Healing Without Shame: Therapy for When You’ve Been Hurt—or Caused Harm
In the complex space where sexuality, trauma, and justice intersect, healing is rarely linear—but it is always possible. Forensic therapy offers a compassionate lens into understanding harm, accountability, and transformation. At its heart, it's not about fixing, judging, or punishing—but about deeply listening, building trust, and cultivating awareness.
What is forensic therapy—and why it might matter to you
Forensic therapy (sometimes called forensic psychotherapy) integrates psychotherapy with legal or justice contexts. It focuses on understanding why harm happened—not to excuse it, but to acknowledge it, to hold truth, and to prevent its recurrence. Unlike evaluations designed purely for courtrooms, therapeutic forensic work is rooted in long, relational healing:
🌾 Self-awareness & motivation: Discover the inner stories or triggers tied to your behavior—past, present, and projected.
🤝 Accountability—with care: Take responsibility for actions in a space that holds empathy, without shaming.
🔄 Breaking harmful cycles: Transform patterns tied to trauma, substance use, coercion, or intimate relationships through slow, supported work.
🧩 Collaborative healing: Forensic therapy often involves connecting with legal systems, support workers, or safety planning—so healing isn’t cut off from systems that shape your life.
Giselle’s invitation into healing
I’m Giselle Edwards, a trauma-informed therapist in Toronto, with EMDR and sex-therapy training. I specialize in the intersecting spaces where sexuality, past harm, compulsive behaviours, the sex trade, or justice involvement shape someone's self—and the wounds remain alive in daily patterns.
Here’s what it might feel like to work with me:
You set the pace. There’s no pressure to disclose everything right away. We build trust slowly, in a way that feels safe. No rush. No moralizing.
You’re not your charges or your past. If you’ve been involved in the justice system—on any side—I see you as more than what you’ve done or what’s been done to you. We walk together with that in mind.
We talk about the hard stuff. Shame, desire, consent, boundaries, trauma—these are welcome here. We explore them with curiosity and respect, not judgment.
We work with your body too. Using EMDR and somatic grounding, we listen to your nervous system and help you regain choice over what feels safe, what shifts, and what stays.
Who might find this helpful
This isn’t for everyone—and that’s okay. But if you:
Have compulsive sexual behaviors or highly secretive patterns
Are navigating shame, stigma, or self-betrayal around intimacy
Have past experiences included legal systems (on either side), or have lived in justice-involved environments
Want to stop repeating patterns rooted in trauma…
then you’re in the right place.
A relational, non-judgmental path toward safety and freedom
Forensic therapy is more than analysis or evaluation—it’s relational and restorative. While it may involve accountability and connection to systems, it also holds space for:
Understanding what led here, without cutting off who you are
Stepping into adult agency, with support
Cultivating new patterns grounded in self-trust, care, and consent
How to begin
Healing starts with curiosity and care—not perfection. If you feel ready to explore, I offer a free 15-minute consultation where we can chat about your questions, pacing, and how working with me might feel.
I provide virtual sessions throughout Ontario at a mindful rate, with receipts for insurance reimbursement.
Reach out when you’re ready to take this small step toward long-lasting change. You deserve support unhinged from shame, rooted in your worth—and reflective of your resilience.
