Jennifer Taborek, MSW RSW

Do you find yourself repeating the same patterns over and over again in your close relationships?

So many of us, including myself, have found ourselves reliving a relationship script that we likely learned in our early familial relationships. I know that even when you are insightful and self-aware it can be nearly impossible to break out of these patterns that can leave you feeling alone and unloved.  Growing up, I had a hard time understanding the root of my big feelings. Pushing people away, instead of letting them into my internal world and struggles, felt easier and safer. As a client in therapy myself, I learned the powerful ways that a solid therapeutic alliance can help to rewrite old patterns that alienate us from our loved ones. I truly believe deepening and strengthening our close relationships and building community is the most fundamental way to improve our happiness and fulfillment in a world that often makes us feel like we’re meant to do everything on our own. 

I’ve worked as a social worker for the past decade in various settings, from women's shelters, to community non-profits, and hospitals. During that time I’ve worked as a counsellor for survivors of violence, as well as supported individuals and families through end of life and grief. What my work in these diverse settings made me understand better was that people from all kinds of lived experiences share the same need for deep, safe, attachment bonds in order to thrive. I was driven to become a therapist to support clients in their journey to attain a deeper self understanding and re-write their old relationship scripts in the pursuit of connection.

Why Work with me

In therapy we’ll work together to build and strengthen the bonds that are core to our wellbeing as social creatures. My background as a social worker means that I see people as complex individuals living in a unique social context. I draw from evidence-based theories and interventions like EFT and attachment theory in order to uncover patterns and cycles that are impacting your close relationships and everyday experiences.

• Clients who come to see me may be: 

• Struggling to form or maintain close relationships and not sure why

• Repeating patterns of conflict in their intimate relationships

• Experiencing big feelings they aren’t sure how to manage

• Feeling isolated or lonely

• High achieving individuals experiencing anxiety, stress and burnout

• Going through major life transitions

What to Expect

We will slow down. The world we live in moves at lightning speed and boils things down into soundbites. Therapy will be about slowing down to tune into the cues you might be missing from your body and your nervous system. When we take our time, we can pick up on what our emotions are trying to tell us about our unmet needs.

I work in a way that centers you as the expert on your own experiences. I don’t like to use jargon because therapy isn’t about “therapy speak”, it's an alive experience between human beings. In therapy we will go beyond analyzing your experiences and build a therapeutic alliance. We will learn tools to integrate thought, behaviour and emotion for long lasting change.

Beyond the Couch: Personal Highlights

• I’m happiest when the weather is warm and I can be outside in nature and taking a swim

• I love writing poetry and short stories as a creative outlet

• Music and dancing (badly) are my favourite form of stress relief 

• Most days you’ll find me walking my rescue dog, Juno and grabbing a fresh croissant