Deanne Arada,
MSW, RSW

Pronouns: She/her/hers

Service Areas: Alberta, Ontario, Quebec

Availability: Accepting new clients

Âba Wathtech. Oki. Danit’ada. Hello. If you’ve made it here, I want to honour that. The quiet effort it takes to even begin. The weight you might be carrying. The hope—however small—that things could feel different. My name is Deanne. I come to this work not as someone with all the answers, but as a fellow human—Filipino-Canadian, first-generation, shaped by migration, silence, and the slow work of return. I live and practice as a guest on the unceded lands of the Îyârhe Nakoda, with gratitude to the Tsuut’ina, Niitsítapi, and Métis peoples who continue to live in relationship with these mountains. I speak these greetings—Âba Wathtech, Oki, Danit’ada—with deep respect. And with the ache of knowing that parts of my own ancestral language—Tagalog and Visayan—have been lost along the way. That grief lives quietly beside me, reminding me how deeply place, story, and identity live in the body. The way I hold space has been shaped by these personal threads—by what it means to carry loss, to search for belonging, and to find healing not in answers but in connection.

Appointment Types

  • In-person

  • Virtual

Populations Served

  • Individuals

  • Teens

  • Children (7+)

Heart Bullets
  • Culturally Responsive

  • 2SLGBTQIA+ Affirmative

Approaches & Certifications

  • Visual Art Therapy

  • Guided Drawing® Practitioner

  • Humanistic Therapy

  • Emotion-Focused Therapy

  • Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

  • Dialectical Behavioural Therapy

  • Critical Social Work Approach

  • Trauma-Informed Approach

  • Mindfulness Integration

  • Anti-Oppressive Approach

Areas of Focus & Specialization

  • Trauma

  • Relationship Issues

  • Grief & Loss

  • Emotional Regulation

  • Anxiety & Depression

  • Racial/Cultural Identity

  • Systemic Oppression

  • Life Transitions

  • Coping Skills


About My Approach

I don’t believe healing is about “fixing” you—it’s about making space for what’s been carried. For what’s been silenced, scattered, or forgotten. For what still longs to be seen, remembered, or reclaimed. I’ve had the honour of walking alongside children (7+), teens, and adults navigating anxiety, depression, grief (including the loss of beloved pets), life transitions, and the layered process of exploring cultural identity. My work draws from Emotion-Focused Therapy, CBT, DBT, and Visual Arts Therapy. Each session is shaped by what you bring into the room and what feels possible at that moment. I believe in meeting people where they are—with gentleness, curiosity, and care.

My approach is rooted in humanistic values, anti-oppressive practice, and a deep respect for your inner wisdom. Healing, as I see it, happens through relationship—with yourself, with others, and with the stories that live within you. If you feel drawn to creative expression, art, or ritual, we can follow those threads together. And if you simply need a quiet, steady space to feel, rest, or be witnessed—you are just as welcome. You don’t have to do this alone.

Ready to get started?

For questions, please email me at deanne@thecognitivecorner.ca

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