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Dr. Sarah Lade (she/her; NS #R1221)

I am a doctoral clinical psychologist and neuropsychologist who works with adults and older adults navigating difficult, overwhelming, or painful emotional experiences. I support individuals struggling with depression and bipolar depression, anxiety disorders, trauma- and stress-related responses, personality factors, emotional regulation difficulties, interpersonal challenges, and long-standing unhelpful coping patterns. I also work with people navigating identity-related concerns (e.g., gender identity, 2SLGBTQIA+ identity), neurodiversity (e.g., ADHD, ASD), major life transitions (e.g., changes in family roles, aging, grief, loss, miscarriage/pregnancy), as well as the psychological impact of brain injury, neurological illness, and neurodegenerative changes.

Many of the people I work with feel stuck in coping strategies that once helped them survive but now feel limiting, exhausting, or no longer supportive. I understand emotional distress as deeply shaped by lived context and identity, including intersecting factors such as race, gender, sexuality, class, ability, and other social dimensions. These forces meaningfully influence experiences of safety, belonging, power, privilege, and oppression. My therapeutic approach emphasizes emotional safety, choice, collaboration, and respect. I believe healing happens at a pace that feels right for each person. Therapy is a space to make sense of what you have been carrying, reduce shame, and feel more grounded and supported. I aim to show up as a real and genuine person in the room rather than a distant or overly clinical expert. When it feels helpful, I am direct and honest, and I believe clarity can be a form of care. I am comfortable naming patterns openly while remaining warm and attuned. When appropriate, I also bring in humour to help difficult conversations feel more human and less heavy. I approach my work from a feminist, humanistic, trauma-informed, and gender-affirming perspective.

My work is client-centred and integrative, drawing on evidence-based approaches including Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), and mindfulness-based practices (MBCT). I completed my PhD in Clinical Psychology at McMaster University in a CPA-accredited program, with extensive training in both clinical psychology and clinical neuropsychology. In addition to therapy, I provide comprehensive psychological and neuropsychological assessments for adults, including individuals with brain injury, neurological conditions, cognitive changes, or diagnostic uncertainty, for medical, disability, insurance and rehabilitation purposes.

Across all aspects of my work, my goal is to foster a meaningful and authentic relationship in which you feel seen, respected, and genuinely supported as you work toward lasting change. Rather than focusing on “fixing” patterns, our work centres on building understanding, strengthening adaptive coping, and reconnecting with a sense of agency and meaning, so you feel less bound by patterns that no longer serve you.