Ziad Elshafei
MA, Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) (CRPO #19962)
Client Focus: Adults, Adolescents (16+), Couples, Families, Athletes, First Responders
Modalities: Family Therapy, Couples Counselling, Somatic, CBT
Common Concerns: Anxiety and Stress, Depression, Relationship Difficulties, Self-Esteem, Life Transitions, Workplace Difficulties, Grief and Bereavement, Athlete Burnout
Areas of Practice: Trauma and PTSD, ADHD, Relationship Difficulties
I come from a family of healers, and I think of my work as a bridge between what I learned early on through Eastern philosophy and what I later trained in through Western psychology. I have always been drawn to the relationship between body and mind, long before I had the language for it. My background started in kinesiology, studying how the body moves and holds stress, which naturally pulled me toward a bigger question: how our bodies carry what our minds have not yet processed. That curiosity led me into somatic trauma training and eventually a Master's in Counselling Psychology.
As a multilingual immigrant, I have lived the experience of feeling caught between cultures and identities, sometimes fluent, sometimes lost in translation, in more ways than language. That in-between space taught me a great deal about resilience and what it takes to feel grounded when the ground keeps shifting. It is part of why I am drawn to working with athletes, executives, and high-functioning people who are often holding it together while quietly negotiating pressure, identity, and change beneath the surface. High performers frequently live in their heads, and part of my work is bringing the body back into the conversation, because sustainable performance and genuine well-being both depend on it. I bring a culturally attuned, trauma-informed lens to this work, one that resonates with clients balancing several worlds at once, whether cultural, professional, or personal.
With a background in kinesiology, training in somatic trauma work, and a Master's in Counselling Psychology, I help clients move through anxiety, depression, life transitions, and past trauma using both evidence-based tools and body-based awareness. My approach draws from CBT, Emotion Focused Therapy, somatic, and interpersonal therapies, adapted to the pace and pressure of high-performance environments. Many of the people I support are intellectually aware that something is off, whether it is burnout, anxiety, a difficult transition, or the weight of holding it all together, but unsure how to actually process it in a way that creates real change.
The first thing I try to offer is the dismantling of urgency toward changing the self. So many of the people I work with arrive already in fix-it mode, wanting to identify the problem and resolve it as quickly and efficiently as they would approach any other high-stakes goal. Part of the work from the very first session is slowing that down, because change does not happen faster when we push harder against ourselves, and a lot of what keeps people stuck is the pressure to have already changed. A first session is less about diving into everything at once and more about getting oriented, together, without an agenda to fix anything yet. I want to understand what is bringing you in, what is already working, and what has not. We will talk through your history and current life, and I am also paying attention to how you are holding things in your body, not just what you are saying. My goal is for you to leave that first session feeling genuinely heard, with a shared sense of direction for the work ahead, not a to-do list for who you are supposed to become.
I wish more people knew that this work is not only for when things fall apart. Much of what I do with high performers is proactive: building the internal resources to sustain performance, process pressure in real time, and stay connected to yourself even when the external demands are high. The body is usually part of the answer, not just the mind, and lasting change tends to happen when we integrate both. As a Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) working under clinical supervision, I strive to be a true witness to my clients' journeys, creating a space of safety, understanding, and growth beneath the surface of achievement. If you are looking for a therapist who sees you holistically, in mind, body, and spirit, I would be honoured to support you.
Performance Interests: Outside the therapy room, movement has always been central to how I stay grounded. I grew up as a competitive swimmer and water polo player, spent time teaching kickboxing, and currently practice Animal Flow, a form of bodily expression that keeps me connected to strength, play, and presence. The ocean remains where I feel most at home, and I regularly travel to the Red Sea to dive, drawn to the same sense of depth, quiet, and immersion I try to help my clients find within themselves.
