The Thought Behind Aks
Reflection is the act of looking within oneself to understand and accept one's emotions, thoughts, and experiences.
As a tribute to the power of introspection, image, and personality traits, the name of our organization originates from an Urdu term for reflection, Aks (عکس), to serve as a sanctuary for those seeking guidance and support in their personal journeys.
Aks stands as a symbol of hope and transformation, a testament to the power of reflection and self-discovery. Its name reminds us that in order to find peace and clarity, we must first look within ourselves and reflect on our experiences.
The Team at Aks
Mahnoor Shaikh
MS Clinical Psyc., RP
Mahnoor is a Registered Psychotherapist with College of Registered
Psychotherapists of Ontario. She holds a Masters in Clinical Psychology with
an experience of 8 years providing psychotherapy to individuals, couples
and families.
Mahnoor uses a person-centred, strengths-based, trauma-informed approach
in her therapy to form a healthy relationship with the clients she works with.
Mahnoor is also certified in the use of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and applies techniques from Narrative Therapy, Psychoanalysis, Solution-Focused Brief Therapy and more. She strives to create a warm, empathetic, non-judgmental space for her clients to foster growth and independence.
Mahnoor has extensive experience working with clients struggling with depression, anxiety, trauma, grief, OCD, self-esteem, domestic violence, relationship struggles and more.
Waleed Riaz
HBSc, MACP, RP
Waleed is a member of the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy
Association (CCPA), and a Registered Psychotherapist with
the CRPO. Along with his Master's Degree in Counselling Psychology,
he has received certifications in mental health and addiction programs from
esteemed institutions like Yale, UoFT, CAMH, and UBC.
Waleed has been entrusted in various settings to provide mental health support
to residential, outpatient, and inpatient clients. His broad base of training and experience working with mood and anxiety disorders, substance use disorder, and stress management enables him to cater to the clients' needs empathetically and sensitively.
Waleed primarily works within the Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) framework, with the ability to integrate mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), motivational interviewing (MI) and dialectic behavioural therapy (DBT), as needed to cultivate positive outcomes from the treatment. He is fluent in English, Urdu, Kutchi / Memoni, and Hindi.