Sara Tribe

I’ve been working with kids in one way or another for close to 20 years. While I was completing my undergrad in psychology, I started a summer camp for girls focused on building confidence and self-esteem. That experience was one of the first places I became interested in the importance of building self-efficacy alongside self-esteem. It wasn’t just about helping kids feel good about themselves. I wanted them to have opportunities to try hard things, discover what they were capable of, and build confidence through experience.

From there, I worked in camps, group homes and as a tutor before becoming a teacher. Much of my teaching career was spent in special education, supporting kids with different learning, developmental and emotional needs. The part of that work I loved most was always the relationships. I loved getting to know the kid beyond what was showing up academically or behaviourally, understanding what made them feel safe and understood, and building the trust that made everything else possible.

I also spent years working in hospitality, which might seem like an unlikely part of becoming a therapist. In reality, it gave me years of practice connecting with people, reading the room, and helping people feel comfortable quickly. Those are skills I still rely on every day.

Across all of these roles, the part I kept coming back to was the relationship. I became increasingly curious about what was happening underneath the things we could see on the surface, and what helped people feel understood, capable, and more like themselves. Eventually, that curiosity pulled me toward psychotherapy.

Along the way, I completed an MA in Child Study and Education at OISE and, later, a Master of Counselling Psychology. Today, all of those experiences shape how I work as a therapist. I believe connection comes before strategy, and that feeling capable can be just as important as feeling understood.

The relationship comes first. I want therapy to feel like a place where you can show up as you are, without having to perform, have the right words, or know exactly what you want to work on.

My style is warm, curious and collaborative. I’ll listen closely, but I won’t just sit back and nod. We’ll get curious about patterns, make space for what’s underneath them, and find practical ways to approach things differently. Sometimes that means sitting with something difficult. Other times it means experimenting, problem-solving, laughing, or noticing something you hadn’t noticed before.

My main therapeutic approach is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), which is less about trying to get rid of uncomfortable thoughts and feelings and more about changing your relationship with them. I also draw from Internal Family Systems (IFS), emotion-focused approaches, CBT and DBT, depending on the person and what we’re working on.

With kids, the same principles apply, but the work often looks different. We might use games, art, movement, play or activities to build connection and explore what’s going on in ways that feel natural to them.

Therapy can involve hard things, but I don’t think it needs to feel heavy all the time. There is room for humour, creativity and lightness here too.