Welcome! I am Shelley Rush a Registered Psychotherapist and Director of Rush & Associates Psychotherapy and Wellness. Rush & Associates Psychotherapy and Wellness is comprised of a team of Counsellors and Psychotherapists. Our team is committed to assessing your current situation and helping you to develop a plan that suits your needs. Our goal is to help individuals, couples and groups work towards empowering themselves in the process of change and understanding. We provide a safe, confidential and non-judgmental therapeutic environment for you to explore life’s many challenges.

We like to begin with a free 30-minute intake session with one of our intake therapists to determine the best course of action and the best therapist for you. Our intake therapist will help devise your goals and expectations for therapy, into a treatment plan tailored to you.

Our practice has the honour of spending our time with couples and families, victims of trauma and individual dealing with trauma, as well as individuals dealing with depression and anxiety-based issues. We offer individual and group Anger Management sessions for court mandated or Non-court mandated clients. We look forward to hearing from you.

Hello, my name is Ahmad, I am a registered psychotherapist.

I have spent several years playing elite-level sports, as well as experience in coaching, and working with, athletes of different ages. My previous professional experience also entails operations management of world-class operations. My experiences combined with my extensive training in the field allow me to view mental health challenges with the utmost humility and empathy, with the client’s safety and wellbeing at the heart of the process.

My philosophic approach is client-centered. However, to best address mental health challenges it is beneficial to draw strengths from various therapeutic approaches in a fashion tailored specifically to each individual.

I do provide psychotherapy in both English and Arabic (all dialects). My areas of expertise include, but are not limited to: anxiety, depression, self-esteem, life transitional challenges, couples & family, trauma, substance abuse, grief, and attachment.

I approach each client as an individual with the desire to provide them comfort by approaching their issues holistically. Then, in collaboration with the client, I am able to identify and agree upon the therapeutic process that is attuned to their specific issues, needs, and what they desire to achieve from therapy. I strive to create a safe, welcoming, and comfortable environment and value the importance of the therapeutic relationship so they can move forward with ease.

I am a Registered Psychotherapist with a Master’s degree in Counselling Psychotherapy from Yorkville University, Canada, and a Master’s degree in Organisational Psychology from Aston University, UK. I am also a member of EMDR Canada and International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation.

I have vast experience in treating Trauma, including Acute Trauma (sudden grief, car accidents, serious injury, sexual assault, natural disasters, and witnessing a violent event), Chronic Trauma (domestic violence/ongoing abuse, prolonged bullying, exposure to war and combat, and exposure to repeated natural disasters), Complex Trauma /C-PTSD (attachment wounding, childhood trauma, healthy development of stress response system, ability to understand, communicate, and regulate emotions), and Complex Trauma with dissociation (depersonalization, derealisation, and dissociative amnesia). I also have experience in treating obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), borderline personality disorder (BPD), relationship distress, loss and grief, managing anger, and treating individuals with terminal illnesses and caregivers. As a couple’s therapist, I have helped couples with sex and intimacy issues, rebuild trust, strengthen attachment, improve communication and conflict resolution, and better understand relationship dynamics. Before becoming a Psychotherapist, I spent over a decade working as an Organizational Psychologist, where I gained experience counseling employees regarding job performance, career-related issues, and workplace skills.

I am trained in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) with Structural Dissociation, DBR (Deep Brain Reorienting: Treating shock, dissociation, and attachment wounding from traumatic experiences), Ego State Therapy/Parts work, MBSR (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction), Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Ideal Caregiver Protocol, and Emotion-Focused Therapy for Couples (EFT-C) (Level 1 Certified).

I am on my second year of the three year program of becoming a Somatic Experiencing Practioner (SEP) from Somatic Experiencing International, and am also completing certification in Healing Trauma with Guided Drawing from the Sensorimotor Art Therapy Institute.

Languages: English, Bengali, Hindi

Client Focus: Individuals, Children (age five years and above), Couples, Family.

The therapies that I use are, EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), DBR (Deep Brain Reorienting: Treating shock, dissociation, and attachment wounding from traumatic experiences), SE (Somatic Experiencing), EFT (Emotion Focused Therapy), MBSR (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction), Ego State Interventions and Parts work, Polyvagal (Regulating the nervous system), ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention), and CBT (Cognitive Behaviour Therapy).

More than my work:

I was fortunate to grow up in an open and equitable environment that inspired individuality while providing the protection and sense of security of a collective environment. This helped me relate to Herman Hesse’s saying, “Within you, there is a stillness and a sanctuary to which you can retreat at any time and be yourself.” Varied dance forms and music from around the world have attracted me since a young age, bringing me peace and joy. I also love cooking, yoga and meditation. These are aspects of my inner sanctuary.

Welcome!

My name is Shalissa Busgith, I am a Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario. I am currently earning my Masters degree in Counselling Psychology at Yorkville University after completing a bachelors degree in Psychology at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario.

I strive to use respect, empathy and non-judgement, to create a safe and welcoming environment for each client. I am committed to using a client-centred holistic approach to better serve you in every session. I use Emotion-Focused, Narrative and Solution-Focused approaches to address issues such as depression, anxiety, trauma, grief, attachment and self-esteem for individuals.

My goal is to work collaboratively with each client to create a plan that is best suited to your specific strengths and cultural needs. The wellbeing and benefits of the client are my top priority.

I look forward to working with you.

Hi, my name is Kelly and I am a Registered Social Worker. I graduated with a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Manitoba and have a background in care coordination and individual counselling. My credentials include trainings in anger management, suicide-prevention, developmental service work and healthcare service navigation.

Over the course of 18 years, my lifelong passion of helping others has evolved into a practice that is humble, curious and compassionate. My practice is holistic and solution-focused: I draw from Ecological System theory, acknowledging that each person is more than their symptoms and considers the bigger picture of their lives when finding suitable outcomes. I specialize in offering guidance through life’s major emotional transitions, including the challenges of illness, aging and loss.

In each session, I show up as an active and non-judgemental listener, attentive to the verbal and non-verbal cues telling your story. My role is to help you realize your goals, provide tools and encourage reflection to promote a positive sense of self. At your pace, we can walk through the things weighing you down and develop a recovery plan that you can sustain beyond our work together.

I look forward to meeting you.

I graduated with Distinction from the Honours Business Administration program in 2016 and began my journey with Rush and Associates Psychotherapy and Wellness as an intern under Shelley Rush that same year. Throughout my time here, I have gained invaluable experience and knowledge, developing a deep understanding of both the administrative and operational aspects of our practice. My commitment to excellence and passion for wellness continue to guide my work, as I strive to support the needs of our clients and our dedicated team.

Hi, my name is Tamara Shihab, and I am an administrative assistant at Rush & Associates Psychotherapy and Wellness. I’m a student hoping to complete my undergraduate studies in the social science program at the University of Toronto. My favourite past-times include baking, reading and painting. I am excited to be a part of the R&A team!

Tracy has over 20 years of experience in finance, offering precision and clarity to support business stability. Passionate about wellness, she’s proud to work with therapy organizations, knowing strong financial foundations create a stable environment for mental health care. Tracy brings her dedication to numbers and problem-solving to help foster spaces focused on healing and growth.