About Us

About Dr. Simone Levey, Ph.D., C. Psych

Welcome. I’m Dr. Simone Levey, a licensed clinical psychologist dedicated to helping individuals, adolescents, and families navigate the complexities of life, heal from emotional wounds, and build more fulfilling, resilient selves. I believe in the transformative power of psychotherapy—and in each person’s capacity for change, growth, and reconnection.

My Journey & Credentials

My path into psychology was driven by a deep curiosity about what shapes human experience—why we are who we are, how we suffer, and how we heal. I pursued a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from Columbia University, and then earned my Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Adelphi University’s Derner Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies.

Over the course of more than a decade in the field, I’ve worked across a spectrum of clinical settings: from emergency rooms and inpatient psychiatric units, to outpatient clinics, schools, and correctional institutions.

simonelevey.com I have provided care in New York (including Bronx Children’s Psychiatric Centre and Jacobi Medical Centre) and in Canada (notably Youthdale Treatment Centre and Rikers Island). simonelevey.com Today, I maintain a private practice in Toronto and also engage in clinical supervision, consulting, and training.

I am certified in Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP) and have training in Sensorimotor Psychotherapy (Level 1). simonelevey.com My theoretical and technical orientation also includes Relational Psychodynamic Psychotherapy, Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (STDP), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and mindfulness-based approaches.

aedpinstitute.org+3simonelevey.com+3Psychology Today+3 Over the years, I have continued to deepen my learning through supervision, peer consultation, professional conferences, trainings, and scholarly engagement. simonelevey.com+1

I serve as a consultant at the Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture (CCVT), where I conduct psychological assessments to support refugee claimants and supervise students, while also offering workshops to clients and educational programming for professionals. simonelevey.com I also take active roles in professional communities, including membership in the Ontario Psychological Association (OPA), the AEDP Institute, and the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISST-D). simonelevey.com+1

My Approach to Therapy & Philosophy

At the core of my work is a conviction: healing does not occur through formulaic methods, but through relational engagement, attunement, and the integration of mind, body, and emotion. I approach therapy from an integrative and evidence-based lens, tailoring interventions to each person’s needs, history, and capacities.

I frame therapy as a co-created journey. I aim to offer a space of psychological safety, empathy, and depth, where clients are free to explore difficult emotions, relational patterns, trauma, and the ways their inner and outer worlds intersect. I believe trauma is not only in the mind—it is embedded in the body—and so true healing often requires attending to the nonverbal, physiological, and sensory dimensions of experience. This is why I incorporate modalities like Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, which integrate neuroscience, somatic awareness, and psychodynamic insight. In Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, for example, the therapist and client mindfully explore body sensations, posture, movement, facial expressions, and physiological arousal—the “nonverbal stories” that accompany emotional experiences. Through attuned exploration, clients learn to regulate their nervous system, reorganize traumatic memories, and reclaim agency over their embodied responses.

I also draw on AEDP, which emphasizes the healing power of positive emotional experiences (e.g. connection, felt support, self-compassion) in addition to making meaning of suffering. I see psychotherapy as an opportunity not just for symptom reduction, but for relational repair, emotional deepening, creativity, and personal emergence.

In many cases, we may integrate more structured techniques like CBT or mindfulness practices when they serve the client’s goals—whether to challenge unhelpful thinking patterns, enhance emotion regulation, or support behavioral activation. But those tools are always embedded within a relational, developmental, and experiential context.

My commitment is to honesty, curiosity, flexibility, and respect for the resilience and wisdom present in every individual—even when life has felt overwhelming. My goal is not to “fix” you, but to accompany you in reclaiming your own capacity for insight, balance, connection, and inner strength.

Areas of Focus & Common Concerns

People come to therapy with many different struggles—and often, more than one. Some of the areas I frequently work with include:

• Anxiety, worry, fear, and chronic stress

• Depression, low mood, loss of motivation, and emotional numbing

• Trauma, PTSD, and the lingering effects of adverse experiences

• Attachment wounds, relational difficulties, and unresolved relational ruptures

• Identity, self-esteem, shame, and inner critical voices

• Difficult life transitions, existential concerns, grief, and meaning

• Emotion dysregulation, anger, and interpersonal reactivity

• Mind‐body interaction, somatic symptoms, and dissociative experiences

• Problems of self-cohesion, internal conflict, and integration

I view many of these issues through a trauma-informed lens: recognizing how early relational stress, neglect, or rupture can shape emotional and physiological organization over time. I also attend to resilience and resource-building—helping clients access their own strengths, relational supports, and capacities to foster healing and growth.

The Setting, Format & What to Expect

My primary practice is in Toronto, on Harbord Street just east of Bathurst. simonelevey.com+1 Many clients attend in person, and I also offer supervision and group work online. I aim to create a warm, private, and reflective clinical space—where clients can relax and gradually deepen inward exploration.

Therapy sessions typically last 50–60 minutes. We begin by developing an initial understanding of your concerns, your history, and your goals. From there, we co‐design a roadmap that balances safety, exploration, and growth. Some weeks may lean more toward emotional processing, others toward insight, others toward skill-building or somatic work. Yet every session is grounded in the relational connection.

I strive to maintain clarity about practicalities—fees, scheduling, boundaries, cancellation policies—so that the therapeutic work can rest on a foundation of mutual respect and predictability.

Beyond Therapy: Training, Consultation & Community Engagement

In addition to working directly with clients, I supervise trainees and early-career therapists, offer workshops and presentations, and consult in institutional and community contexts. At CCVT, my role in evaluations, teaching, and supervision reflects my passion for social justice, trauma-informed care, and serving populations impacted by forced migration and persecution.

I also participate actively in professional organizations and committees, contributing to continuing education, trauma research, and dialog across clinical communities. My ongoing learning—through conferences, specialized training, and peer work—is both a professional and ethical commitment to staying responsive and evolving as a clinician.

Why Work With Me?

Choosing a therapist is deeply personal. You might appreciate working with me if you:

• Seek a relational, attuned, and empathic therapeutic stance

• Want to integrate mind, body, and emotion (not just “talk therapy”)

• Are coping with trauma, relational ruptures, or existential concerns

• Desire a therapist who will balance safety, challenge, and growth

• Value working within an evidence-oriented yet flexible framework

• Prefer a clinician who continues to engage in supervision, learning, and community work to stay fresh, grounded, and humble

My guiding aim is to help you feel safer within yourself, deepen your capacity for connection and self-understanding, regulate emotional pain, and gradually orient toward a fuller life—one in which you feel more agency, resilience, clarity, and authentic aliveness.

If you are curious to see whether we might be a good fit, I welcome you to reach out. We can begin with a brief consultation to explore your needs and see how to move forward together.