About Me
Professional Background
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Linda has extensive experience supporting individuals navigating depression, anxiety, and other mental health challenges. Her career spans work in community and employee assistance programs, where she provided psychotherapy and supervised numerous social workers and psychotherapists. She has supported people from diverse backgrounds, ages, and cultural experiences, tailoring her approach to meet their unique needs.
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In recent years, Linda has focused on end-of-life issues, including illness, dying, and death. She has volunteered at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and Kensington Hospice, offering compassionate care to individuals in their final weeks and months. Her credentials include completing the yearlong Foundations of Contemplative Care training with the New York Zen Centre for Contemplative Care and earning certifications in Thanatology and Palliative Care. Linda has provided home hospice care, taught the 30-hour HPCO (Hospice Palliative Care Ontario) training course in York Region, and worked as a residential social worker at Bethell Hospice, supporting individuals and their families during the final 21 days of life.
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Linda frequently presents at Hospice Palliative Care conferences and symposiums across North America. She is a sought-after guest on podcasts and radio shows discussing how to approach dying well. As a guest lecturer at Emmanuel College, Linda shares her expertise on Buddhism and end-of-life issues. She also hosts Death Cafes (www.deathcafe.com), encouraging open conversations about mortality.
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As a Buddhist Lay Chaplain and registered social worker, Linda has been teaching Buddhist meditation for over 25 years. She co-founded and leads the Awaken in Toronto Vajrayana Buddhist Sangha, offering weekly meditation classes, discussions, and retreats for practitioners at all levels, from beginners to advanced students.
In 2023, Linda introduced Ecotherapy into her practice, providing individual and group sessions. She encourages clients to use nature as a resource for healing, connection, and overall well-being.
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Linda currently works full-time in private practice, offering in-person sessions on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays at the Village Healing Centre in Roncesvalles Village, as well as online sessions on Thursdays and Fridays.
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Her in-person practice is currently full, and she is not accepting new clients for in-person sessions. However, she has limited availability for online sessions focused on issues specifically related to illness, dying, and death, as well as support for caregivers and grief. Linda is particularly passionate about providing therapy and consultation that bridges her interests in Buddhism and end-of-life care.

Social Work and Psychotherapy
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Linda earned a Masters Degree in Social Work (MSW) from the University of Toronto in 1993. She is a Registered Social Worker (RSW) with the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers and her registration number is #807353. She is also a member and has liability insurance with the Ontario Association of Social Workers (OASW). She abides by all policies and standards pertaining to social workers in the province of Ontario.
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Specifically, Linda follows the principles of confidentiality with clients, and only breaches confidentiality if she is concerned that someone is at risk of harm to themselves or to someone else. She respects the neutrality of the therapeutic relationship, and does not get involved with third party requests for diagnoses or prognoses. She adheres to PIPEDA legislation and follows all guidelines for respecting privacy of clinical notes and client personal information.
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Policies
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Linda provides a confidential cellphone number and email address to clients to be used for booking appointments. She encourages clients to book appointments at the session, and she is available to reschedule between sessions.
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Each session is generally 50 minutes for psychotherapy, A session begins at the time of the booked appointment, not when the client arrives, in case of lateness. Payment of fees and scheduling the next appointment occurs briefly immediately after this.
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Hourly fee for all psychotherapy services, including Ecotherapy Walk-n-Talks, is $160 (no HST) for each 50 minute session.
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She allows for cancelling of sessions, without penalty, provided more than 24 hours notice is provided. Cancellations with less than 24 hours notice require full payment.
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There are numerous accepted forms of payment: Cash, Cheque, Visa, Mastercard, and Etransfer. Etransfer is the preferred method. Full payment must be paid within 24 hours of the session. A receipt is provided following payment.
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Note: Many insurance plans cover these services under psychological services with a registered social worker. It is the individual’s responsibility to check with their company (Human Resources Department) to determine whether these services are covered for them or not.