L E A D T H E R A P I S T A N D F O U N D E R
I believe people make sense in the context of their story.
The ways we cope, relate, and protect ourselves rarely come from nowhere. Therapy gives us the time to understand what shaped you, and what you may be ready to do differently.
Gelica Tatarenko
Registered Nurse and Registered Psychotherapist
A L I T T L E A B O U T M E
Before becoming a psychotherapist, I spent years as a nurse in Toronto's shelter system and psychiatric emergency settings.
That work taught me how to remain steady in difficult moments, but it also made me curious about everything that exists beyond the crisis: the relationships, experiences, identities, losses, and ways of surviving that shape how a person arrives there.
Psychotherapy gave me the opportunity to stay with those stories longer.
W H A T I T ’ S L I K E T O W O R K W I T H M E
Curious
I ask questions and help us look beneath what's happening to understand the patterns underneath it.
Engaged
I'll share observations, make connections, and gently challenge you when I think it may be helpful.
Human
There is room for depth, practicality, humour, silence, warmth, and days when you simply don't know where to begin.
You don't need to perform therapy well here. We figure it out together.
C U L T U R E B E L O N G S I N T H E C O N V E R S A T I O N
As a Filipino-Canadian therapist and first-generation immigrant, I'm attentive to the ways family, migration, achievement, identity, hiya, utang na loob, and responsibility can shape how we understand ourselves.
I won't assume we share the same experience because we share a culture. But when culture matters to your story, you won't have to explain why it belongs in the room.
Therapy in English, Tagalog, or Taglish.
A R E A S I W O R K I N
Trauma & PTSD
Anxiety & Overthinking
Healthcare Providers
Burnout & Work Stress
Grief & Loss
First Responders
Relationships & Parenthood
Life Transitions
Filipino-Canadians
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Certified Clinical Trauma Professional - Evergreen Certifications
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) - Coast to Coast Therapy (EMDRIA-approved)
Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) : Evidence-Based Treatment for PTSD - Dr. Candice Monson and Dr. Phil Shnaider
Gottman Method Couples Therapy Level 1 - The Gottman Institute
B E Y O N D T H E T H E R A P Y R O O M
Always exploring
I've travelled to 40 countries and still keep a running list of places I'd love to see. I'm endlessly curious about how people live, eat, connect, and make a place feel like home.
Around the table
Food is my love language. It is one of my favourite ways to experience a culture and bring people together. My highly ambitious alternate career plan is to become a Food Network judge or Michelin Guide inspector.
Usually growing something
I'm happiest around plants, gardens, and green spaces. There's usually something at home I'm propagating, repotting, or trying to convince to grow. I’m a plant mom to more than 20 indoor plants at home.
How I reset
Movement helps bring me back to myself. Depending on the day, that might look like lifting weights, strength training, running, hiking, biking, or slowing things down with yoga.
Always learning
I speak Spanish and a little Russian. I'm fascinated by the way language can open a window into another culture.
The role that matters most
Outside of all the professional titles, I'm also a boy mom - a role that continues to teach me about presence, play, patience, and seeing the world with fresh eyes.