Hello!

I am Maria Wallis, a Registered Social Worker with training in psychodynamic psychotherapy, an academic with a PhD in Sociology, and a passion for social justice. I am a South Asian woman who understands, deeply, the experiences of racism in all its forms.
​
I have over 20 years of experience in the immigrant and refugee settlement sector. I focus on trauma from an intersectional perspective, that is, I acknowledge and validate where we are and work with you collaboratively to create the safe space to heal and discover your
own strengths.
Mental Health is our right, and I will work with you to attempt to achieve it in
our journey together.
I have lived experience that I draw on to support others in their journeys. I work with adults and adolescents to address stress, anxiety, depression, gender-based violence, sexual assault, and racial trauma.

With me, we will work on your priorities. Our goal is to discover a deeper meaning for our lives and to process pain to discover love, joy and community while getting to know yourself.​
"Healing is a process, not an event."

Top Specialties

​Trauma & PTSD
Anxiety
Depression
​Racial Trauma

Works With

Adults
Youth

Availability

​Evenings
​Weekends​​​​​

Learn more about Dr. Maria Wallis, RSW:

Additional Areas of Expertise
  • Adoption Related Issues
  • Anger Management
  • Anxiety
    • Separation Anxiety
    • Phobia
    • Social Anxiety
    • Panic
    • Agoraphobia
    • Generalized Anxiety Disorder
    • Selective Mutism
    • Anxiety Due to Medical Condition
  • Betrayal
  • Boundaries
  • Burnout, Compassion Fatigue
  • Communication Issues
  • Conflict Resolution
  • Depression 
    • Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
    • Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)
    • Persistent Depressive Disorder (Dysthymia)
    • Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD)
  • Dissociative Disorders
    • Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)
    • Dissociative Amnesia
    • Depersonalization/Derealization
  • ​Disruptive, Impulse Control & Conduct Disorders
    • Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)
    • Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED)
    • Conduct Disorder (CD)
    • Pyromania
    • Kleptomania
    • Antisocial Personality Disorder
  • Grief and Loss
  • Identity, Sense of Self
  • Life Transitions
  • Meaning, Purpose
  • Personal Development
  • Self Esteem, Self Worth
  • Trauma
    • Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
    • Acute Stress Disorder
    • Adjustment Disorder
    • Childhood Sexual, Physical, or Psychological Abuse, or Neglect
    • ​Disinhibited Social Engagement
    • Exposure to Disaster, War
    • ​Intergenerational Trauma, MMIWG2S
    • Intimate Partner Violence
    • Prolonged Grief
    • Racial Trauma
    • Relational Trauma (e.g. "Narcissistic" Abuse)
    • Sexual, Physical, or Psychological Abuse, or Neglect
    • Target of Discrimination
    • Victim of Crime
  • Parenting Support
  • Perfectionism
  • Personality Disorders
    • Paranoid Personality Disorder
    • Schizotypal Personality Disorder
    • Borderline Personality Disorder
    • Dependent Personality Disorder
    • Histrionic Personality Disorder
    • Narcissistic Personality Disorder
    • Avoidant Personality Disorder
    • Dependent Personality Disorder
    • Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder
  • ​Social Exclusion or Rejection
  • ​Substance Related & Addictive Issues
    • Alcohol, ​Caffeine, Cannabis, Hallucinogen, Inhalant, Opioid, Sedative, Stimulant, Tobacco, Gambling
  • ​Women's Mental Health
  • ​​I have also worked with ADHD, Bipolar Disorder, & OCD, concurrent with trauma, anxiety, & depression.
Therapy Approaches
  • Anti-Oppressive
  • Attachment Based Therapy
  • Client-Centered Therapy
  • Coaching
  • Culturally Sensitive Therapy
  • Existential Therapy
  • Experiential Therapy
  • Interpersonal Therapy
  • Intersectional Feminism 
  • Mindfulness Based Therapy
  • Narrative Therapy
  • Person Centered Therapy
  • Psychoanalytic Therapy
  • Psychodynamic Therapy
  • Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT)​
  • Trauma Focused
Communities
  • ​BIPOC
  • ​First Nations, Metis, & Inuit​
  • ​2SLGBTQIA+ Allied
  • Immigrants and refugees
  • ​South Asian​
  • Spiritual But Not Religious
  • Single Parent
  • Lived Experience with Adoption
  • ​Lived Experience with Mental Health 
  • Working Class, Union Activist
Languages
  • English​
Rates
  • $200 per 50 minute hour
  • Sliding-scale (reduced) rates are available on a case by case basis. Schedule a consultation for more information.
  • Rates may vary depending on fee schedules set by third-party direct-billing agencies (e.g. NIHB)
Direct-Billing
  • All participating insurance companies with Telus Health eClaims (e.g. Canada Life, Equitable Life, Manulife etc.)
  • Indigenous Services Canada (e.g. NIHB)
  • Medavie Blue Cross (including VAC, RCMP, CAF)
  • ​Green Shield, SSQ
  • NexGen, Cooperators
  • Sunlife
Education
  • Master of Social Work, York University (2002)
  • Doctor of Philosophy, Sociology, York University (1998)
  • Master of Arts, Sociology, McMaster University (1989)
  • Bachelor of Arts, Political Science & Industrial Relations, McGill University (1983)
  • Master Certificate, Project Management, Schulich School of Business
  • Trauma-Informed Child & Adolescent Certificate
  • Training in contemporary psychotherapy & decolonial mental health practice
Fun facts
I have previously lived in the Northwest Territories. My hobbies include gardening, swimming, and reading. 

Dr. Maria Wallis, RSW offers Direct-Billing to most major insurance companies, including:

"Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom."

​- Aristotle

A little about me.

I have worked on feminist, anti-racist community engagement activities while studying and conducting research while I work in the field of mental health counselling.

My own personal journey in mental health is my inspiration to play it forward.

Knowing yourself is to know others and community in an in-depth way.

​I have an adopted daughter who keeps me focused on the meaning of an enriched life. I also have 2 dogs.