Lina Maria Perez C
Safe Haven Counselling
"The Struggle for Healing is a Struggle for Empowerment"
Judith Herman
What brings us to therapy
Sometimes, life can start to feel heavy and difficult to navigate in ways that are hard to explain.
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You might notice certain emotions arising more intensely, becoming difficult to manage, or affecting how you relate to yourself, those you love, and the people you interact with daily.
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Perhaps you are going through a transition—a loss, a separation, a migration, or an unexpected internal or external change—and find yourself trying to make sense of what you are feeling or experiencing.
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You may feel tired of repeating patterns that no longer fit who you are today and are seeking a clearer, kinder, and more authentic way of living your relationships and your life.
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Past experiences may still be influencing your present, sometimes in ways that are hard to identify, showing up in dynamics, relationships, or sensations that need support to be reinterpreted and integrated.
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This space is also for giving context to what you are experiencing: we often overlook how cultural, social, economic, or political factors impact our mental health. When we migrate, these factors can feel even more intense—new structures of power, language changes, broken support networks, invisible grief, and challenges that are hard to name but deeply affect us.
If you recognize yourself in any of these experiences, this is a space to explore, understand, and receive support for what is asking for your attention today.
Meet Lina Maria
B.Psych., MA (ClinicalPsych), MA (Peace & Conflict), Certified Canadian Counsellor (CCC), Certified EMDR Therapist
I place listening at the very center of the therapeutic encounter. I see the therapeutic relationship as the heart of the healing process, because I firmly believe that the experience of being truly heard is the foundation of emotional healing and the integration of our human processes. I approach psychotherapy from a biopsychospiritual understanding of the person—recognizing that our inner world is continually shaped and influenced by the social contexts we move through.
From this perspective, I weave together Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and logotherapy. EMDR helps to gently relieve and integrate the distress held in memories that have shaped the colour and texture of our lived experience. Logotherapy helps restore the connection between suffering, values, meaning, and one’s sense of purpose.
I also draw on approaches such as art therapy and somatic psychology to honour the many languages through which human beings express themselves and carve their own pathways toward integration.
With dual master’s degrees in Clinical Psychology and Peace and Conflict Studies, and as a Canadian Certified Counsellor (C.C.C.), I am deeply committed to creating a safe, compassionate, and supportive environment where healing and transformation can unfold with dignity and intention.
My Approach
My practice is grounded in a compassionate, gender-sensitive, and culturally inclusive framework that acknowledges how gender, race, migration, and cultural identity shape mental health and well-being. I offer trauma-informed services that prioritize understanding the reason you come to therapy through the lens of your own biography. Your history, context, and lived experience guide the pace, the interventions, and the therapeutic direction. It is within your story where answers, meaning, and possible pathways already live.
My approach also recognizes the deep connection between mind and body, understanding that personal challenges and trauma often manifest both physically and emotionally. I aim to create a safe space where you can reconnect with your body, understand its signals, and use this awareness as a foundation for healing. By nurturing the mind-body connection, we can explore new ways to regulate emotions, build resilience, and restore balance in our daily lives. My therapeutic work seeks to expand your capacity to hold the full range of human emotional and existential experiences.
Additionally, I integrate a decolonized therapeutic perspective, which means acknowledging how systems of power—such as racism, migration policies, gendered expectations, among others—shape our experiences, our relationships, and even the way we understand ourselves. From this perspective, therapy does not place the “problem” inside you, but understands your emotional world within the realities you are navigating. A decolonized approach honours your story, validates the complexity of your experience, and supports you in reclaiming your agency, voice, and authenticity.
Together, we will navigate the challenges and transitions you are facing, uncovering pathways toward resilience, growth, and meaningful connection.
Who I Work With and How I Can Support You
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LGTBIQA+ Individuals
For LGBTQIA+ individuals, I offer a space to affirm identity, process experiences of discrimination, and explore how systemic and personal challenges affect well-being. This work emphasizes cultivating self-acceptance and empowerment to create a life aligned with your values.
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Men
I also work with men who want to move beyond the barriers of a masculinity that confines them, and who wish to create safe relationships and spaces that foster vulnerability and emotional expression. My focus is on supporting them in building relationships grounded in equity and mutual respect, and in cultivating a healthier and more authentic emotional life.
