Meet the Circle of Support

Registered Social Worker (MSW, BSSW, RSW) Psychotherapist

Emily founded Maternal Health Niagara ( est. 2017) to build a circle of support for individuals and families during the reproductive period and beyond. Emily's clinical focus is infertility, surrogacy, pregnancy and infant loss,  birth trauma, postpartum anxiety, and healing from childhood trauma. She coaches people through "guilt" and coping with the mental load of parenting. Emily enjoys working with birth and health care professionals as they navigate the intricacies of the field, and she is a therapists therapist. 

During her perinatal journey of pregnancy loss and pregnancy complications, Emily's lived experience sparked her passion for maternal mental health. Emily had hyperemesis gravidarum (HG), which affected her physical and emotional wellness. From her challenges during the perinatal period, Emily recognized the service gap and was determined to build a circle of support for others. Combining lived experience and extensive professional skills allows Emily to bring her clients a unique clinical lens of empathy and validation. She is down-to-earth and intuitive, with a realistic and accepting therapeutic style.  

Emily has been in the profession for 17 years and a mother for ten years. She obtained her Master's in Social Work from The Ohio State University and is a Registered Social Worker in Ontario. 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 and completed Advance Perinatal Training and FLASH.

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

When she is off work, Emily enjoys spending time with her family. She is a mom of 2 and is often at the baseball diamond! She would describe herself as HSP and loves to have some quiet time to reset. Her favourite thing is going for walks and sending handwritten cards or cuddling with her furbabies!

AVAILABILITY: 

Monday to Friday 9am-2pm

Ontario 

Virtual & In-Person

RATE A

NHIB provider

DIRECT BILLING:

Alberta Blue Cross 

Beneva

BPA

Candian Armed Forces (CAF)

Canada Life 

Canada Life - PSHCP 

Canadian Construction Workers Union

Chambers of Commerce (Johnston Group) 

CINUP (Johnston Group) 

Coughlin & Associates Ltd. 

D.A. Townley 

Desjardins Insurance

Equitable Life

First Canadian (Johnston Group) 

Green shield Canada

Industrial Alliance 

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)

Johnston Group 

La Capitale/Beneva 

LiUNA Local 183 

LiUNA Local 506 

Maximum Benefit (Johnston Group) 

Medavie Blue Cross

Medic Construction

People Corporation – Green Shield Canada

Royal Canadian Mounted Police

RWAM 

Simply Benefits

SSQ

TELUS AdjudiCare

Union Benefits 

UV Insurance 

Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC)

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 focused on nurturing self-compassion and healing. 

Jessica is passionate about working with families and individuals during the prenatal and postpartum periods. A range of emotions can 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 and provides 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 completed Level 1 & 2 EMDR.

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

ACCEPTING NEW CLIENTS

AVAILABILITY:

Monday- Friday 9-4pm

Ontario

Virtual Only

RATE A

DIRECT BILLING:

Greenshield

SSQ Insurance

Empire Life

Medic Construction

Registered Social Worker  (RSW, MSW,  BSW, BSc )

Heidi firmly believes that each person has the power to cope with and grow from their challenges. She is a Registered Social Worker who brings warmth, creativity, compassion, and empathy to her client relationships.

Heidi has multiple degrees, including a Bachelor of Social Work from York University, a Master of Social Work from Wilfrid Laurier University, and a Bachelor of Science in Clinical Exercise Physiology with a joint major in Spanish Language and Culture from Concordia University. Her educational background has cultivated a comprehensive lens to her work. She has experience with women and families in physical health, rehabilitation, and emotional and mental well-being. She utilizes various modalities to create a holistic therapeutic approach in her practice.

Heidi practices from anti-oppressive and strength-based perspectives and integrates modalities such as mindfulness-based therapies, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), body-based techniques, attachment, and FLASH. She prioritizes using a holistic and client-centred therapy approach focusing on the mind-body connection. She is trained as a postpartum doula with Doula Canada and has completed the Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders course through the Seleni Institute. She has also been trained in grief work, trauma, and fertility and is continuously participating in continuing education for her professional development. She regularly practices 5Rhythms and Ecstatic Dance which are movement meditation practices that strengthen the mind-body connection through authentic expression with oneself and others. She enjoys bringing these principles to sessions with clients.

