Author: Danforth East Wellness

New Happenings!

Danforth East Wellness Leave a comment

It’s been a while since we’ve put out a newsletter, and there have been enough happenings recently to warrant one!

Our wonderful psychotherapist Kevin Sparks will be shifting to only virtual sessions at the start of June. We are very happy to have him with us in the clinic but will definitely miss his calm and lovely presence in person!

We are expanding our psychotherapy team! Since the last update we’ve had Fatima Patel and Alexis Silverman join us, and Jessica Lindsey-Luckett will be starting on May 4, 2025. Fatima works virtually, and is comfortable working with children and youth in addition to adults. She uses EMDR to support her process, in addition to other modalities. Alexis works both in-person and virtually, and as requested, can utilitze Matrix Reimprinting to support clients. Jessica is an expressive arts therapist-in-training, and welcomes children and youth into her practice as well. She is open to both in-person and virtual sessions. Her practice combines the arts (no experience necessary!) within her therapy sessions.

Our final addition to the clinic is a new modality – osteopathy! We are so very excited to welcome Etsuko (sounds like ‘let’s go’) Shibamoto to the practice as of Tuesday April 22. She will be working Tuesdays 2-7, and we think her skills will be a great complement for our current manual practitioners. Her treatments are gentle, centering, de-stressing, and add mobility into the body. We can’t wait for you to try a session with her!

Please check on all of the new bios for more information on our gifted new additions to the clinic!

Keep well until we see you next!

The Danforth Wellness Team

Kate Sissons, headshot

Lactation and Infant Services and Prenatal Classes are coming to Danforth East Wellness!

Danforth East Wellness Leave a comment

Danforth East Wellness is extremely excited to introduce new services to the clinic! Kate Sissons (she/her) will be joining us at the end of August. She is an IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant) and will be providing lactation and infant feeding services as well as prenatal classes. Learning to feed a baby is a steep curve that involves acquiring a multitude of new skills. Kate’s sessions will help you feel more comfortable in your positioning, more confident in your technique and more informed about up to date information on infant feeding. There are four different types of lactation and infant feeding sessions available. They include Chest and Breastfeeding Support, Pumping Support, Bottle Feeding Support, and Solid Food Introduction. The initial session duration is usually 1hr and 15mins, and subsequent appointments are either 30mins or 60 mins long. 


Prenatal classes will run approximately once per month, and can be in private or semi-private formats. There are three different modules with topics such as Birth Preparation, Baby and Postpartum Preparation, and Infant Feeding Preparation. In Birth Preparation sessions the topics that will be covered include: possible and sure signs of labour, anatomy and physiology of birth, the emotional and psychological elements of birth, comfort measures for birth, medical support measures, and, inductions, augmentations & surgical births. In Postpartum & Baby Preparation sessions the topics that will be covered include: what to expect immediately after baby is born, what to expect from days 1-3, bathing, diapering and soothing your baby, feeding your baby – breast/chest, bottle and pumping, safe infant sleep, and, preparing for your postpartum recovery.

Kate is also a doula and yoga instructor, and, a trained primary school teacher. She lives near the clinic with her partner and three young children. When she’s not working with or talking about babies – or chasing after her own children, she can be found in a yoga, Pilates or barre class, or drinking smoothies or tea with friends.

We are so lucky to have Kate joining our team! Feel free to email her directly at kate.sissons@danfortheastwellness.ca for any questions or further information. 

The Danforth Wellness Team

Danielle Adler, Danforth East Wellness staff4

Welcoming Danielle Adler to the psychotherapy team!

Danforth East Wellness Leave a comment

We are so excited to be welcoming Danielle Adler (she/her) to our psychotherapy team! She will be accepting clients in September on-line, and will have some in-person sessions available beginning October.

Danielle is primarily a relational therapist although her approach is informed by Gestalt Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Internal Family Systems Therapy, and Emotionally-Focused Therapy. Her focus is on couples, parenting, and individuals confronting challenges in a relationship with a partner, child or parent. These primary connections in our lives can be both demanding and fulfilling. It is frequently those closest to us who evoke our most intense emotional responses. A session for couples, or two people in relationship, can include intimate partners, parent/child, co-parents, and siblings. Danielle’s work with clients is grounded in empathy, compassion and practicality, with a view to creating meaningful, connected relationships.

As a mother of two teens and in marriage for over 20 years she has a lot of personal experience with many stages of life. She admits that her marriage has been a rollercoaster, and the outcome of challenging, meaningful work with her husband has been very rewarding. 