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Women
I love supporting women in connecting with their emotions, values, and inner strength so they can reclaim their rights, find their voice, and fully embrace their freedoms. Together, we will explore how to live with authenticity, transform pain into resilience, and build relationships that are equal, fair, joyful, and meaningful.
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Immigrants
Additionally, I provide support to immigrants as they navigate the complexities of grief and loss that often accompany migration. Together, we will reframe these experiences, fostering a sense of belonging while uncovering meaning and resilience throughout their journeys.
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Guiding You Through Healing and Life’s Transitions
I work with all clients—regardless of gender or the reason for their consultation—on emotional issues such as trauma, PTSD, anxiety, depression, grief, relationship challenges, personality issues and disorders, substance abuse, and life transitions. My compassionate and empowering approach provides a safe space for healing, self-discovery, connection, and growth.
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Partnering with You to Build Resilience and Uncover Solutions
I believe counselling is a collaborative process in which you and I work together to explore your challenges and uncover solutions that resonate with you. I believe in a partnership where your unique perspective is valued, and together, we create a space for personal growth, healing, and resilience.
My Services
Online Therapy
Online therapy offers the possibility to receive support in your own language, wherever you are.
For many Spanish-speaking clients living abroad, this space becomes a place of understanding, connection, and emotional safety.
Meeting online allows for greater flexibility with schedules and the opportunity to attend sessions from places where you feel comfortable and safe.
🌎 Available online across Canada, the United States, Europe, and Australia.
🇨🇦 In Canada, sessions are covered by most private insurance plans.
For Clients Living in Canada:
- 130 CAD per 60-minute session
For Clients Living Outside Canada:
- 90 USD per 60-minute session
15 Minutes Free Consultation
This 15-minute space is a brief and general conversation designed to give you a sense of what you can expect from a therapeutic process with me: my approach, methodology, and way of accompanying you. It will also be a moment for you to share, in a very general way, what brings you to therapy, so you can sense whether you would like to continue working with me. To honour your experience, I want you to know that your full story deserves more time, and we reserve that for regular sessions.
Education
2007-2011
Psychologist
Universidad de La Sabana - Colombia
- I specialized in clinical practice and social psychology, emphasizing qualitative research and humanistic approaches. My thesis, Psychosocial Approach to Suicide as a Public Health Issue, was published in Aula Psicológica: Approaches of Social Psychology to Current Debates in Human Sciences (2016), reflecting my commitment to advancing mental health as a public health priority.
2011-2013
Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology
Specialization in Logotherapy and Existential Analysis
Universidad del Norte, Colombia
- In this program, I deepened my expertise in addressing personality disorders and addictions, with a strong focus on helping individuals find purpose and resilience through a humanistic lens. My thesis, Differences in Life Purpose Between Students Choosing Technical and Professional Careers, explored how career choices are shaped by existential values, offering insights into how personal meaning and direction influence life decisions and contribute to overall well-being.
2022-2024
Master of Arts in Peace and Conflict Studies
University of Manitoba, Canada
- In this program, my focus was on gender-based violence and its intersections with conflict. I explored creative and holistic approaches to healing and empowering survivors while advocating for the inclusion of marginalized voices in peacebuilding efforts. My research highlighted the importance of intersectionality in addressing the unique experiences of Indigenous, Black, Peasant women, and LGBTQIA+ individuals within peace and conflict contexts. - This academic path earned me two prestigious scholarships: the Kanee Mauro Scholars Fellowship and the International Graduate Student Entrance Scholarship.
2023-2024
Certified EMDR Therapist
EMDR America Latina
- I have completed advanced training in working with personality disorders and their associations, managing highly dysregulated clients, and integrating EMDR with neuroscience. This specialized training allows me to apply EMDR techniques to effectively treat trauma, dissociation, and emotional dysregulation, helping clients achieve greater emotional stability and healing.
Contact Me
Your Emotional Healing Starts Here
Opening Hours
Mon - Thur
Friday
8:00 am – 4:00 pm
8:00 am – 2:00 pm
Member in good standing with
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