I've been a client of Dr. Malak's since December 2020, right when my depression symptoms activated (due to the pandemic). Since then, she has been helping me navigate my mind and put words to describe those feelings and thoughts, which helps me process and understand what happens to me. I am no stranger to anxiety and depression and have seen other Psychologists in the past. Dr. Malak is incredibly smart, kind and thoughtful. She is very professional and has created and environment where I can share anything I need to. She has been helping me deal with the grief due to the death of my brother, he decided to end his life and the event was (and is) very traumatic for me. I have gone from feeling completely numb and unhopeful about life to wanting (and feeling that I deserve) to enjoy my existence and be loved by others. Words can't express my gratitude towards her. I would highly recommend her. Her admin team is excellent as well, Valerie is on top of all and is a very sweet person, it makes it very easy to deal with bookings, invoicing, etc.

Submitted Nov. 29, 2022

I have always been hesitant when it comes to therapy; however, Dr. Malak was very welcoming and allowed me to get comfortable from the start. I wasn't in the best of places when I initially reached out, and she was very accommodating, getting me as quickly as she could.

The sessions in generally were invaluable, made a lot of progress very quickly - obviously this would vary from person to person, but I found our conversations / sessions helped me fill the missing pieces that I was trying to figure out on my own. She guided me and pushed where needed, and although at times uncomfortable, you could tell her goal was to help me achieve mine and she did so in an effective manner.

There is always more I could say, but in summary I would recommend Dr. Malak to anyone, and have already done so once before.

Submitted Nov. 18, 2022

Dr. Malak and her team are an amazing and helpful group of people! I have been seeing Dr. Malak for about 5 years now and since starting with her I have made leaps and bounds when it comes to dealing with, and understanding more thoroughly my childhood trauma and how that effects me in my current place in life. You can tell that Dr. Malak truly cares about her patients well being which truly helped me open up in ways that I didn't think possible. She is compassionate, insightful, extremely intelligent and just an all around amazing person. I cannot thank Dr. Malak enough for her constant support!

Submitted Oct. 24, 2022

Dr. Malak and her team are fabulous. I only had few sessions with her and Dr Malak was of great help in finding the root cause of my problem and provided me with means to alleviate and correct my issues. I was very at ease to communicate with Dr Malak and express all my feelings. It was very easy to schedule an session as Valerie her assistant always go the extra mile to schedule an appointment when I needed one. I would strongly recommend Dr. Malak and her team.

Submitted Oct. 21, 2022

Dr. Malak and her team have been a pleasure to work with - I only required Dr. Malak's services for a short period of time as she was able to get to the root of my concerns quickly - which was both impressive and encouraging. Dr. Malak is very kind, understanding and knowledgeable - I would highly recommend her.

Submitted Oct. 11, 2022

I first saw Dr. Malak several years ago when she was at a different practice and was happy to find her again recently after needing someone to talk through some struggles. She is empathetic and super knowledgeable. She has helped me understand the root of some of my feelings and behavior and it has helped me feel empowered to recognize and make appropriate changes. I also really appreciate that she respects my desire to not have regular appointments, but schedule them as needed.

Submitted Oct. 5, 2022

Dr. Malak is an amazing confidant who is always going above and beyond for her patients. I have been seeing Dr. Malak since 2018 and she has helped me navigate through some of the most challenging times in my life. I often find it hard to trust and open up to people. However, I truly feel like I can tell Dr. Malak everything and just be myself.

Over the years, Dr. Malak has stepped outside of her role and served as an excellent mediator or family/relationship counsellor. When I struggled with expressing myself, Dr. Malak helped me identify healthy ways of voicing my concerns and dealing with difficult situations through role-playing. Through my treatment with Dr. Malak, I have been able to understand/accept my emotions, forgive myself for my errors in judgement, and develop coping strategies through it all. Her methods have taught me to find, accept and love myself. In turn, she has made it possible for me to improve all of the relationships in my life and build new ones more easily. She has empowered me and helped me improve my overall happiness.

Submitted Aug. 9, 2022

I have struggled with depression for about 4 years. I've been to the hospital twice and have had a suicide attempt. I've been through a number of different psychologists but none have helped me like Dr. Abu Shakra. Up until I met her, I had a belief that therapy was not going to be useful to me and that I would never be able to get better. After talking with Dr. Abu Shakra, I started to get insight on a lot of topics that had never been addressed before with my previous psychologists. She helped me get over this hurdle and I am now living a much happier life. I would 100% recommend Dr. Abu Shakra.

Submitted July 21, 2022

I first started seeing Dr. Abu Shakra in the summer before my first year of university. I have struggled with intense anxiety for as long as I can remember and since I had a huge transition coming up I thought it would be best to seek treatment to help me cope with what was sure to be a very overwhelming period in my life. As expected, the transition was immensely difficult not only because of the fast-paced atmosphere and impossible workload, but also because I soon realized that I no longer wanted to pursue the career path that I had in mind when starting university. To make matters worse, a couple months before my first year was set to end the entire world shut down thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. I honestly don’t know how I would have gotten through these past few years without Dr. Abu Shakra. All the time I had cooped at home was spent ruminating over my fears and anxieties surrounding school and what I was going to do with my life! Everything seemed so big and scary in my head but talking things out with her, receiving validation for my feelings and having the space to truly reflect on where I find meaning and enjoyment in life helped to set me on the path I am on now. I feel like I have a much clearer direction in life and, while anxiety never truly goes away, it is significantly more manageable and not debilitating like it once was. Having this space to work through my fears and self-reflect in a non-judgmental setting has been more helpful than I could ever express and so I highly recommend seeing Dr. Abu Shakra if you are struggling with feeling lost in life as I was!

Submitted July 16, 2022

I have been seeing Dr. Malak virtually since 2020 after having worked with another psychologist. I am so glad that I was able to find her. She has helped me with anxiety, OCD, childhood trauma and workplace harassment. I look forward to our sessions. She is understanding, kind and supportive which is something that I really appreciate because I no longer have to suffer in silence. She has taught me strategies and techniques to help me manage my anxiety, OCD and toxic work environment. She has carefully guided and supported me with exposure therapy for OCD, but only when and if I'm ready for it. I never feel pressure to engage in a therapy that I'm not ready for. I’ve learned so much about my struggles because she explains things in such a simple and respectful way (even though it’s far from simple). It’s not easy to find someone that genuinely cares to improve your quality of life. Dr. Malak is also very knowledgeable about workplace dynamics and has taught me how to manage in an extremely stressful environment (my manager has had numerous complaints against her from other colleagues but upper management has turned a blind eye).

Also, I couldn’t write this review without acknowledging Val, the clinical manager. Val always tries to make all the administrative piece easy and stress-free, which is exactly what I need. But most importantly, she is just so sweet and whenever we’ve talked or emailed, she always tries to help and gets back to me as soon as she can.

Dr. Malak is brilliant and an absolute angel that I highly recommend!

Submitted June 2, 2022