Maija Prakash
Embodied Transformative Therapy
Registered Psychologist of Alberta #5278
(Pronunciation of my name is my-ah, rhyming with papaya. ☺︎ )
1.
Getting
"Unstuck" and taking action
It can feel like we are "stuck" on autopilot causing many areas of our life to feel unsatisfying, stressful, overwhelming. or a sense of burnout. I help people get "unstuck" from symptoms of stress and dysregulation. I help you find what you may need to change, what you may need to let go of, and where you need to grow. I am here to help you explore what your inner wisdom knows needs to change.
2.
Embodying growth and change
As a specialist in somatic therapy, I help clients address traumatic stress reactions by guiding the release of held tension and activation in the body through talk therapy.
When our body and mind both feel more at ease, we are able to participate in life more creatively, engaged, and embodied. We benefit from embodying and finding the shifting energies in your own body.
3.
Callings, Life Changes, & Transformation
A healthy life naturally includes major identity shifts, such as stage of life changes; health, career & relationship changes; grief & loss; and spiritual awakenings. Deeply shifting your identity is sometimes a self-directed choice. At other times, deep changes are forced upon us by our world. By going deep into our Self and exploring our hidden drives, aversions, and subtle callings, we are able to see how our identity may have outgrown our current life. Are you in burnout or are you actually in a liminal phase of change that needs support to emerge?
4.
Understanding your symbolic Self
I help clients embody and understand their drives for change and calls for growth. If you are interested and open to using age-old tools that are catalysts for transformation, I may introduce astrology, myth, and other ancient techniques to help you feel supported as you work through understanding your Self.
I am a therapist, who guides you towards transformation through shadow integration, life callings, addressing painful realities, and supporting the emergence of an authentic Self.
Approach & Specializations
My approach integrates multiple therapy styles:
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Somatic Experiencing Trauma Therapy (Advanced, Post-advanced and Assisting with Beg-Adv SE training)
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Kathy Kain's Touch Skills for Trauma Resolution (modules I & II completed)
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Self Regulation Trauma Therapy (Advanced, Post-advanced somatic therapy for medical trauma, labour & delivery)
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Certified in Intuitive Eating
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Registered as a Psychologist in Alberta in 2019
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Masters of Counselling from City University of Seattle
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Masters of Arts - South Asian Studies (focus on Anthropology) from University of Wisconsin-Madison
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Bachelor of Arts (Classics and Anthropology) University of Alberta
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Formal study of Western Astrology since 2010 with constant skill development
All of my skills sit on a solid understanding of attachment and development.​ In session, I focus on the comfort of my client's nervous system. Therapy is meant to be comfortable, gently productive, and effective in each session.​
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My work integrates psychological methods with meaning-based systems, such as archetypal thinking, narrative identity, symbolic mapping (including astrology for those who request it). Using somatic therapy, I help people embody the growth and changes they seek in their lives.​
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Because I recognize that change work is a deep and slow process, my sessions are 75-minutes long and are either in-person in Edmonton or online.
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I can provide psychological therapeutic treatment to residents of Alberta. I can provide insight-oriented sessions to people around the globe (such as astrological archetype exploration, astrocartography, and somatic body-tracking sessions).
Canadian Foundation for
Trauma Research and Education
About me
I bring warmth and humour to therapy. I am not a silent, nodding therapist; instead, I engage kindly, directly, and candidly. I hope my clients feel engaged and eager to participate. You can expect me to be casual, skilled, straight forward, and effective.
I enjoy creating a confidential, positive, and ethical environment, in which you get to be comfortable and at ease as we work together to help uncover and discover where you feel stuck, what is needing to grow and how to embody these changes.
On a personal side, I have had a life with broad experiences and much open-mindedness. I was raised in a complicated household, have lived in multiple countries, and have co-created a functional, multiracial family.
I heartily embrace the creativity of each person and their consensual choices.
I look forward to meeting you.
Embodied Transformation
Getting "unstuck" in all areas of your life feels so freeing.
Our work begins where coping ends.
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I work with clients:
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when their old identity no longer fits and a deeper calling is emerging,
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who are drawn to inner change, not only symptom management,
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who are willing to explore the realities of a fully-lived life (love, loss, regret, joy, moments of Awe, etc.),
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who understand that all people are meant to transform, grow and change and these changes often stem from feeling uncomfortable,
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who have a willingness to shed familiar patterns, and
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who want to do therapeutic work in an authentic and direct way (as opposed to wanting validation and cheerleading).​​
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If you are looking for regular support to cope or stabilize, I'll happily refer you to clinicians who excel in that work. I believe all needs are valid—sometimes support and relief are exactly what’s needed. My work simply serves a different phase of the journey: the phase where you’re ready to step into who you are becoming.
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In therapy with me, we typically:
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talk about whatever you want to talk about, though I may offer suggestions based on my training and experience,
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explore and practice a variety of tools and techniques that support you reflecting, developing insight, exploring boundaries, finding your authoritative voice, making choices and how to best implement them,
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have 75-minute sessions that cost $250 per session. My rates are in line with the recommended fee, as decided by the Psychological Association of Alberta. Click here for recommended fees,
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have in-person or virtual sessions on Monday, Wednesday, & Thursday with some evenings available.
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* I can provide psychological therapeutic treatment to residents of Alberta.
** I can provide insight-oriented sessions to people around the globe (such as astrological archetype exploration, locational and astrocartography exploration and body-tracking sessions).
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Reach out to me if you are experiencing:
1.
A feeling that you are not living the life you feel is inside yourself
2.
You intuitively know that something has to change
3.
You are feeling emotionally numb, dysregulated, lost or reactive
4.
Your body is telling you that something is not working
5.
A deep craving for a more meaningful, enriching, and engaged life