Danielle Terbenche, RP (Qualifying)

Hello and welcome,

As someone who has navigated my own life transitions, I understand that major life changes and losses are difficult and create upheaval. 

Becoming a therapist was one of my own biggest life transitions. Until 2016, I worked in university teaching and research positions.  I have a Ph.D. in History and had originally hoped to be a professor or work in academia. But with full-time academic positions scarce in many fields including my own, I needed to find a different career path. But what?

For the next year or two I felt lost about what to do and also struggled to cope with losing something I had spent years building and still loved doing. I felt separated from the many colleagues and friends I had made over my years in academia. It was a confusing, scary, and lonely place which led me to seek therapy myself. For me, counselling made a significant difference in helping me to sort out my feelings and find a way forward.

I had long had an interest in mental health care with my historical research focussing on the emergence of mental health management and treatment in nineteenth-century Canada. My career transition made me fascinated with how people adapt to change especially when their experiences are difficult or painful. Together, these interests led me to training as a counsellor and psychotherapist.

After completing an M.Ed. in Counselling and Psychotherapy, in 2020, I became a Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) licensed with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO). I began my private practice in 2021.