In her leisure time, Heidi loves being in nature, playing hockey, dancing, and travelling.

Heidi speaks English and French

 
ACCEPTING NEW CLIENTS

AVAILABILITY: 

Monday: 9-5pm

Tuesday: 9-5 pm

Thursday: 11-7 pm

Friday: 9-5pm
 

Virtual

Ontario & Quebec

RATE C

SLIDING SCALE* 

*available upon request

NIHB

DIRECT BILLING:

Alberta Blue Cross 

Beneva

BPA

Candian Armed Forces (CAF)

Canada Life 

Canada Life - PSHCP 

Canadian Construction Workers Union

Chambers of Commerce (Johnston Group) 

CINUP (Johnston Group) 

Coughlin & Associates Ltd. 

D.A. Townley 

Desjardins Insurance

Equitable Life

First Canadian (Johnston Group) 

Green shield Canada

Industrial Alliance 

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)

Johnston Group 

La Capitale/Beneva 

LiUNA Local 183 

LiUNA Local 506 

Maximum Benefit (Johnston Group) 

Medavie Blue Cross

Medic Construction

People Corporation – Green Shield Canada

Royal Canadian Mounted Police

RWAM 

Simply Benefits

SSQ

TELUS AdjudiCare

Union Benefits 

UV Insurance 

Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC)

Registered Social Worker (BA, BSW, MSW, RSW) 

Randi has completed a diploma in Social Service Work, a Bachelor's and a Master of Social Work degree. Randi is a lifelong learner who continues to passionately build her knowledge about the impact that childhood trauma and hurtful adult partnerships can have on current parenting challenges. Throughout her studies, Randi primarily worked with caregivers and children aged 0-6 through a lens of relational and attachment-based trauma-informed care. From this, it sparked her clinical passion for providing parenting support to caregivers of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. She focuses on self-compassion and well-being while parenting, promoting secure attachments, and exploring the role our relationships with our caregivers growing up may play when responding to children's emotional spectrum. Randi believes all caregivers possess the strengths and tools to help their children thrive, and through a collaborative therapeutic process, those skills and expertise can flourish!

Randi has experience supporting parents in recovery from substance use, women parenting and co-parenting after hurtful and/or abusive relationships, and supporting pregnant and parenting youth. Randi uses warmth and curiosity, bringing her authentic self to the therapeutic dynamic. Randi recognizes that the parenting journey can be tough! Randi will work with you to explore the role that your unique experiences may play in the parent-child dynamic as you support your child throughout evolving stages of development. She will honour and recognize your needs as a parent/human. 

Randi recognizes the importance of healthy adult relationships and has experience supporting caregivers in healing early attachment wounds that may show up in your current adult relationships. Randi can work with you to identify specific challenges you may face, such as fostering open communication with your partner, setting healthy boundaries, resolving intimate partner conflict, and honouring your relational needs. These domains may not have been modelled for you growing up and can make these skills much more challenging to integrate within adult relationships.  

Randi has experience integrating a working blend of trauma-informed cognitive behavioural therapy principles, attachment theory and strengths-based perspective through anti-oppressive and intersectional lenses. Randi values mindfulness and grounding strategies in her practice and helps caregivers integrate them with their children using child-friendly techniques.

Randi believes that work/life balance is crucial to self-fulfillment and personal well-being. In her spare time, Randi loves to read fiction, do yoga, spend time outdoors and listen to comedy podcasts. 

ACCEPTING NEW CLIENTS

AVAILABILITY: 

Wednesday: 12:00- 8:00 PM

Thursday: 5:00-8:00 PM

Virtual only

RATE: B- $140

NHIB provider

R.P (Qualifying)

Supervised by Emily Pollak, MSW, RSW

Krista completed her placement at Matneral Health Niagara for the Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology from Yorkville University. Krista holds Qualifying registrant status with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Wilfrid Laurier University. Krista also volunteers with Postpartum Support International, connecting people to resources and support. Krista believes all individuals are capable of meaningful change and approaches therapy collaboratively from a co-pilot stance.

