Student Therapist

M.A. (IP), B.Sc.

About

Aliha brings a wide range of experience supporting individuals through mental health concerns substance use, crisis intervention, and justice system involvement, Her professional background in counselling and case management, particularly supporting women and families navigating complex systems, shapes her deep understanding of trauma, resilience, and adaptability. Coming from a Muslim Pakistani background, she integrates a strong awareness of culture, identity and belonging into her work, recognizing how these intersecting factors shape lived experiences.

Her approach is collaborative, non-judgemental, and grounded in harm reduction. She views therapy as a space to explore challenges at the client’s pace, focusing on building trust and self-awareness. Aliha aims to help clients leave sessions feeling lighter, validated, and equipped with meaningful, practical tools to move forward with confidence.

Who I Work With

Aliha works with adults navigating stress, anxiety, identity, substance use concerns, and the lasting impacts of past trauma. She frequently supports individuals and women who face multifaceted life circumstances, including systematic barriers, parenting stress, and justice system involvement.

Many clients enter therapy feeling overwhelmed by daily survival, carrying the weight of past adversity, and struggling to imagine a path forward. Aliha’s work focuses on helping clients recognize their internal strengths, cultivate emotional safety, and develop healthy coping mechanisms to navigate life’s complexities and advocate for their needs.

Clinical Framework

Aliha utilizes a trauma-informed, strengths-based, and culturally sensitive framework, tailoring evidence-based modalities to each client’s unique goals:

• CBT & DBT: To provide actionable skills for cognitive restructuring, emotional regulation, and distress tolerance.

• Solution-Focused Therapy: o identify existing inner strengths and work toward practical, client-defined goals.

• Narrative Therapy: To externalize and reconstruct unhelpful life stories and core beliefs.

• Psychodynamic Therapy: To explore relational patterns, unconscious processes, and the influence of past experiences on current functioning.

• Attachment-Focused Therapy: To understand how early relationships impact your current sense of security and connection.