Hello, I’m Stefanie Rico (pronouns: she/her).
I'm a Registered Social Worker, Psychotherapist and Yoga Instructor with over a decade of experience working in the social service field including nonprofit management, frontline youth work and hospital-based research. I truly love my work and feel so lucky to combine my passions for mental health, community-building, and creative expression to inform a holistic approach to well-being.
My lived experiences of burnout, social anxiety and generally feeling like I never quite ‘fit in’ led me on a journey of seeking ways to feel better within myself and in the world. I also dealt with health conditions that flared up in my 20s, prompting me to evaluate my relationship to my emotions and physical body.
There have been many tools and guides that have helped me, the most impactful being: understanding my patterns through therapy, reconnecting to my Filipino heritage and ancestral practices, exploring my body’s wisdom through yoga and aligning myself with communities that work toward social justice.
As a lifelong learner walking alongside you on this path, I continue to engage in trainings, supervision and critical self-reflection for my personal and professional development. My calling has led me to this work, teaching tools that support the integration of mind, body and spirit as a compass and evolving guide to a life of purpose, peace and pleasure.
My formal education includes:
Master of Social Work (2013), University of Toronto
Bachelor of Psychology (2010), Western University
200-hr Yoga Teacher Training, Shivakali Yoga
50-hr Yin Yoga Teacher Training, Angela Jervis-Read, Yoga Space
Trauma-informed yoga and mindfulness training, New Leaf Yoga Foundation
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Dr. Russ Harris
ACT for Depression and Anxiety, Dr. Russ Harris
ACT for Grief and Loss, Dr. Russ Harris
Facilitator training, Mindfulness Without Borders
Sound Meditation Instrumental Training, Charlie Gates
Reiki 1 Certification, GTA Reiki
HIGH FIVE® Principles of Healthy Child Development
Radical Mental Health First Aide: Suicide & Safety Planning, N. Oumou Sylla
Crisis Intervention Training, Distress Centres
A PERSONAL NOTE
I have a deeply curious mind and feel drawn to exploring the topics that we often shy away from, whether it be our own mortality or other inner truths too heavy or too big to carry on our own; I’m adept at holding a compassionate space and helping to untangle the webs that give our lives both complexity and richness. I’m a Taurus Sun, Scorpio Rising and Aquarius Moon. Human Design 5/1 Manifestor and Myers-Briggs INFJ. I have found it valuable to equip myself with diverse ways of understanding as it helps me make sense of my own experiences and also connect with people who have wide-ranging lived experiences. I honour that everyone has their own ways unique values and beliefs, and am dedicated to working with you to find alignment with your goals and a meaningful life. I believe that taking the time and space for self-inquiry can help us come back home to ourselves.
"We're all just walking each other home" - Ram Dass
Land Acknowledgement
I am a second-generation immigrant/ settler living in Tkaronto; now known as Toronto, which in Mohawk means ‘where there are trees standing in the water.” With great respect I acknowledge the original inhabitants and traditional guardians of this land as Indigenous peoples including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnaabe, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat peoples. Tkaronto is covered by Treaty 13 signed with the Mississaugas of the Credit, and the Williams Treaty signed with multiple Mississaugas and Chippewa bands. It is our responsibility as settlers to commit ourselves to a continuous path of learning toward reconciliation and allyship of support for Indigenous rights to be restored.