Claudelle Abdo

Hi, I’m Claudelle (They/She)!

I know that reading through each person’s bio can be daunting and overwhelming. Making the right choice and trying to decide which person you fit best with is already a difficult choice, on top of your courage for taking this first step and seeking support. As I am speaking to you through this page, I want you to know that the therapist-client relationship is a vital part of the work we might be doing together, and that I feel grateful to have you consider me to be part of this brave step you’re taking.

Therapy sucks sometimes -- but in the best ways. You know the feeling of a really good deep tissue massage There’s a lot of wincing, tenderness, and knot untangling, but the feeling after just feels. So. Good. Yeah? That’s therapy with me. With me, there is no hiding from snot, tears, and laughter. Taking a compassion-focused approach, I understand the necessity of not only being heard, but feeling heard. My goal through this work in therapy is to provide a safe, supportive, and authentic space for you to share and explore your inner world by understanding the complexities of our emotions, our thoughts, and our experiences.

I have a unique background of working with gender-diverse folx, people who have lost loved ones from suicide and difficulties with emotional regulation. By utilizing an attachment-based framework and psychodynamic orientation, I meet my clients exactly where they are, and put great weight on the importance of collaboration through this process. In addition to having experience in supporting 2SLGBTQIA+ folx, I have a passion for supporting people with identity exploration and formation, shame and guilt, life transitions, anxiety, depression, grief beyond loss and people-pleasing.

Foundationally, I draw from Emotion Focused Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural/Processing Therapy, Internal Family Systems, Solutions Focused, and Narrative Therapy. Using these foundations, I aim to encourage self-awareness, reflection, and self-compassion. To me, regular honest feedback about the therapeutic process is vital, and believe that honest conversations between the two of us about how you are experiencing our relationship and the therapeutic process experientially is imperative to creating lasting change not only in session, but also out of session.

In my downtime, when I am not watching reality TV, you can find me playing with my two cats, showing my (questionably good) moves on the dance floor or writing spoken word poetry. I appreciate living life in the present, staying curious in every aspect of my being, and connecting with other humans organically.