Guelph grad one of Canada’s leading experts in psychotherapy
Originally from Guelph, Kimberly Moffit attended York University for one year until realizing she wanted to remain close to home. The attraction of the University of Guelph being so convenient, with the comfort of knowing a lot of people in the area, pushed Moffit to become a Gryphon. Although convenience was the prize initially, the culture associated with the university quickly captured Moffit’s heart. “The reason I grew to love Guelph while I was there was because of the people, and it was such a nice environment,” Moffit explained of the transfer. “It was very academic, but also friendly, personable, and welcoming. I really loved that.”
Moffit graduated from the University of Guelph in 2006 with a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in music with an unofficial minor in psychology. From her time spent at Guelph, she recalls one unforgettable gesture by choir conductor and associate professor, Marta McCarthy. “When I was there [McCarthy] got married, and she conducted three different choirs and all of the choirs sang at her wedding,” Moffit explained of the flattering experience. “It made the students feel like we were more than just students. That was a really touching experience for me.”
The now psychotherapist and Canadian spokesperson for Match.com remembers one particularly defining moment from her time at Guelph that really contributed to where she is today. Moffit said the moment came at the end of her studies while she was applying for the SSHRC and OGS scholarships, two very big – yet difficult – scholarships to be awarded with. “I remember people telling me to apply even though it was difficult, while others were telling me it was impossible,” Moffit said, adding that she opted to listen to the positive people with her decision to apply. “I ended up getting both scholarships. It was a huge moment in my life. It made me realize that if you put your mind to something, you can really do anything.”
With the help of both incredible scholarships, Moffit completed her Master’s degree in Music Therapy at Wilfred Laurier University, an achievement followed by beginning her Doctorate of Psychology, which she is just about to complete six years later. Moffit also began her own counseling practice after her master’s degree, called KMA Therapy, which is now one of the largest in Toronto. The business grew fast and furious, allowing Moffit to begin hiring associates within a year. “I hired all these people who had more experience than I did,” Moffit explained of the blooming business. “It was great, the whole experience showed me how to not only run a practice as a psychotherapist, but how to grow in terms of leadership.”
Before becoming the leading lady for an incredibly successful business, Moffit was part of the pop group, ‘Untamed,’ when she was 17 years old. She spent three years touring North America, and had quite a lot of radio play across Canada. Moffit credits this experience as a major stepping-stone to her career today. “I wrote music a lot because there was something therapeutic about it,” Moffit explained, adding that the connection between therapy and music didn’t happen until her master’s degree at Laurier. “It’s been a lovely transition, from a music degree that really wasn’t mental health related to a doctorate in clinical psychology. If it hadn’t been for music, I would’ve never found my way there.”
Moffit’s passion for music continued on throughout her time spent at Guelph, and is still very prominent today in her everyday life and career. “Any musician will say they’re probably a perfectionist or someone who likes to master something,” Moffit explained, adding that she is a creative personality with a strong dose of perfectionist. “My job as a psychotherapist mixes art and science. You’re taking something very structured, making it your own, and applying it to humans to make something you can feel.”
With her time spent as one-third of an all-female pop group, and afterwards in the choir at the University of Guelph, Moffit never truly left the spotlight. Now, instead of singing in it, she has been featured on various channels such as Global News, City TV News, CBC News, Oh So Cosmo, and many more, for her work in music therapy. The path to her success, Moffit said, meant having a plan but being open to following unexpected twists of fate. Moffit wanted to remind students that sometimes, plans don’t go the way you want them to, and that’s okay. “Go with where your heart is, don’t worry about what’s going to come after,” she explained. “If you go with what you love, there will be things that inspire you somehow as a result. As long as you’re passionate, it will work its way into a career.”