Hi, I’m Naomi Reesor.
Thank you for taking the time to learn a bit more about me! I am a Registered Psychotherapist and member of the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO). I completed my training at the University of Toronto in the Ontario Institute for Studies of Education. I have now been working in the mental health field for the last nine years in various capacities, including crisis counsellor, case management for underhoused individuals, and now providing psychotherapy.
I move through the world as a queer, fat, cis-woman and white settler. My various identities inform my practice, and my values are rooted in anti-racism, intersectional feminism, body liberation, and harm reduction.
In my spare time I love getting out in nature, running, and going to local drag shows. I also have a rambunctious dog that you may notice in the background of my telehealth sessions.
Experience & Education
I began my journey towards practicing psychotherapy by completing my Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in Psychology at Carleton University. While there, I worked with Dr. Patrick Hill in the the PATH Lab and conducted research on the impact of socialized gender roles on purpose in life and well-being amongst retired seniors. Through this experience I had the honour of interviewing participants and hearing their stories, which began shifting my curiosity towards therapeutic work. During this time, I algo began volunteering as a crisis counsellor with the Ottawa Rape Crisis Centre, where I was introduced to Feminist therapy and felt inspired to learn that my values had a meaningful place in the world of counselling.
After graduating in 2016, I moved from Ottawa to Toronto to pursue my Masters of Education in Counselling Psychology at the University of Toronto. While completing my degree, I had the opportunity to internship at Church Wellesley Counselling and Psychotherapy, a private practice connected to a multidisciplinary health team that specializes in health care for the LGBTQIA+ community. Meanwhile I also began working frontline in the shelter system with Homes First Society. While my internship helped me develop my clinical skills, my time spent in the shelter system deepened my values of harm reduction and trauma-informed care, and provided me with a fuller understanding of deeply rooted systemic impacts on mental health.
Upon completing my MEd in 2018, I gained experience as a Crisis Worker with the Gerstein Crisis Centre where I further developed my skills in risk assessment and crisis intervention. I also began to explore working in private practice, and eventually became connected with The Compassion Project, a group practice focused on creating safer spaces through compassion and political action. While working as a Registered Psychotherapist here, I met so many wonderful clients and began to authentically understand the type of therapy I wanted to provide to others. With encouragement from my mentors and peers, I opened my own practice in 2023! It really has been a labour of love, and I feel deep gratitude for all of the mentors and experiences that helped this space come into existence - a space that I now get to share with you today.
