Background

Welcome! My name is Arianna Sterza (she/her), and I am a Student Intern Counsellor currently completing my Master of Counselling at City University. I was born in Italy and moved to Canada at a young age, growing up between two languages and cultures. Reconnecting with my roots as an adult has deepened my appreciation for adaptability, humility, and the many ways we find belonging. I am also queer and neurodivergent, and these parts of who I am shape my approach to counselling. They remind me to meet people with curiosity and compassion, and to honour the different ways we all come to understand ourselves and the world around us. My path to counselling has been shaped by both personal experiences with healing and a lifelong interest in how our inner and outer worlds influence one another.

​

Before beginning my counselling journey, I spent more than a decade teaching yoga, working in the hospitality industry, and volunteering with social-justice and mental-health organizations, including the Crisis Centre and local community centres. I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a Minor in Gender Studies and have completed over 1,000 hours of yoga teacher training. My yoga background continues to shape how I understand healing—as a holistic process that unfolds through the connection among mind, body, and lived experience. I am deeply interested in the stories our bodies hold, and in how movement, awareness, and presence can support emotional growth and integration.

​

Travelling, living abroad, and learning new languages have also shaped me in countless ways. They have taught me the importance of empathy, attunement, and humour—qualities I bring to all my relationships, both in and out of the therapy room.

 

Therapeutic Approach

My work is grounded in the belief that healing happens through connection—both within ourselves and with others. I take a relational, attachment-based, and trauma-informed approach, drawing from modalities such as emotion-focused, parts work, somatic, and mindfulness-based practices. Together, we might explore how the body holds stories that words cannot always express, how relational patterns reflect deeper needs, and how cultivating awareness can help you reconnect with your inner wisdom and sense of agency. In our work, I bring presence, attunement, and gentle guidance as you deepen understanding, compassion, and trust in yourself.

 

When working with me, you can expect warmth, authenticity, and collaboration. I strive to create a space that feels safe enough for honesty, curiosity, and even humour. My practice is queer-, kink-, and poly-affirming, neurodiversity-affirming, and culturally responsive, grounded in a belief that healing is both personal and collective. Whether you are beginning therapy for the first time or returning to it after time away, I will meet you where you are and adapt our work to your needs—sometimes through reflective dialogue, somatic awareness, or mindfulness-based grounding. My hope is that therapy helps you feel more connected, compassionate, and at home in yourself.

​

My online booking link can be found here.