New Client
Welcome Page
Welcome! I’m glad you’re here. This page offers an orientation to our work together, what to expect, and common questions. Please take the time to read through this information before your first session.
My office is located at 10 Regina St N, Unit 3 — above Seven Shore Café in Uptown Waterloo. See below for some photos to orient you to where we’ll be. Parking and main entrance are located at the back of the building.
This is a photo of me in my office, where our sessions will take place. The space is private and spacious, with two chairs, a couch, a rug, a treatment table for touch work, and plenty of pillows and cushions. There are also a variety of fun somatic tools available, including a rebounder (small trampoline), art supplies, weighted stuffed animals, and other sensory items.
Our sessions are a body-based approach that works with the nervous system and body process, rather than the story alone. In this work, we track sensations, impulses, emotions, supporting the body in completing stress responses that were once interrupted. This work is a combination of dialogue-based work and therapeutic touch. There is the option for acupuncture to be woven into our session as well to further support regulation in the system.
Sessions that include a touch component can be billed through your insurance (if applicable) under RMT/Massage. You are always welcome to opt out of the touch component of our work. Please note that if we are only doing dialogue work with no touch component, sessions cannot be claimed through benefits/insurance. Online sessions cannot be insurance billed.
Our first session is mainly about general orientation, and our nervous systems settling into space together. We typically don’t dive into deep processing right away. Instead, we focus on grounding together, familiarizing you to the space, and exploring some somatic basics. This might include simple tracking of sensations, noticing patterns of tension or ease, gentle movement, and orienting exercises. The goal is to create a foundation for the work to come and to begin building a sense of trust and attunement.
Due to the relational nature of this work, I ask clients to commit to coming in for a session every 1-2 weeks for a minimum of 8 sessions. This supports continuity, accountability, and allows enough time for the work to unfold and for new patterns in the nervous system to begin taking root. There is no requirement to pay upfront (payment typically occurs on a per-session basis), or pre-book all of your sessions in advance. The commitment is honour-based rather than contractual. After 8 sessions or so, we can revisit pacing and frequency together.
It’s important to know that these guidelines aren’t rigid rules! If you’re coming in for something specific, or working with me alongside another therapeutic relationship (i.e. a psychotherapist, or an osteopath, etc.), a different scheduling rhythm may be more appropriate. What matters most is ongoing communication as we work together to support you.
I don’t offer session packages.
How does payment work?
Payments are accepted in the form of e-transfer to ayesha@embodimentwithayesha.com, and are asked to be paid within 48hrs of the session. In-person sessions are 60 minutes and $120+tax per session. Virtual sessions are 60mins and $110+tax per session.
Additionally, for returning clients only, I offer the 30min online client support calls ($55).
If in need of financial assistance, you’re welcome to contact me directly. Likewise, if your circumstances change at any point while we’re working together, we can revisit arrangements and find a solution, together.
For sessions that include a touch component or acupuncture component, a receipt you can submit to your insurance under “RMT/Massage” will be provided. I do not offer direct billing at this time.
I understand that life happens and plans sometimes need to shift. I ask for 24 hours notice for cancellations or rescheduling. Sessions missed without adequate notice will incur a $50 fee, to be paid within 48hrs of the missed appointment.
Cancellation Policy
Somatic Experiencing (SE) is the main framework and lens I use in my private practice. SE is a body-oriented approach to working with stress, trauma, and nervous system patterns. Rather than focusing primarily on talking through experiences, SE works by gently tracking sensations, impulses, emotions, and nervous system responses as they arise in the body. We pay attention to capacity, regulation, and pacing, allowing your body to complete responses that may have been interrupted or held over time. SE is not about reliving traumatic events and re-telling the story over and over. You will never be asked to “go into” something you’re not resourced for. It’s also not a technique where I do something to you. This is a collaborative, relational process that honours your unique nervous system. Together, we get curious with your system’s way of relating, operating, and moving through activation (moments of alertness, vigilance, stress, or shutdown) and deactivation (return to regulation, baseline). In our sessions together, we may also weave in partswork (IFS informed), which is a way of relating to different aspects of your inner experience, younger selves, and protective narratives. This is a gentle way of getting to know yourself more fully, and developing relationship with the many parts of you that shape your lived experience.
What even is Somatic Experiencing?
Before our first session together, you are required to fill out an intake form. A form will automatically be sent to you via JaneApp when you book. Click here to book in.