Zinah Al-Saffar MC.
Registered Psychologist
EMDR Therapist
Alberta, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Quebec
EMDR Therapist
Alberta, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Quebec
My Bio
I am a Registered Psychologist in Calgary, Alberta, providing in-person and online therapy for individuals, including children 9+, teens and adults, as well as couples, and families. I specialize in anxiety, trauma, PTSD, OCD, and couples counselling, and I offer services in in both English and Arabic. I provide counselling services in Calgary and online across Alberta, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Quebec.
I am approved provider for Non-Insured Health Benefits Program (NIHB), Indigenous Services Canada, Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC), the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), and Citizens Immigration Canada (CIC).
I am approved provider for Non-Insured Health Benefits Program (NIHB), Indigenous Services Canada, Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC), the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), and Citizens Immigration Canada (CIC).
Areas of Focus
I provide therapy for:
- Anxiety and panic attacks
- Obsessive -Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
- Depression, and emotional overwhelm
- Trauma and complex PTSD (including EMDR therapy in Calgary)
- Couples counselling and Relationship issues
- Family therapy
- Parenting challenges and family conflict
- Anger management and emotional regulation
- Postpartum depression
- Disordered eating and emotional eating
- Self-esteem, and body image
- Sleep issues, including insomnia and nightmares
Therapy Approaches
I use evidence-based approaches and psychological modalities such as
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) for trauma and PTSD
- Internal Family System (IFS) for facilitating emotional, cognitive, and somatic healing
- Ego State therapy (Inner -child work) for healing childhood traumas and wounds
- Gottman Method Couples Therapy (level 1 training) for relationships issues
- Attachment-based Model for relationships and couples therapy
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Cognitive-behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Narrative Therapy
- Solution-focused Therapy (SFT)
My Values as a Psychologist
You are capable of becoming the person you dream to be!
Sometimes we try to apply the same technique or behavior over and over again, hoping for a different outcome, which is not always possible. We may need to try a new approach, have a new vision, and see other possibilities. This could involve someone impartially co-creating with us what may seem impossible and can be our second powerful voice to silence the voice of doubt. I always use the metaphor of an actor and audience in the theater; an actor on stage can only see themselves, their role, and their perspective. The audience, however, has a broader view, seeing all the actors and their roles, which is more objective stance. This mirrors the experience of people with social-emotional issues, who tend to have a narrow and subjective focus on their problems. By adopting the perspective of an audience, who have a holistic view of the issue, help us see and hear the stories objectively and explore the new possibilities.
Having this philosophy in my life has helped me to understand that first, asking for help when our approach is ineffective is vital part of solving our issues as we should not keep applying the same technique when leading us to the same outcomes. Secondly, having a support from a therapist who is neutral, authentic, supportive and non-judgmental can assist us in viewing the whole story instead of the one aspect that a person is focusing on. Lastly, there is always a more powerful story that can be created after forgiving the past story.
Sometimes we try to apply the same technique or behavior over and over again, hoping for a different outcome, which is not always possible. We may need to try a new approach, have a new vision, and see other possibilities. This could involve someone impartially co-creating with us what may seem impossible and can be our second powerful voice to silence the voice of doubt. I always use the metaphor of an actor and audience in the theater; an actor on stage can only see themselves, their role, and their perspective. The audience, however, has a broader view, seeing all the actors and their roles, which is more objective stance. This mirrors the experience of people with social-emotional issues, who tend to have a narrow and subjective focus on their problems. By adopting the perspective of an audience, who have a holistic view of the issue, help us see and hear the stories objectively and explore the new possibilities.
Having this philosophy in my life has helped me to understand that first, asking for help when our approach is ineffective is vital part of solving our issues as we should not keep applying the same technique when leading us to the same outcomes. Secondly, having a support from a therapist who is neutral, authentic, supportive and non-judgmental can assist us in viewing the whole story instead of the one aspect that a person is focusing on. Lastly, there is always a more powerful story that can be created after forgiving the past story.
Credentials
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Registered Psychologist
College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP) #5520 College of Psychologists Ontario (CPO) #7604 Online services to Ontario, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Quebec |
View my Psychology Today profile
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Professional Workshops (Public Speaking)
- Domestics Violence Awareness
- Managing our Mental Health During Uncertain Times
- Stigma and Mental Health
- Cultural Sensitivity in Working with Certain Populations, Muslim clients
- Research Thesis: The Experiences of Professional Arabic Mothers who Immigrated to Canada and Rebuilt their Careers