Meet Latoya

Latoya Buchanan MSW, RSW (she/her) is a Registered Social Worker who helps teens and adults turn challenges into opportunities for meaningful change, greater confidence, and improved emotional well-being.

With her experience working in Community Living and elementary School Board Social Work and education, Latoya brings a unique understanding of the challenges facing students, families, and educators. She supports teens experiencing anxiety, ADHD, school avoidance, bullying, school violence, and academic difficulties. Beyond helping young people manage their emotions, Latoya understands how to navigate education systems, advocate for appropriate supports, and help students feel more capable and successful at school.

 

For teachers and education professionals, Latoya understands that burnout is more than simply feeling tired. Whether you're struggling with workplace stress, considering a leave of absence, or preparing to return to work, she helps you establish healthier boundaries, rebuild confidence, and find a more sustainable way forward.

Latoya is equally passionate about helping adults understand how past experiences, family dynamics, and intergenerational trauma may be influencing their present relationships and emotional well-being. She has a particular commitment to supporting Black and racialized communities, as well as survivors and witnesses of intimate partner violence, offering culturally responsive care where clients can feel safe, respected, and understood.

 

Born and raised in Jamaica, Latoya brings an appreciation for the ways culture, family, and community shape our identities and experiences. As a Black woman and immigrant to Canada, she recognizes the complexities of navigating cultural expectations, identity, belonging, and systemic barriers. These perspectives inform her commitment to culturally responsive, strengths-based, and anti-oppressive practice, where each client's unique experiences, values, and identity are respected and embraced.

 

Drawing from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)-informed strategies, polyvagal-informed approaches, and trauma-informed practices, Latoya goes beyond simply listening. She works collaboratively with clients to identify what's keeping them stuck, develop practical coping strategies, recognize their strengths, and make meaningful progress toward their personal goals. She understands that healing is not a one-size-fits-all process and tailors her approach to each client's individual needs, experiences, and pace.

 

Whether you're seeking support for yourself or your teen, Latoya offers a welcoming, non-judgmental space where you can feel heard, gain clarity, and begin taking steps toward the changes that matter most to you. Latoya is known and appreciated for her warm and comforting approach and her quick sense of humour. When she is not supporting her clients, she is spending quality time with her children, visiting her local library, going on long drives, and travelling to explore new places in nature.