I started Balens (pronounced Balance) Psychotherapy in 2023 because I kept seeing and feeling the same thing: people giving everything they had to everyone else, and ending up with nothing left for themselves.

As a nurse, I watched so many smart, caring people burn out quietly. And as a woman of colour, I knew what it felt like to be carrying so much in a world that often doesn’t make space for us.

I wanted Balens to be more than just therapy. I wanted it to feel like a soft landing. A space where high-achieving, big-hearted individuals, especially women of colour, could feel seen, supported, and safe to just be. A place where you don’t have to explain your existence before getting to the part where it hurts.

Balens Psychotherapy was created to balens (yup, pun intended!) evidence-based care with warmth, nature, and a whole lot of heart.

Over the past two years, what started as an idea has grown into something really special. Nature-inspired therapy is gently woven into the work through metaphors, mindfulness, or even just the quiet presence of a houseplant nearby. That small connection to nature has helped so many clients feel more grounded and more like themselves again.

It’s been beautiful to watch this practice grow alongside the people it supports, because healing, like nature, takes time, care, and its own season.