Krista shares personal lived experience with fertility treatments, loss, and pregnancy/birth/parenting during the early stages of the pandemic. Stemming from lived experience as a 2020 first-time mother, Krista developed a passion for supporting people, partners, and families facing varied perinatal mental health issues. Krista appreciates the profound transitions throughout the perinatal period, all of which deserve compassionate, timely support toward positive well-being for individuals and families. Krista’s main areas of care include perinatal mental health, anxiety, depression, coping skills, fertility, grief support, self-compassion, parenting, life transitions, and relationship issues. Krista utilizes a flexible, integrative approach to therapy, viewing the client as the expert of their lived experiences, using strategies from humanistic, strengths-based, cognitive-behavioural, experiential, somatic, and Gottman method therapy models.

Krista’s main care areas include perinatal mental health, anxiety, depression, fertility, pregnancy loss, parenting, and relationship issues. Krista utilizes a flexible, integrative approach to therapy, viewing the client as the expert of their lived experiences, using strategies from person-centred, Adlerian therapy, strengths-based, mindfulness, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), and somatic psychotherapy approaches. Krista is completing Gottman Level I & 2 training and completed a comprehensive certificate course in perinatal mental health through Postpartum Support International.

Outside of professional passions, Krista enjoys practicing yoga, spending time with her family, walking the dog, baking, decorating, and cheering on the Toronto Raptors!

AVAILABILITY:

Tuesday & Thursday 10:00-3:00

Wednesday: 10-3pm and 5:30-7:30 pm

Everyother Saturday: 10:00 am -1:00 pm

Virtual Only

Ontario

RATE: $130

Receipts will be issued with Emily Pollak, MSW as a clinical supervisor 

Registered Social Worker (MSW, BSW, RSW)

Taylor’s passion for perinatal wellness evolved through her role as a trained and certified labour and birth doula. She uses her frontline doula experience to shape components of her Social Work practice. Taylor supports people through their perinatal journey, including fertility, pregnancy, birth trauma and postpartum. She has bereavement training through Home Hospice Association and has helped families through infant and pregnancy loss. In addition, Taylor has completed Level 1 and Level 2 EMDR training and Advance Perinatal EMDR and FLASH. 

She displays strong compassion for the development and support of families from all walks of life. Her other care areas include grief and loss, disordered eating, self-esteem and sexuality and gender identity. Taylor is part of the LGBTQ2S+ community.

Taylor completed her Master of Social Work from the University of Toronto and Bachelor of Social work from Wilfred Laurier University. She is a Registered Social Worker and member of the Ontario Association of Social Workers and Postpartum Support International. 

In addition to her work at Maternal Health Niagara, she supports children at her full-time job and volunteers at Heartland Forest.

WAITLIST*

AVAILABILITY: 

Monday 4:30-7:30pm *Virtual

Thursday: 4:45 pm-7:30 pm *In-person & Virtual

Ontario

RATE B

DIRECT BILLING:

Alberta Blue Cross 

Beneva

BPA

Candian Armed Forces (CAF)

Canada Life 

Canada Life - PSHCP 

Canadian Construction Workers Union

Chambers of Commerce (Johnston Group) 

CINUP (Johnston Group) 

Coughlin & Associates Ltd. 

D.A. Townley 

Desjardins Insurance

Equitable Life

First Canadian (Johnston Group) 

Green shield Canada

Industrial Alliance 

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)

Johnston Group 

La Capitale/Beneva 

LiUNA Local 183 

LiUNA Local 506 

Maximum Benefit (Johnston Group) 

Medavie Blue Cross

Medic Construction

People Corporation – Green Shield Canada

Royal Canadian Mounted Police

RWAM 

Simply Benefits

SSQ

TELUS AdjudiCare

Union Benefits 

UV Insurance 

Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC)

Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) 

Tracy is a Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying)  and attended Yorkville University's Masters in Counselling Psychology program. She is an artist and visual art instructor at Brock University. Tracy recognizes therapy as an art and integrates different modalities into her practice. She combines therapeutic approaches such as Polyvagal Theory, Internal Family Systems (IFS), Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), Expressive Art Therapy and EMDR.

