Mavis Himes is a clinical psychologist and psychoanalyst with a private practice in Toronto, Canada. She is a former clinical consultant at Wellspring, a cancer centre for patients and their families.
Himes received her doctoral degree in Psychology from the University of Toronto (OISE) and completed her analytic formation in Lacanian psychoanalysis at Apres-Coup Psychoanalytic Association in New York City. She is a member of Apres-Coup Psychoanalytic Association and a former guest member of the Toronto Psychoanalytic Society.
With now over forty years of experience, Himes began her career in child psychology, working in a variety of children’s mental health clinics until she opened her private practice in 1988. Gradually, she shifted the population of her practice from that of children and adolescents to mainly that of adults. Even during the time of her work with children, she pursued her analytic interests and studies, always working with an appreciation of the effect of unconscious processes in the human psyche.
During her years of work with children, Himes became involved with Bereaved Families of Ontario (BFO) where she ran the children’s program and was a member of the Professional Advisory Committee. Subsequently Himes became clinical director of Wellspring for a two-year period, developing and running a number of group programs. For over twenty-five years, she offered short-term counseling at Wellspring Westerkirk House on the Sunnybrook campus.
From 2003-2013, Mavis Himes was the director of Speaking of Lacan (SOL), a Toronto-based forum dedicated to the study of Lacanian psychoanalysis. SOL hosted a speakers series and interdisciplinary colloquia on topics related to psychoanalytic thought, in addition to running seminars and reading groups. As part of this work, Himes organized a series of lectures entitled Psychoanalysis and the Arts: In Conversation that provided an opportunity to explore and exchange commonalities and differences between psychoanalysis and the arts. In this series, she had been in dialogue with a number of prominent dancers, musicians and actors.
As a writer, Himes is the author of the current book Cello Notes: Music and the Urgency of Time, (August 2024) a memoir about her musical journey when taking up the cello in later life. This recent involvement has led her to publish and present papers on the topic of music and mental health.
Her other books include The Power of Names: Uncovering the Mystery of What We are Called published by Rowman & Littlefield in 2016. The Sacred Body: A Therapist’s Journey, a book about her work with cancer patients, was previously published by Stoddart in 2002. She is also the author of numerous psychoanalytic articles and book chapters that have been published in a variety of journals both in North America and abroad. She has given numerous presentations on psychoanalysis to a variety of audiences.
Photo credit: Pierre Gautreau