Danielle connects and de-stresses through volunteer work and teaching morning fitness classes, and in a previous life, Danielle was admitted to the Bar of Ontario.

We think that Danielle will be a wonderful member of our team and we are looking forward to working with her, and having her work at the clinic! You can book a 15 minute free discovery call with her by emailing her at Danielle@danfortheastwellness.ca

The Danforth East Wellness Team

Masks are a Conversation at the Clinic

Masking is a Conversation at the Clinic

Danforth East Wellness Leave a comment

Masking is a conversation at the clinic, which means that choices on masking are respected in the clinic. Some of our practitioners wish to remain masked, and also wish their patients to remain masked. Some of our practitioners are fine with being unmasked with their patients also unmasked. Please respect the wishes of your healthcare practitioner, as we respect yours.

We can accommodate you through a variety of arrangements if you have requirements for full masking. These could be as simple as placing you in the first visit of the day, or having treatments in a room that has not been used that day. Let us know if this is something that is needed.

Of course, as always, please mask if you have had recent gastrointestinal symptoms, respiratory symptoms, or fever, within 48 hours of an appointment, or if you have had close contact with a person with a communicable disease.

If you are uncomfortable with these changes let us know and we will work with you and endeavour to make you feel safe in our clinic.

Danforth East Wellness, Kevin Sparks

Continuing to Expand Our Psychotherapy Team with Kevin Sparks!

Danforth East Wellness Leave a comment

Our psychotherapy team is continuing to expand with the addition of Kevin Sparks! He is psychotherapist in training at the Gestalt Institute of Toronto. In his therapy practice, he encourages his clients to focus on what comes up moment to moment, providing support for his clients to share their story and creating a safe place to explore.

Kevin brings a unique perspective in his therapeutic approach, informed by his work in supporting individuals with physical and developmental differences, children and youth, and families processing life transitions, challenging emotions and traumatic experiences. A variety of art forms are used in his work including drama, visualization and storytelling to encourage self exploration and healing. 

Kevin works with a diverse population of individuals, both in person and online.

Book in a free consultation with him at kevin@danfortheastwellness.ca to see how you might be able to work together to achieve your therapeutic goals!

Saral Martel, Psychotherapist

Welcoming Sara Martel to the psychotherapy team!

Danforth East Wellness Leave a comment

We are very excited to welcome Sara Martel to the Danforth East Wellness psychotherapy team!

Sara Martel is a Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) who works with individuals, couples, and families struggling with a variety of issues, including anxiety, depression, trauma, relationships, identity, shame, self-acceptance, grief, parenting, post-partum, infertility, and pregnancy loss. Sara approaches therapy as a collaborative relationship, creating an emotionally safe and non-judgmental space for clients to build self-awareness, self-compassion, resilience, and healing. She works primarily through talk-therapy, meaning you can expect sessions to be conversational, while also incorporating techniques such as mindfulness and breath work. Sara draws on a range of modalities, including Relational Therapy, Internal Family Systems, Narrative Therapy, and Psychodynamic Therapy. Above all, she strives to create an anti-oppressive practice, recognizing the social, cultural, and political aspects of who we are and how we relate to one another.

Sara is able to work with clients through a virtual platform, and also has some in-person hours at the clinic if that is preferred. You can set up a short 15 or 20 minute session with her to see if she might be a good fit to help you work through any issues that you may be experiencing.

Let us know if you have any questions, or connect with Sara directly at sara.psychotherapy@danfortheastwellness.ca

C-section image

C-Section Scar Release Therapy

Danforth East Wellness

A C-section (caesarean section) delivery should be treated with extra care! – it is a major abdominal surgery after all. During recovery, the birth parent is encouraged to rest and give the body time to recover.

 During this time, symptoms may include:

• Pain – including local discomfort at the site of the scar, low back pain, hip pain, etc.

• Swelling and/or redness

• Altered sensation at the site of the scar (i.e. loss of feeling, numbness)

• Difficulty engaging the core and connecting to the deeper abdominal muscles (specifically the transverse abdominus)

• Emotional trauma

After about six weeks of natural healing, there are other treatments available to help.

 What is scar release therapy & how does it work?

