Joining us in September.
Abdel Habaka is a Master of Counselling Psychology (MACP) candidate at Athabasca University, completing his practicum year here at Dearborn Therapy. He has several years of experience in mental health and addictions programs across the Kenora area, including youth live-in treatment, shelter operations, and culturally responsive program and system design. Abdel is completing his thesis during his practicum and supporting current research with Athabasca University. You can learn more about that work here: https://livingatlasofquality.ca/search-center/regenerative-communitiesliving/
He has also been instructing courses at Seven Generations College in Kenora for the past three years, focusing on integrating Anishinaabe knowledge and practices within a mainstream Western education system.
Abdel takes an integrative approach to therapy. He draws primarily on dialectical-behavioural, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, and solutions-focused brief therapy but his work considers the full picture: biological, psychological, social, and spiritual. He stays within his competence and makes sure you are not only focused on one area without considering the others. For Abdel, integration means working with the evidence, while also honouring cultural and traditional knowledge. He listens to your full story, considers different levels of context, and together, we co-construct meaning and agree on what the therapy will consist of.
Bilingual in English and Arabic, with Egyptian-Canadian roots, Abdel often works with clients navigating bicultural identity, family expectations, faith, and the systems they deal with daily. He believes therapy works best when it feels like a real conversation, without judgment, and at a pace that fits you. He welcomes clients from all backgrounds and ages, with a particular focus on youth and young adults between 16 and 30.
Outside of work, Abdel enjoys playing sports, engaging in diverse cultural activities, and learning about the world.
For now to get on his list, reach out to admin@dearborntherapy.ca
