Faculty
All Institute faculty are members of professional organizations such as the Ontario Society of Registered Psychotherapists, The Canadian Association of Psychodynamic Therapy and the Ontario Association of Consultants, Counsellors, Psychometrists and Psychotherapists.
Tamara Lynn Robert, (she/her),RP, is a registered psychotherapist and clinical supervisor in private practice. Tamara identifies as a white, queer, cis woman whose ancestors were settlers to Canada of English and French descent. She has over 20 years of experience working on the front lines in health and social services with people who have been deeply impacted by trauma, traumatic grief,mental health and substance use issues. She works relationally through a cultural humility lens that abides by anti-racist and anti-oppressive perspectives. She also has a passion for family and couples therapy and works with diverse relationship configurations with a particular focus of healing trauma in relationships.
Susan Tarshis, (she/her) BA, LLB, MEd, RP, is a registered psychotherapist in full time private practice. Her work is relational, intersubjective and intersectionally feminist. A graduate of TIRP, she works with adult individuals and has particular competencies with respect to gender and sexuality. Her work is trauma informed and she has integrated her relational approach with her training in EMDR. She has experience as a Peer Assessor with the College of Registered Psychotherapists and keen continuing interest in all matters surrounding the Ethics, Standards of Practice and the regulatory environment of psychotherapy practice.
Tanja Thani, (she/her), BSc (Hons), MSW, RSW, is a registered social worker who works both in private practice and in national and local community mental health services. She has experience in suicide/crisis intervention, traumatic loss, and individual, couple, family, and group therapy. She practices from a trauma informed, and anti-oppressive framework using an eclectic approach that includes relational, CBT, DBT, solution focused, narrative, emotion focused, Gestalt, somatic, and EMDR modalities. In this role, she hopes to foster how profound relational work can be for both client and therapist as well as nurture reflexive practice so that therapy is more inclusive, accessible, and decolonized for all people.
faculty associate
Tate Sameshima (he/him), BFA (Hons), DipTIRP, RP(Q) is excited, honoured and ready to join TIRP Faculty this upcoming year. He brings a tapestry of diverse experience as he has strived to find fulfillment in honouring both his love for the Arts as well as his familial roots in the medical field. After years of providing support to medical staff and patients in surgical and oncology hospital units, Tate was steered by his creative side and changed course. Holding his camera close, he founded and operated various arts and design businesses in Toronto, while prioritizing the facilitation of safer 2SLGBTQI+ community spaces. TIRP has been an integral part of his return to the helping professions. While valuing the foundation of relational psychotherapy, Tate has scaffolded his individuals and couples psychodynamic work with his learnings in attachment theory, complex trauma, structural dissociation theory, somatic embodiment, neurobiology, mindfulness and DBT. Employing an anti-racist and anti-oppression lens, he is dedicated to addressing the systemic barriers in mental health in both his independent practice as well as his volunteer work with the 519 Community Centre, where he provides therapy to 2SLGBTQI+ identified newcomers. As a neurodivergent, trans-masculine person of Japanese and Ukrainian descent born into settler privilege in Canada,Tate holds in high regard the importance of empathy and authenticity when fostering genuine connections and being with the intricacies of the human experience. He has always been and will continue to be a work in progress, leading with vulnerability alongside his unwavering commitment to healing and growth.
former faculty
Pat DeYoung, co-founder Rozanne Grimard, co-founder Judy Gould, Karen Essex, Jason Winkler, Michael Pollex, Ronnie Ali
Students
Students come to TIRP from across Ontario and from diverse social, cultural, educational, and professional backgrounds.
Many have experience in education, social work, nursing, or other helping professions. Others use TIRP as part of a major change in career direction.
TIRP students bring with them self-awareness they have gained in their personal therapy, and a willingness to continue to explore their relational patterns in group process and individual therapy.
Students who prosper at TIRP enjoy experiential learning, self-directed study, and lively, authentic engagement with peers and faculty.