Starting this blog is quite an exciting yet an extremely nerve-racking adventure for me. Exciting because I have spent the last week learning:

How to set up a blog

How to use SEO keywords

And most importantly, overcoming my own insecurity of doing something that might draw attention to me. 

Those close to me know that I typically tend to steer away from anything that would put me in the spotlight, so deciding to start to write this blog post has given me a serious case of the jitters. That being said, as I often tell my clients, growth never happens inside of our comfort zones, so this is me practicing what I preach. After all, we all experience fear and none of us are immune to feeling insecure. So here goes!

Let's start off with a little bit about me: My name is Sarah and I am a South Asian, Muslim-identified female Psychotherapist. My family immigrated to Canada 20 years ago, I'm the youngest of 3 siblings, and I completed all of my schooling at the University of Toronto. As life would have it, I also currently work as a psychotherapist at the University of Toronto. 

I am also the co-founder of a private psychotherapy clinic, WellNest, located in downtown Toronto. Zainib and I started this clinic because we felt there was a huge gap in diverse representation in the field of psychotherapy. So, in 2018 we took the plunge and dove head first into starting our private practices, cautiously hoping to just make rent for one tiny room across the Eaton Center. Fast forward to 2020 and our team has grown from just the two of us to 14 therapists and, I’m happy to say, continues to grow.

I often get asked – “How do you do it?” Work a full-time job at the University and manage a clinic with my partner. The answer is, I do it but I don't do it. I make mistakes, forget things often and feel exhausted on most days. Yet the rewarding work keeps me going and, truth be told, there’s no better feeling than having full autonomy over your job. To top it off, being able to practice in our beautiful calming space, makes me going back for more (I may be biased but you can decide for yourself - check out some pictures of our space )

So if you are this busy, you might ask, why in God’s green earth are you starting a blog? 

“When one teaches, two learn” -Robert Heinlein 

The reason I've started this blog is to be able to provide free information that will help you advance towards your wellness goals. I will discuss a wide array of topics such as 

• common myths
• anxiety 
• depression
• loneliness
• self-esteem
• stress
• insomnia
• problematic eating
• substance-related harms
• relationship concerns

And of course, the "gold standard" of psychotherapy treatment - Cognitive Behavior Therapy.

Additionally, I will also include free worksheets, recommend books and stress-reducing items that have shown to be effective for clients as well as myself. 

Selfishly, I also know committing to posting scientifically proven content for this blog will hold me accountable to be on top of emerging research. 

Learning is a two-way street, so if you have any questions/comments/topics you would like to learn about, please leave them below and I will ALWAYS get back to you. To keep up-to-date with the blog posts, add your name to the form below.

That’s enough of me for now, so I will wrap up my first post with a heart full of gratitude for all that I have in my life, for your time and for all my clients who have allowed me the opportunity to make a difference in their lives. 

A final shout out to the big guy - all praises be to Him, the Most Merciful.

Until next time,