By Trudy Tumusime
Dhwani, and her husband, landed in Canada in 2020 on a repatriation flight after canceled travel plans. They arrived at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic grieving the loss of her father, stepping into the unknown with just hope and dreams. “It was hard. It was crazy.” She recalls.
Back in India, Dhwani was a trained psychologist with a Masters degree in clinical psychology and over 6 years of experience. Her profession was more than a job, it was identity.
Dhwani quickly realized her field in Canada was regulated. “Nobody was entertaining me.” She recalls. Her impressive credentials couldn’t secure a job. She was often told she lacked “Canadian experience.”
To survive, Dhwani took a minimum wage retail job while working on her professional registration. It was hard, but she embraced it as part of her journey.
It helped me to stay afloat and to understand the Canadian culture, people and how we interact. It is a very crucial part of who I am in Canada.”
She volunteered with a non-profit, putting some of her professional skills to use. Dhwani never let that stop her from trying to return to her profession, often attending information interviews for possible opportunities.
The process to register with the College of Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO) was overwhelming. She was advised to pursue another Masters degree in Canada, or get registered as a social worker, or apply independently to the College but she couldn’t access her transcripts back in India due to travel restrictions.
The Grief of Immigration
That’s when Dhwani began feeling what she calls ‘the grief of immigration.’
For the longest time, my identity was asking questions like who are you? ‘I am a psychotherapist.’ And here I was giving winding answers to the same question. And that wasn’t really an identity.”
By 2022, she was burnt out. “I was doing something that I wasn’t enjoying. I was doing it for survival.” She suggested to her husband a move back to India. “Nothing was working out – not my career, not my mental health. I was tired. I was worn out. I didn’t have a direction in my career.”
Sadly, as a psychotherapist, Dhwani couldn’t afford the therapy despite needing it. When she turned 30 in 2023, she went back home – not for vacation, but for healing. Her mother asked what she wanted as a birthday gift. “I said, ‘Therapy.” It was during those sessions that Dhwani realized she was carrying compounded grief – the loss of her father, the pandemic, and the identity loss of starting over in a foreign country.
The Turning Point
Dhwani returned to Canada with clarity, ready to try again. She attended a second info session with MNLC’s Bridge to Registration and Employment in Mental Health (BREM) which she had first discovered in 2021 but couldn’t join due to full-time work and financial constraints. Now, with her husband’s stable job, and slightly lighter emotional weight, she was ready.
I was finally doing something that I enjoyed. We were talking about therapy, using familiar terminology. I wrote about the grief of immigration in one of my BREM class assignments and I felt seen and heard.”
Dhwani had tried several options prior to BREM including mentorship programs that only offered generic advice with no mental health field specific nuances. With BREM, there were industry professionals who offered the help she needed. “I am so grateful for BREM for how much it helped ease my mental stress.” She expresses. “Because for me, it wasn’t about registration or a piece of document. It was about finding my identity again.”
BREM eased the CRPO registration process. “I am grateful to BREM. I was overwhelmed when I saw the CRPO website asking myself where I could start.” The placement component in BREM was her favourite part of the program. She secured a position at Dot Canada, a group practice where she still works today after being retained.
“BREM was healing, it was supportive, all professors were great. They helped me understand the Canadian context of my field and that’s the exact importance of bridging programs.”
In November 2024, Dhwani graduated valedictorian of her BREM cohort. She cannot conceal the excitement of being able to work in her field again after over 4 years. She is grateful for the last five years’ experience. “It was a test to go beyond who I am.”
Building a startup
Now a Registered Psychotherapist, Dhwani is doing more than just practicing therapy – she’s reimagining how it can be delivered. With a business partner, she is building a mental health startup that offers tools and resources for those who may not opt for traditional therapy or afford it. She currently operates with sliding-scale fees, ensuring that mental wellness is accessible to all.
My approach is simple. Therapy doesn’t have to be complicated. I know what it feels like to need help but not be able to afford it,” she shares.
Dhwani uses a blended approach to therapy, now centering around anxiety, grief, burnout, and identity loss – all themes she has lived through. And she’s not stopping there. “I want to make mental health a daily conversation.”
Today, Dhwani lives with her husband and their dog, the newest family member they adopted during her BREM program. She’s discovered a love for camping and the outdoors and enjoys the Canadian fall season. She still works her part-time retail job too.
“I never knew I enjoyed these things until I had the space to explore them. Canada gave me that. It gave me the chance to figure out who I really am.”
To other newcomers, “Life is not linear. It doesn’t have to be.” Dhwani advises, “It can be messy, it can be crazy. It’s your story – you get to write it.”
