About Raquel Meneses

Raquel Meneses is a Registered Social Worker and Psychotherapist. She completed her practicum at MyLife Counselling under the supervision of Victoria Bonanno. We invited Raquel to join the MyLife team after seeing firsthand her ability to help a range of clients including individuals, couples, families and youth.

Children & Youth

Raquel has extensive training and experience working with children and youth (8+) struggling with challenges such as behavioural issues, anxiety, bullying, autism, and self-regulation issues. She’s able to quickly connect with her younger clients by creating a relaxed, welcoming, and even playful environment through activities like games and art. Raquel guides her younger clients to find ways to express overwhelming feelings and collaboratively explores options to develop healthy life skills, including emotional regulation, communication, self-esteem, and boundary setting. When appropriate, Raquel actively involves parents and caregivers in the therapeutic process, offering resources, progress updates, and opportunities for collaborative sessions to support their child’s mental health journey.

Young Adults & Students

Raquel enjoys supporting young adults and students dealing with life transitions, depression, or social anxiety. She appreciates how young adulthood is full of opportunities for growth and self-discovery, but it can also bring unique challenges. She provides a safe space to work through self-doubt, clarify life goals, and build confidence in navigating transitions like school, careers, and relationships.

For clients struggling with depression, she helps them overcome feelings of isolation and low motivation by setting meaningful goals, cultivating self-compassion, and establishing healthy routines. She’s able to break down challenges into manageable steps, challenge negative thoughts, and shares helpful skills and coping strategies to help her clients regain a sense of joy and meaning in their lives.

When working with social anxiety, Raquel draws on her experience helping clients overcome fears of public speaking, initiate social connections, and navigate overwhelming situations. She uses techniques like cognitive reframing, role-playing social scenarios, and mindfulness exercises to help clients challenge unhelpful thought patterns and build confidence in their interactions. Her goal is to empower clients to feel more at ease in social settings and create meaningful connections.

Couples & Relationships

Raquel is passionate about supporting couples in strengthening their bond and navigating relationship challenges such as frequent conflict, infidelity, parenting, and emotional distance through the lens of Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT). Recognizing that disconnection often stems from unmet attachment needs and cycles of conflict, Raquel helps partners understand the deeper emotions driving their interactions. By creating a safe and empathetic space, she guides couples to identify negative patterns, express underlying vulnerabilities, and foster new ways of communicating and responding to each other. She helps couples rebuild emotional safety, deepen intimacy, and cultivate a more secure and resilient connection, empowering them to move from distress to a place of renewed understanding, friendship, and love.

Personal Interests

Outside of her professional life Raquel looks forward to spending time with friends, enjoying a good horror or sci-fi movie, travelling (especially to the Philippines), and engaging in mindful activities such as Pilates and baking.

Email: raquel.meneses@mylifecounselling.ca
Phone: 1-800-828-9484 (ext. 116)

Articles by Raquel