. Emily's clinical focus is infertility, pregnancy loss, pregnancy, birth trauma, postpartum anxiety, and postpartum depression. She coaches people through “guilt” and managing the mental load of parenting. 

Emily's passion for Maternal Mental Health was sparked during her own journey. Emily had hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) which took a toll on her physical and emotional wellness. During that time, Emily recognized the gap in services and was determined to build a circle of support for others. The combination of lived experience and extensive professional development allows Emily to bring a unique clinical lens of empathy and validation to her clients. She is down-to-earth and intuitive with a practical and accepting therapeutic style.

Emily has her Master's in Social Work from The Ohio State University (2007) and she is a Registered Social Worker in Ontario. She has over 15 years of experience supporting families. Emily’s professional affiliations include Postpartum Support International (PSI) and the Ontario Association of Social Workers (OSAW). Emily is trained in EMDR levels 1 & 2, completed Advance Perinatal Training and FLASH.

Building community capacity and awareness are essential in helping individuals and families build their circle of support. Emily has facilitated perinatal mental health training for health care professionals. She provides clinical consultation and mentorship to other therapists in the field of maternal mental health. 

When she is off work, Emily enjoys spending time with her family. She would describe herself as HSP and loves to have some quiet time to reset. Her favourite thing to do is go for walks and send handwritten cards. 

AVAILABILITY: WEEKDAYS (9-2)

Registered Social Worker (MSW,  RSW) 

Jessica has an undergraduate degree in Psychology with a minor in Family Studies from the University of Guelph, a Bachelor of Education from the University of Toronto and a Master’s degree in Social Work from Wilfred Laurier. Jessica has received additional training in trauma-specific interventions and has spent most of her career supporting parents. 

She practices anti-oppressive and trauma-informed care. She uses an integrated, evidence-based approach and focused on nurturing self-compassion, and healing. 

Jessica is passionate about working with families and individuals during the prenatal and postpartum periods. There can be a range of emotions that come up during this time and having a person you can trust and lean on can make a world of difference. She supports families with infertility, perinatal mental health, infant loss, birth trauma, attachment, and parenting issues, as well as providing relationship and co-parenting support.  In addition to her perinatal work, Jessica has experience in addictions and supporting the LGBTQ community.

Some modalities that Jessica practices are cognitive behavioural therapy, dialectical behavioural therapy, somatic body experiencing, mindfulness-based stress reduction, cognitive restructuring, and narrative therapy. She is currently completing Level 1 & 2 EMDR.

When not working Jessica enjoys spending time with her partner, her little one and her pets. She loves playing soccer, going for walks, eating donuts, and tending to her plants.

AVAILABITY: MONDAY & THURSDAY (9-5) and FRIDAY (9-12)

Registered Social Worker  (BSW, RSW) 

Serving her community as a birth doula, Aleta recognized the lack of mental health support for women/people and families through the various stages of conception, pregnancy, birth and parenthood. To better support her community, she decided to become a social worker focusing on maternal mental health and perinatal mood disorders.

Aleta has a deep understanding of the impact these periods of change and transformation can have on an individual's mental health, sense of self and relationships.

She is passionate about helping her clients understand their mental health struggles and develop tools, strategies and supports to help them feel more in control of their lives and cope with the challenges that come with these stages of life.

She draws from her experiences and knowledge as a doula and training in perinatal mood disorders to provide judgement-free, client-centred, trauma-informed, inclusive, perinatal counselling services that help clients feel heard, supported, empowered, informed and connected to community resources.

Aleta is a Registered Social Worker (BSW, RSW) from Lakehead University, has completed Advanced Perinatal Mental Health Psychotherapy training through Postpartum Support International and is a member of the Ontario Association of Social work and Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers. 

Clinical consultations with Emily Pollak, MSW, RSW

(Emily & Aleta's names on receipt)

AVAILABILITY: MONDAY pm, THURSDAY am.

Registered Psychotherapist

Somia is a Registered Psychotherapist (RP) and mother of 2 with 15 years of experience in the field. She works with individuals struggling with perinatal mood and anxiety disorders such as pregnancy and postpartum depression, anxiety, and OCD. Somia is passionate about sharing her knowledge and experience to provide culturally and linguistically competent care. In addition to her perinatal care, she has experience working with youth and adults with their individual mental health needs under a broad spectrum of presenting concerns. She understands the complexities that parenthood brings and recognizes that the transition into parenthood is life-changing in many ways. She supports clients in reaching their goals by implementing various evidence-based tools, strategies, and modalities. Somia is warm, inclusive, compassionate, and non-judgmental. She brings genuine care, empathy, intuition, and nurturing energy.

In addition to her part-time work at Maternal Health Niagara, she works full-time as a mental therapist in a hospital.

She is can provide services in English, Hindi, Urdu and Punjabi.

Registered Social Worker

Ashley has her Master of Social Work from Wilfrid Laurier University and is a Registered Social Worker in Ontario. Her care areas include working with children, youth, parents, perinatal mental health, and adults. She supports children and youth struggling with various mental health issues, including anxiety, depression, trauma, ODD, and ADHD. Her work with families and caregivers focuses on providing tools and resources to help meet their child’s social/emotional/behavioural needs and develop secure attachment.

Before being a Social Worker, she worked in the field of communication. Her lived experience perinatally was a catalyst for her to switch career paths. She is heartfelt to support people during the perinatal period through loss, pregnancy and postpartum. She brings deep compassion and care into all that she does. 

Ashley utilizes a variety of strength-based approaches, including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Dialectic Behavioural Therapy (DBT), Mindfulness, Attachment Theory, and Emotion-Focused Family Therapy (EFFT).

In addition to her work at Maternal Health Niagara, Ashley works part-time at a children’s mental health agency.

Master of Social Work- Intern

Heidi has her Bachelor of Social Work and a Bachelors of Science in Clinical Exercise Physiology and is currently pursuing her Masters of Social Worker at Wilfrid Laurier University. Her combined education brings an in-depth, comprehensive lens to her care in women’s wellness. Throughout her career she has worked with women who have faced health concerns and has contributed to their healing journey. She is passionate about the mind and body connection and the importance of a holistic treatment approach. She brings creativity, compassion, empathy and comfort to her clinical role. She completed the Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders course through the Seleni Institute and is training as a postpartum doula through Doula Canada.

Heidi is excited to be completing her practicum at Maternal Health Niagara from January 2022- June 2022.  

** Services by Heidi will be billed under Social Worker Services as Emily Pollak, MSW, RSW, supervises her.

Heidi speaks English, French and Spanish