Hello, I’m Brittany Pompilii, MRFT, RP-Q.
Let me begin with my journey to becoming a psychotherapist.
My path to becoming a therapist was deeply influenced by my own experiences of therapy and healing work. Therapy created a space for me to understand myself differently; it changed how I learned to relate to my inner world, my emotions, my body, and the relationships I was a part of. I was empowered by the experience of being deeply seen, understood, and supported in places I could not face alone for a long time.
I learned what can be possible when we are given space to bring compassion to the parts of ourselves that have long remained hidden, misunderstood, or rejected.
Alongside my healing, I began working in research and advocacy focused on gender-based, sexual, and intimate partner violence, exploring how survivors can take power back and experience pleasure and joy in their lives. This led me to work alongside survivors of sexual and relational trauma for years. I will never forget their stories, as they are forever woven into how I understand trauma, transformation, relationships, empowerment and resilience. I was, and continue to be, changed by the survivors I’ve met throughout my time in this field.
I am also someone drawn to meaning-making, particularly through psychology, literature, and esoteric study. I believe there is wisdom in evidence-based research and symbol, story, myth, and the spiritual beliefs that help us understand our lives.
As a therapist, I bring a grounded, compassionate, and deeply engaged presence to our work. I do not shy away from intensity, complexity, or contradiction - rather, I welcome it!
For when we have the courage to face, or speak to, the parts of ourselves and others that we avoid - healing can be sustainable, and change, possible.
I am grounded in a justice-oriented, equity-focused practice
My identity as a therapist is shaped by my Italian-Canadian lineage, the histories of sacrifice, belonging, tradition, opportunity, and loss that immigrant families can carry, and my own ongoing process of questioning the beliefs and systems that have shaped my ideas about relationships, purpose, and love itself.
This has taught me to pay attention to the forces that influence our sense of self, and to create space for imagining who we might become beyond them. I also continue to reflect critically on what it means to live and practice as a settler on stolen land, including the ways colonial histories have shaped my upbringing and the mental health systems in which I was trained. This informs my commitment to anti-oppressive, decolonizing, and liberatory practice.
As such, I believe pleasure and joy can be powerful forms of resistance and healing. Systems of oppression often rely on disconnecting us from our bodies, instincts, intuition, desire, community, and creativity. I’ve come to know how pleasure is power. How joy disrupts despair and hopelessness. How desire resists control. Choosing aliveness in a world designed for disconnection can become a personal, political act of empowerment and collective change.
In therapy, this means we will go to the hard places. We will speak about pain. And we will also create space to imagine and build ways to feel alive beyond the systems that fail us and ask us to become less of ourselves.
As I write this, I acknowledge that my lived experiences do not define me, nor do they make me an expert in anyone else’s life. They have, however, taught me to remain curious about the complexity of being human, to pay attention to power and context, and to approach this work with humility.
Ultimately, I hope therapy can be a place where you are able to understand not only what has shaped you, but also what opens up for you when you have more freedom to decide who you want to be, what you want to carry forward, and what you are ready to leave behind.
My Education & Training
I am a Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) with a Master's degree in Relational & Family Therapy (MRFT) from the University of Guelph. During my training program, I completed 530+ direct client contact hours in relational & systemic models of therapy with individuals, couples, and families across a diversity of therapeutic concerns.
I also hold a Bachelor's degree in Psychology (Honours) with double minor specializations in English Literature and Family & Child Studies.
My work is informed by training in:
Relational & Systemic Therapy
Collaborative / Dialogic, Solution-Focused, and Narrative Therapies
Somatic Experiencing and Somatic Parts Work
Trauma-Informed Practice
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (TF-CBT)
Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT) for Couples and Families
Indigenous Wisdom in Trauma Recovery
I have also worked as an academic and community researcher on projects exploring young adult sexual consent, sexual and gender identity, consensual unwanted sex, sex worker relational experiences, trauma bond relationships, precarious and “toxic” masculinity, perfectionism and ADHD, housing insecurity, refugee women's experiences, drag performers' workplace experiences, and gender-based violence policy in Ontario.
As an integrative therapist, I draw from these approaches + experience thoughtfully and flexibly, adapting our therapeutic conversation to your unique needs, strengths, and hopes for our work together.
Beyond academic studies, much more of what I have learned about healing and care have come from community, survivor-led, folk, and Indigenous perspectives around spirituality, queerness, land-based healing, cultural and ancestral connection, relationships, authenticity, and justice.
I carry these teachings with deep gratitude and integrate them into my practice in honour of the people, communities, natural world, and elders who have generously shared their wisdom with me in service of this work.
Outside of therapy, who am I really?
The therapeutic relationship is integral to the work we do together. I believe it is important for me to offer parts of myself that can provide insights into who I am, outside of therapy.
In my personal and professional relationships, I am often referred to (lovingly) as the emotional & deep one. I tend to be a person that people come to for emotional support, for deep conversations, and for a good laugh!
I have a sensitive soul, an open heart, and a fierce passion that runs through everything I do.
I love to read (any and all genres), with some of my favourite books being: Women Who Run With the Wolves, Mysteries of the Dark Moon, The Night Circus, and of course, Percy Jackson & the Olympians.
I also enjoy watching soccer and hockey (Toronto Maple Leafs fan… allegedly), writing, herbalism, esoteric study, and playing music.
Oh, and trying to keep my plants alive.
Curious about working together? Let's start with a conversation about your story, what you're looking for support with, and whether working together feels like the right fit.