This treatment involves the use of low level micro-current (electrical impulse) on either side of the c-section scar. MPS (micro-current stimulation) helps to reduce the build up of scar tissue and improves blood flow and circulation to the injured tissue. This can help to:

• Reduce pain levels

• Normalize sensation

• Relax and fade the scar

• Decrease overall stress on the body and nervous system

The number of sessions will depend on the depth and age of the scar as well as how the body is generally responding to the treatment. Most individuals will respond within 3-5 sessions.

At Danforth East Wellness, caesarean scar release therapy treatments are performed by a Chiropractor, which may be covered under your healthcare plan.

Please feel free to reach out to us with any further questions regarding this treatment!

Wonderful Wednesday!

Danforth East Wellness Leave a comment

Sometimes Wednesday can be that ho-hum part of the week, where it seems like it’s taking a long time for the weekend to arrive. This Wednesday June 8, however, is WONDERFUL! Dr. Elisa Petricca is returning to practice after her maternity leave. She is one of our chiropractors, and also does acupuncture. Also, Anton Komar will be joining the practice, and will be offering Japanese Shiatsu Therapy. This is the first time the clinic has had the opportunity to offer this amazing technique!


In case you were a bit fuzzy on details, Dr. Elisa graduated from CMCC in 2015 and completed the McMaster Contemporary Medical Acupuncture Program. She is also certified in the Webster Technique, specifically used to care for pre-natal patients. Dr. Elisa is a certified Yoga Instructor and believes greatly in movement to help the body heal. She often incorporates yoga based exercises for her patients to take home to help improve the body’s mobility and alleviate tension. Dr. Elisa was involved in competitive dance throughout her childhood and teenage years and understands the demands of physical activity on the body. She encourages her patients to take an active role in their journey towards optimal health. Her goal is to restore function, prevent injury and assist her patients in achieving a healthy, active lifestyle. Now with personal experience being a new parent, she is able to bring even more knowledge and empathy into her work with infants and families.


Anton Komar graduated from the Shiatsu Academy of Tokyo (Toronto) in 2009. He is a Shiatsupractor which is a designation used by those who practice in the traditional Japanese style which was developed by Tokijuro Namikoshi. In Japanese shiatsu, the therapist uses only hands, primarily the thumb, to gently but firmly press various points on the body. This pressure not only stimulates the skin but also the underlying muscles, blood vessels, nerves, endocrine glands and other organs. A shiatsu treatment is often used to relieve muscle stiffness, stress, promote blood and lymph circulation, and to treat a variety of health conditions. Anton is also a passionate musician, gardener, and loves casual sports and other physical activities. He can also be found practicing shiatsu at the luxurious Iwa Spa.
Let’s make your Wednesday a wonderful one with a booking to make your body feel improved and balanced!


See you at the clinic!

Dr. Elisa is returning from maternity leave!

Danforth East Wellness Leave a comment

We are so very pleased to welcome Dr. Elisa back to the clinic after her maternity leave. She will be in the clinic on Wednesdays from 11-4, beginning June 8th. 
Dr. Elisa will be providing chiropractic care and acupuncture (under chiropractic), as well as yoga therapy. Her focus on pre and post-natal care, and that of both parents and newborns and children has only deepened with her recent experience with her own first child. 
She is excited to see familiar faces and meet new ones!

our vaccine policy and you

Our vaccine policy and you

Danforth East Wellness Leave a comment

We thought we’d reach out to everyone just to re-iterate and reassure you that the practitioners and staff at Danforth East Wellness are always considerate of your care and safety. Covid is something we are still navigating even as the province is opening up, and this is just a little reminder of some of the ways we are continuing to ensure the well-being of everyone at the clinic!

In case you didn’t know, we have a vaccine policy at the clinic that states that all practitioners and staff on premises must be fully vaccinated. Everyone (practitioners and staff) is comfortable and happy in sharing their fully vaccinated status. We feel it is important on many levels for us to provide this information to you. We are also clear and transparent about the fact that your vaccination status will not be judged at the clinic and will not affect our care for you in any way or form. 

Masking is still required as always for practitioners, staff and patients. If you do not have a mask on hand we will provide one for you.

All of the procedures we have put in place for the last two years such as disinfection, hand washing and sanitizing, air quality, contact tracing and daily self-screening are still in full effect. They have worked well for us, and we intend to keep doing all of the things we have put in place.

We continually strive to respond to your needs and safety, as we try to keep everyone at the clinic healthy and well. 

Feel free to connect with us if you have any questions or concerns!

Warmly,

The Danforth East Wellness Team