Meet Jessica Cassell, BSW, MSW, RSW- Clinical Specialist
I was born and raised in Toronto and spent most of my life there. Craving a different pace of life and proximity to the ocean I moved to Nova Scotia in 2021 and landed on an old fixer-upper farm property in the country. When I’m not working I can be found reading fantasy novels, trying to learn to garden, rockhounding at the beach or trying to pet all the dogs I can. I have also been on a journey of self discovery since receiving an ADHD diagnosis later in life.
My path to social work can be traced back to my early life. Growing up in communities and a family deeply impacted by poverty, systemic oppression, and generational trauma, I became acutely aware of human suffering at a young age. This awareness sparked my lifelong passion to understand suffering and help alleviate it at both the individual and the collective levels, ultimately leading me to pursue social work and activism. I attended Ryerson University (now called Toronto Metropolitan University) and received my Bachelor of Social Work in 2013 and my Master of Social Work in 2014. I went on to work in the domestic violence sector as well as the community mental health field before founding this practice.
I help people process their emotional pain and get unstuck from unhelpful patterns using a non-pathologizing lens that views the symptoms that bring people to therapy as adaptations to stressors and pressures they have faced. My work is also rooted in social justice and anti-oppression, informed by an understanding that our mental health is impacted by things like capitalism, imperialism, colonialism, oppression and discrimination based on sexuality, gender, race and ethnicity, and ability. Situating our struggles in the context of our life experiences and these broader social and economic forces opens the door to self compassion and healing.
My approach is collaborative, relational and warm. I bring my authentic self to the work so that my clients feel safe to be their authentic selves. In our work together you can rage, cry, curse, and crack jokes without fear of judgment and I’ll be right there with you. I strive to create a space where you can be yourself and explore the root causes of your struggles with curiosity and compassion. If you’re ready to embark on a path of self discovery and healing, get in touch to schedule a complementary consultation or book your first session.
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Specializations
I work with a number of issues in therapy, including:
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Trauma
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Difficulty with feeling, expressing or coping with emotions
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Low self esteem
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Perfectionism
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Navigating relationships and boundaries
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Life transitions
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Accepting yourself with ADHD or chronic illness
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Anxiety and depression
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Life dissatisfaction, lack of meaning or purpose
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Anxiety, despair or hopelessness around environmental crises or social injustices
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Addiction and substance use
I am particularly passionate about helping people heal from dysfunctional, neglectful and abusive upbringings. Many of my clients struggle with a profound sense of shame and have developed coping patterns to escape their pain that are no longer serving them (this is often called cPTSD, complex trauma or attachment trauma).
​​I am also interested in working with people who are analytical and self-aware but still stuck in unwanted patterns. Many of my clients have found standard talk therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to be ineffective for them. I am informed by current research in neuroscience and attachment theory, and draw from bottom up and experiential therapies like Emotion-Focused Therapy, Internal Family Systems, Somatic approaches and Brainspotting. These therapies go beyond talking about and analyzing your challenges and allow for deeper emotional processing, getting to the root and achieving inner transformation.