Alyia Chan-Sayied
Alyia Chan-Sayied, MSW
Registered Social Worker/Psychotherapist
Specialties: Relationships, trauma, culture and race, navigating life changes like separation and divorce.
Clients like: I’m authentic and relatable. It feels like you’re talking to a friend who’s been through what you’ve been through.
Modalities: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Narrative Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, trauma-informed, anti-racist, anti-oppressive
Availability: Virtual
Schedule: Days, evenings, weekends
Languages spoken: English
More About Me
Hi, I’m Alyia. I specialize in working with people who want to learn about their generational patterns so that they can create better relationships and a better future for themselves and their families. I especially love working with people who are just like me - people who have grown up between 2 cultures, who are racialized, and who want to learn about their generational patterns so that they can create better relationships and a better future for themselves and their families.
You might feel like you’ve achieved everything you thought you were supposed to at this point in your life - maybe you went to school, got married, built a career, had some kids - and now what? Sometimes it feels like you were asleep the last few years and all of a sudden you are looking around and you’ve lost yourself, or don’t know who you were to begin with. Or maybe you feel like you’re doing all the “right” things, but you’re still not where you want to be in life.
If your parents are immigrants there’s a good chance things like mental health weren’t talked about in your family, and maybe there were a lot of assumptions about the way you’re supposed to live.
I know that these feelings and experiences didn’t start with you. We carry both the strengths and the challenges of our histories with us. Understanding those challenges and accessing those strengths are the keys to finding fulfilment, peace, and achieving your goals.
I am trained in traditional therapies and experienced enough to know their limits when it comes to understanding the realities of being a woman or person of colour in our world.
I have my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Social Work as well as advanced training in psychotherapies, behavioral therapies and trauma informed therapy. My past clients will tell you I am skilled at creating warm, open and non-judgmental spaces where clients can increase their self-awareness and receive support and tools to achieve personal and relational growth. I am passionate about supporting racialized individuals that want to take the step towards naming and healing trauma.
Education & Certifications
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Master of Social Work, York University, 2014
Bachelor of Social Work, Ryerson University, 2013
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Non- Violent Crisis Intervention and Prevention | Crisis Prevention Institute 2020
Dialectical Behavioural Therapy l Psychwire 2020
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy I Psychwire 2019
Motivational Interviewing Strategies l George Brown College 2017
Applied Suicide Intervention Training l Living Works 2015
Healthy Campus Ambassador l George Brown Campus 2015
Mental Health First Aid l George Brown College 2015
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy | University of Toronto 2015
Human Response to Trauma & Working with Traumatized Individuals l Toronto Public Health 2013
Occupational Stress: Vicarious Trauma Individuals | Toronto Public Health 2012
Crisis Counselling | Toronto Rape Crisis Centre 2010
