about

You can live a meaningful life with
chronic pain and illness.

A woman with curly blonde hair smiling, holding a brown leather notebook, dressed in a black shirt, standing against a plain white background.

Hi, I’m Ashley

I am a registered social worker and psychotherapist with a Master of Social Work Degree.

I know firsthand the impacts that this can have on all parts of your life, and this work is deeply personal to me. 

It is the privilege of a lifetime to do this work and walk alongside you on your journey. 

I draw on a range of therapeutic modalities, including Internal Family Systems (Parts Work), EMDR, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Polyvagal Theory, and Sex Therapy approaches.

My methods are grounded in Health at Every Size, anti-diet principles, and body neutrality. This foundation allows us to honor your unique experiences and create a space for healing that unfolds on your terms.

I take an anti-oppressive, feminist approach that recognizes how society shapes our/your experiences of living with chronic illness and pain, our bodies, and our understanding of sex and intimacy.

I work from a sex-positive framework that honours your boundaries, pleasure, and supports your personal definitions of intimacy.

A woman with curly hair in a white shirt and blue jeans, sitting on a tan sofa with a laptop beside her, in a bright room with large windows and white walls.
Ashley Calder Psychotherapy Logo

Outside of work, I love to read, trips to the library, plants, thrift shopping, traveling and seeing live music.
I am passionate about community building — it is important for me to be involved in my community through the local Agricultural Society and Fair Board, Public Library Board, Hospice Board of Directors, Executive Board of the Royal Canadian Legion and an inclusion/school climate committee with my local high school.

I specialize in working with women navigating the complex intersections of chronic illness or pain, body image struggles and the impacts on sex and intimacy. My approach blends trauma-informed care, mind-body awareness and compassionate conversation around the things that often go unspoken. 

Whether you’re managing an invisible illness, feeling numb or disconnected during intimacy or grieving a body that no longer feels like yours - I’m here to help you reclaim your voice, your sensuality and sexuality and your self-trust. 

I support women who are living with:

  • The impacts of having experienced trauma

  • Chronic pain or chronic illness (ie. autoimmune conditions, endometriosis, migraines, fibromyalgia, vulvodynia, etc) 

  • Body shame, body image concerns and changes from illness or trauma 

  • Loss or changes in sexual desire, arousal, orgasm or painful sex 

  • Sexual trauma - processing sexual trauma or abuse to regain a sense of safety and pleasure

  • Anxiety, depression, grief and identity shifts related to health and illness 

  • Relationship strain caused by illness, intimacy, sex or body image struggles 

    • Master of Social Work Degree - University of Toronto

    • Bachelor of Arts in Psychology Degree - Trent University

    • Dialectical Behaviour Therapy 

    • EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Re-Processing) Basic Training

    • The Sexuality Competent Therapist (Foundations): Integrating Sex Therapy into Your Practice 

    • San'yas Indigenous Cultural Safety Training 

    • Internal Family Systems - Stepping Stones IFSCA 

    • Sex & Trauma: Helping Clients Move Beyond Trauma and & Reclaim their Sexuality 

    • Attachment-Focused Adult Psychotherapy Advanced Certificate 

    • Being Here, Human - Grief Literacy Certificate

    • Treating Trauma in the Context of an Eating Disorder: Foundations and Interventions Workshop with Dr. Anita Federici 

    • Reclaiming Pleasure: Embodied Joy in Trauma Recovery and Social Change

    • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: Enhancing your Practice with Acceptance, Self-Compassion and Values-Based Action 

    • Narrative Therapy 

    • Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy

    • Registered Social Worker with the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers (OCSWSSW)

    • Member of the Ontario Association of Social Workers (OASW)

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book consultation call

book consultation call

Let’s have a gentle, no-pressure conversation to see if working together feels right. I offer a free 15-minute consultation via telephone or video call.