Mariana Lafrance

I hold a vision of agency, imagination, curiosity, creativity, wholeness, and spontaneity for every person. As human beings in this improbable and astonishing universe, these powers are our birthright. In session, there's space for them to emerge, through an embodied relational approach, and by being fully present in the here & now. Often in reaching for our lifeforce, we're led to where grief, sadness, anger, and fear reside, unmet. Together we'll create space where these can be felt and moved with compassion and allowance. Nature and soul work can be supports in this process. Reach out if you'd like to explore working together. My approach is trauma-informed, somatic, and client-led. I include my worldview in my work, which places humans within the web of our ecological and spiritual relationships. My own ancestors were French and Irish and lived close to the land. Additionally, I identify as white and belong to a linguistic and cultural minority. I am queer-positive, LGBTQ2S+ allied and sex positive. I have a deep understanding of the realities of rural life, as well as experience with and alongside Indigenous communities. I work and live with deep gratitude on the traditional and current lands of the Anishinaabeg people, between the dramatic and enchanted Michigiwadinong and the deep and clear Gchigami. I come to psychotherapy with five years of training in embodied relational psychotherapy at the Gestalt Institute of Toronto with an expected graduation later in 2025. At graduation, I will be eligible to become a Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) in Ontario. I have over a decade of practice in somatics, facilitation, community life, intuitive practice, embodied creativity and movement, in addition to thousands of solo hours spent on the land, observing and relating with the other-than-human world. My influences include Radical Aliveness, Authentic Relating, Somatic Experiencing, shamanism, contact improvisation, Pochinko clown, mask work, 5 Rhythms, Orphan Wisdom School, Shaolin Kung Fu, and more. In addition to psychotherapy, I trained in life coaching at the Co-Active Training Institute, an approach that is embodied, playful, and inspiring. Current rate is $110 for a 60-min session, with sliding scale spots available starting at $75 per session. NOTE: I do not use AI note-taking apps in my practice.