She is enthusiastic about connecting with couples to heal areas of their relationship by blending Gottman, Emotionally Focused Therapy and  IFS. Tracy's therapeutic philosophy is that every person makes sense. From this lens, Tracy aims to work collaboratively with clients to better understand, connect with and update the different parts of themselves, both individually and in relationships.  

Tracy's work is grounded in recent neuroscience that understands the body, brain, and nervous system's capacity to change over time and at any time in the lifespan. She works from a relational & nervous-system-informed perspective and moves from embodied, creative, and compassionate approaches. 

Across all practices, Tracy aims to work with clients to seek clarity, compassion and solutions while appreciating each individual's strengths and protective parts.  

Tracy is invested in working with neurodivergent parents and believes that making sense of ourselves on a sensory level is just as important as any other framework. Her support includes individuals and families as they navigate ADHD/neurodivergence. 

Tracy has parenting experience as a neurodivergent mother and is a strong advocate for making sense of who you are, not what is wrong with you.

Tracy welcomes individuals, couples and co-parents into her practice. 

When she is not working, Tracy is likely exploring the outdoors with her son, rain or shine. 

AVAILABILITY: 

Wednesday: 11am-2pm

Friday: 3pm-7pm 

Saturday (biweekly): 9am-1pm

In-Person & Virtual

Ontario

Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) INTERN

Supervised by Emily Pollak, MSW, RSW

Dana is a Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) attending Yorkville University’s Masters of Arts in Counselling Psychology program. She is an intern with Maternal Health Niagara under the guidance and mentorship ofinquiry Emily Pollak.

As a mother of two young children, Dana struggled to find the support she needed as a new mother and now makes it a priority to advocate for those who need it. She is particularly passionate about supporting new parents during pregnancy, postpartum, and parenthood. Dana values time with loved ones, music, exercise, and being in nature.

With a previous background in education and a Master of Science in Childhood Education, Dana is passionate about child development, positive communication, co-regulation, and boundaries. She has recently received training from Postpartum Support International (PSI) in Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders: Components of Care and Exposure and Response Prevention Therapy (ERP) for OCD. Dana has done various trainings involving working with parts and developing healthy relationships with self-parts in therapy. She volunteers with PSI as a Peer Mentor and a Support Coordinator.

Dana believes that a secure and authentic relationship with the self empowers relationships to thrive rather than being stuck in survival states. She is keenly interested in cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), narrative therapy, somatic therapy, Internal Family Systems (IFS), attachment theory, and mindfulness/meditation. Dana respects individuals’ cultural, ethnic, spiritual, intergenerational, social, and existential experiences and contexts. She understands the desire to do the work can sometimes come with barriers such as previous trauma, lack of support, and mental health challenges. Working with Dana, you will collaboratively focus on strategies that promote strengths, safety, trust, choice, connection, and responsibility by being seen, heard, and validated.

AVAILABILITY:

Wednesday 9:30 AM-3 PM

Thursday 10 AM-3 PM, 5-7 PM

Friday 10 AM-3 PM

TRAINING:

• Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders: Components of Care with Postpartum Support International (PSI)
• Exposure and Response Prevention Therapy (EXRP) for OCD with the Cognitive Behavior Institute Centre for Education (CBI)
• Working with Parts in Therapy: Different Approaches to Develop Healthy Relationships with Self-parts with Janina Fisher, Les Greenberg, Hubert Hermans

VIRTUAL ONLY 

Ontario

RATE: $100

GENEROUS SLIDING SCALE SPOTS AVAILABLE* Please request at inquiary.