About EECS

A Safe Place to Reclaim Your Strength

Embracing Empowerment Counselling Services was founded on the belief that therapy should be as real and resilient as the people who need it. Since 2016, we’ve supported individuals, families, and first responders across Ontario and Alberta.

Why We’re Different
  • Specialized trauma therapy grounded in lived experience
  • Support for first responders and their families
  • No significant wait times
  • Virtual and in-person sessions
  • Respectful, inclusive, and non-judgmental care

Our Vision

To be a trusted provider of support and rebuilding self worth. Our target within our mental health services are for individuals, families, first responders and organizations to foster healing, empowerment and overall wellbeing throughout every safe and transparent connection.

Our Mission

To provide targeted, quality, and specialized therapy services to individuals, organizations, and first responders, fostering resilience, mental well-being, and organizational effectiveness. Through our approach and dedication to the community, we strive to empower individuals to navigate life’s challenges with confidence and strength.

Our Values

We provide services with the utmost respect, integrity, compassion, collaboration, and honesty without prejudice and judgment. These values, and our goal of continuous improvement, guide the our work and inform every decision we make as we strive to make a positive impact on the lives of those we serve.
Meet Your Therapist

Parul Shah, MSP, RSW (Doctoral Candidate)

Founder & Psychotherapist

I am a private practice offering experienced & customized psychotherapy for various age groups, including teenagers (16-17) and adults (18-70). I am a registered social worker and a psychotherapist with the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Services Workers since 2002.

I hold three undergraduate degrees in sociology and social work. I successfully obtained my Master of Science in Psychology (MSP) from the University of Phoenix. I am currently a doctoral candidate in the psychology PhD program and in my dissertation phase at Walden University.

As we all know, personal growth occurs through our experiences, both positive and negative. During my journey of healing from trauma and life lessons, I yearned for understanding. Stephen Covey wisely stated, “In order to be understood, we must understand.”

Growing up, I was often misunderstood due to my shyness, which led to a stereotypical perception of lack of intelligence. However, as part of my healing process, I realized that my trauma carried a language that misled others about my true self. Each trauma recovery journey teaches us that our reactions to similar past experiences distort our self-perception.

I have endured various forms of trauma, including birth trauma, medical trauma, sexual trauma, childhood trauma, betrayal trauma, sanctuary trauma, narcissistic trauma,, psychological trauma and a 10x suicide loss survivor . Each of these experiences has triggered the four trauma responses (Flight, Fight, Freeze, Fawn) at different stages of my life.

Ultimately, I am a survivor.

Currently and continuously engaged in trauma recovery, I have acquired the ability to establish boundaries and barriers to effectively navigate my daily life. I have come to understand that not everyone will support your recovery and the manner in which you navigate life. I recognize the transformative power of therapy as an indispensable tool for healing and personal growth. I believe that we should be able to dispel the stigma associated with openly discussing mental health concerns.

As a spouse of a police officer who also grapples with mental and moral challenges, I have been a member of the 911 family for over 24 years. During this tenure, I have witnessed the difficulties faced by our family members and have observed that workplace stigma extends beyond frontline personnel and affects their families as well. This stigma ultimately influences our approach to problem-solving, perception, and management.

My purpose in life is to share experiences and journey from “what got us here” to “being okay or being beautifully broken” in our mental wellness journey. As a psychotherapist, my goal is not to diminish the pain but to provide guidance and support during challenging times.

Our journey together is centered around understanding the struggles you have faced so that you can be truly understood. I see you, I hear you, and I believe in your ability to overcome obstacles.

With over 24 years of experience in the mental health industry and more than 12 years as a Social Worker at Children’s Aid Society/Child Protection Services across Ontario, I possess a comprehensive understanding through scholarly and lived experiences of the challenges faced by advocates for families, children of all ages, women, and frontline professionals. My extensive experience encompasses a diverse range of issues, including but not limited to , intimate partner violence, addictions, child abuse, abandonment, psychological disorders, anxiety, bullying, trauma, Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD), post-traumatic stress injuries (PTSI), workplace injury, suicide, suicidal ideation and the psychological impact of the aftermath of the pandemic.

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