Get to Know Us
The Lotus flower is a beautiful symbol of the growth and healing process our team has the privilege to be a part of with our clients every day.
We draw our inspiration from the Lotus flower's and its very unique growth process. The Lotus starts rooted deep in the mud, but unlike other flowers, it must make its way through the murky water until it finally breaks the surface and finally blooms in the sun - beautiful and whole.
Our female led team of therapists provide the best therapy in Hamilton and surrounding areas.
Our Mission
Our mission is simple - to deliver evidence-based psychotherapy aligned with what is offered at leading healthcare organizations while ensuring that the service structure supports our client's unique needs.
Through decades of collective experience in both the private and public health care setting, our team offers unique expertise that guides our practice towards the components of providing services that we value. Our founders' blend of clinical and organizational management translates to an ability to truly deliver 'client-centred care without any undue restraints on our operation.
Unfortunately, public mental health and addictions services are underfunded and facing overwhelming pressure to "do more with less." This translates into long waitlists, narrow program inclusion criteria, and pressure on these services to manage the volume of people accessing services. We are fortunate to have the ability to offer mental health and addictions services both publicly and privately in Canada.
Our Foundation
Lotus Counselling Services was founded in 2014 by Elisha Schafer and began by operating out of the Burlington Public Library’s room rental service. We began with a primary focus on addictions and offered support to both clients and their families. In 2015, we moved into our first office and planted our roots in Waterdown. Elisha is a Registered Psychotherapist with a passion for working with people, delivering psychotherapy based on evidence and research, and supervising clinicians in developing their own practice.
Over the years, Elisha had the privilege of working with hundreds of individuals both at Lotus, and within Ontario’s leading Mental Health and Addictions Clinics and Research programs.
Although we have diversified over the years, our primary areas of focus are addictions and anxiety treatment.
Elisha was a proud member of the founding group of individuals who pioneered the Concurrent Disorders programs at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton. Elisha has also worked with Homewood Health Care, designing and implementing a co-morbid treatment for patients of the Assessment Stabilization & Comprehensive Psychiatric Care unit. The experience gained through working with healthcare industry leaders has laid the foundation that our practice is built upon.
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