Today we’d like to introduce you to Maria DeRubeis.
Hi Maria, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I decided to become a social worker back in high school. My childhood home was down the street from the Windsor Essex Children’s Aid Society, and I’d watch the social workers walk by on their way to the office. I remember wishing I could tell one of them things weren’t good at home, and it was in those moments that I said to myself, “I’m going to help people when I grow up.” That feeling never left me.
I started social work in 1985, when I graduated with my BSW, then went back to school in 2002 and earned my MSW in 2004. There have been many turning points along the way since then, but the one that stands out most is realizing that so many of us are struggling, we just have different stories. That’s what shapes how I practice today. Since 1998 I have run PASSAGES – Pathway to Healing, offering individual and relationship counselling here in Windsor, Ontario, alongside other work in grassroots organizations and the education system. I chose the name PASSAGES because every person who walks through my door is somewhere in the middle of a story. Some are leaving behind pain, others are searching for direction, and many are simply trying to make sense of what they’ve experienced. It wasn’t until 2022 that I went solo, meaning I focused on the practice full time from then on.
Over the years my work has grown beyond the therapy room too. I’m the host of “Real Talk with Maria” on AM800, which started three years ago when the producer approached me and asked if I’d consider having my own show. Of course I said yes, though I want to thank Dan MacDonald, because he’s the one who got me started in radio, having me on as a weekly guest before any of this came along.
I also co-founded Extraordinary Women Ignite with five other inspirational women, a group built around helping women reconnect with their own strength and worth. Between the practice, the radio show, and EWI, healing conversations have become the thread that runs through everything I do.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It hasn’t been smooth, no. When I started my practice in 1998, having a BSW and going into private practice was almost unheard of. There was no roadmap for it. I had to prove to myself, and to a lot of other people, especially those social workers that did not believe in me, that it could be done.
Then in 2002, at 40 years old, I went back to school for my MSW while working full time, running my practice, and raising two children. My husband at the time was incredibly supportive and took on a great deal of the household responsibilities, which made it possible, but it was still one of the most demanding stretches of my life.
Alongside the professional path, I’ve carried my share of personal struggles too, including caregiving responsibilities, the end of a long term relationship, and a serious health diagnosis I had to work through. I share this because it matters. I’m not someone who tells my clients to do something I haven’t had to do myself. I know what it is to keep going when life doesn’t let up, and that’s part of why people trust me in the room.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
PASSAGES – Pathway to Healing is for anyone going through a hard transition: grief, trauma, anxiety, relationship struggles, or just trying to figure life out. My job isn’t to fix people, it’s to walk alongside them for as long as they need me. I don’t believe healing follows a straight path or happens on a set timeline, it unfolds one step at a time, and there’s no shame in struggling.
I’ve been doing this work for over 40 years, in grassroots organizations, in the education system, and in my own practice. What sets me apart is that I have lived a lot of what my clients bring into the room. I’m not just someone reciting theory, and clients seem to feel that difference. Since going solo in 2022, the practice has become the full expression of everything I’ve learned, alongside the radio show and EWI.
What I’m proudest of is that PASSAGES has never been about a quick fix, it’s built on decades of simply showing up for people. Looking ahead, I’m thinking about writing a book, and my cancer journey feels like the natural place to start.
I’m also getting more into public speaking, especially around women, empowerment, and self care. At the core of it all, I just want people to know that healing is possible, and they don’t have to go through it alone.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
One of my favourite childhood memories is playing kick the can in the alleys around our house with the neighborhood kids. We lived in the downtown area, in a tight knit neighborhood full of kids, the kind where the bonds have lasted. Some of us are still close today. We would play until it got dark enough that we couldn’t see the can anymore, and someone’s mom would eventually call us in.
It’s a simple memory, but it captures something about that time. Being outside until the streetlights came on, not worrying about anything, just being a kid surrounded by people who felt like family.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mariaderubeis.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maria.counselling/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mariaderubeis.counselling
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maria-derubeis-927b7a23
