We all need a safe place to land
Welcome to Safe Haven Therapy
Have you tried talk therapy and CBT, but still feel stuck in old patterns? Are you ready to slow down, learn to feel and come back to life? Do you yearn for a space where all of you is welcome—the grief and anxiety, the trauma and transitions, the strength and creativity? Then Safe Haven Therapy may be the place for you.
I provide a space to learn to stay present with big feelings instead of jumping to fight, fix or flee from them. My work is always trauma-informed, strengths-based and based in an anti-oppression, liberators perspective. I help people through trauma, anxiety, abuse, depression, grief and big life changes with courage and care. Therapy here includes the body, heart and mind to relearn safety, wholeness and aliveness, while acknowledging and challenging the historical, ancestral and systemic factors too.
A safe haven isn’t about hiding from the world. It’s about building the inner safety that allows you to move into life with more courage and clarity.
If this sounds like what you’re looking for, book a free introductory call to see if we might be a fit.
Specializing in psychotherapy for
Queer, trans & non-binary folks
Meditators, spiritual seekers & the religiously wounded
Neurodivergent & highly sensitive people
Artists, activists & change-makers
Melina Bondy (they/them)
Registered Psychotherapist, Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, Master of Psychospiritual Studies
I’m a Registered Psychotherapist, Meditation teacher and Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, but first and foremost I’m a human just like you who has lived through hard times and has done a lot of my own therapy. So I know how scary, exciting and important this step can be. I’m glad you’re here. Learn more about me.
My approach is warm, relational, and trauma-informed. I believe therapy is not about fixing what is broken, but about rediscovering what has always been whole. In Buddhist language, this is called Buddha Nature. I often think of the story of the Golden Buddha of Bangkok: for centuries, people thought the statue was made of clay, until cracks revealed it was made of solid gold, covered in clay. No one know quite what happened but it seems that in a time of crisis, the precious statue was covered to protect it, and it took centuries before the real statue was revealed. In the same way, our innate wholeness is often covered by layers of pain, shame, and trauma—but it never disappears. Together in therapy, we gently and carefully uncover your gold.
I draw on:
Somatic Psychotherapy to support healing through the nervous system and body.
Mindfulness and Buddhist Psychology, grounded in 20+ years of practice across Plum Village and Insight traditions
Anti-Oppressive and Trauma-Informed Care, shaped by my study and lived commitment to racial justice, queer liberation, a neurodivergence paradigm, disability justice and cultural humility.
Spiritual Care, for those navigating religious trauma, spiritual doubt, or searching for meaning.
I specialize in supporting:
LGBTQ+ clients exploring gender and sexuality, internalized transphobia or homophobia, and identity-based anxiety or depression.
Neurodivergent people learning to de-pathologize themselves while navigating the challenges of living in a neurotypical world.
People with spiritual and religious struggles, including religious trauma, difficult meditation experiences, or spiritual exploration.
Those in major life transitions, such as health crises, grief and loss, career changes, and other chosen or unchosen shifts.
I meet clients with respect for your uniqueness and with trust that healing happens when we are met exactly as we are.
I also recognize the privileges I carry as a white, educated settler on the colonized land of Tkaronto. Practicing cultural humility, listening across differences, and working toward equity are part of my ongoing commitment to ethical care.
If I could leave clients with one question, it would be this:
“What if you didn’t have to fight what you’re feeling?”
Therapy is about making space for that possibility—and discovering the golden wisdom that lies within.