EMDR Therapist, Yoga Teacher, and Advocate for Culturally Relevant Mental Health Care

Meet Deshawna Dookie
MSW, RSW

I didn't always have access to the type of care I needed. So I built it.

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My Story

Growing up I learned early on that conversations about mental health were rare and somewhat taboo. Coming from a Jamaican family, it seemed even more unheard of. It seemed that talking about mental health was not something that happened openly, and if you did it was often looked down on. The expectation was to push through, keep it to yourself and keep on striving. And for a long time, I did.

As a daughter of immigrants, and the youngest and only girl amongst my siblings I was often seen as 'the sensitive one' which sometimes seemed like a bad thing. Eventually I came to learn through my own healing journey that this was one of my strengths. But I also noticed something that stayed with me. There were very few providers who looked like me. Very few who understood my cultural context. Very few who could hold space for the specific weight that Black women carry - the intergenerational patterns, the code-switching, the quiet exhaustion of always being the strong one, for friends, family and anyone that needed help.

I wanted to become the type of support I was searching for back then.

Along the way, I found that the practices that changed my life the most weren't only cognitive - they were body-based. Yoga taught me how to listen to my body. Meditation taught me how to slow down. And EMDR gave me a way to process experiences that talk therapy alone hadn't been able to reach.

That's what I bring into my work now. Not just clinical training - but lived experience. I understand what it's like to grow up in a community where mental health wasn't talked about. I understand the barriers. And I understand how powerful it is when someone who gets your story.

My Approach

Many of the women I work with are used to thinking their way through emotions — trying to make logical sense of experiences that live deeper than thought. My work involves gently guiding you back into your body, helping you tune into sensations, emotions, and internal cues that may feel unfamiliar at first but ultimately more grounding and sustainable.

Rather than staying only curious about the thought patterns and how to restructure them (which is also important), I support you in slowing down and building the capacity to sit with and process emotions in a way that feels safe in your body, and takes into consideration your body's history and also it's trauma. My approach is collaborative and paced to honour your readiness.

I don't believe in one-size-fits-all therapy. Every session is shaped by where you are that day, what your body is telling us, and what you're ready for. Some days that looks like EMDR desensitization and reprocessing. Other days it looks like breathwork, grounding, or simply making space for the words that need to surface.

What stays consistent is this: I will meet you where you are, honour your pace, always bring my full authentic self into the virtual or in person room; that means the clinician, the community advocate, the adhder, the yogi, the meditator, the artist the reggae, r&b and soca lover, the black woman.

Modalities I draw from:

  • EMDR

  • Mindfulness & Meditation

  • CBT

  • Attachment-Focused Therapy

  • DBT

  • Narrative Therapy

  • Somatic & Body-Based Practices

  • ACT

  • Internal Family Systems (IFS / Parts Work)

  • Yoga

What Guides My Work

  • I don't assume. I listen, and I honour what you bring into the room.

  • Your body holds wisdom. I trust it and so should you.

  • Healing isn't new. Our ancestors practised it. I honour that lineage.

  • I don't want you to need me forever. I want you to trust yourself more deeply.

  • This space is for the real you. Not the version you perform for everyone else.

My Training & Credentials

Master of Social Work — Indigenous Trauma & Resiliency, University of Toronto (2021)

Bachelor of Social Work — York University (2019)

Bachelor of Arts in Psychology — Carleton University (2015)

Registered Social Worker — OCSWSSW (License #834929) & OASW (License #19998)

EMDR Trained — Institute for Creative Mindfulness (2023) Registered with EMDR International Association (EMDRIA)

300hr Advanced Yoga Teacher & Mindfulness Training — Octopus Garden Holistic Yoga Centre, Toronto (2023)

200hr Yoga Teacher Certification 50hr Restorative Yoga Teacher Training — Octopus Garden Holistic Yoga Centre (2019)

Ways to work together

Ready to See If We're a Good Fit?

I'd love to hear what you're navigating and explore whether my approach feels right for you. The consultation is a real conversation — no pressure, no commitment, just connection.

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*Consultations are 30 minutes for $30 — a real conversation to explore what you're looking for and whether we're a good fit.