When life brings challenges, we can open to new ways of understanding and being. I work from a hopeful place, holding out the possibility of integrating strong emotions and increasing self-understanding and confidence. My intention as a counsellor is to offer a safe place where you can explore your uncensored thoughts and feelings, working through pain and confusion to find your own strengths, passions, and purpose.
I always aim to honour each person’s cultural identity, embodiment, gender identity, pronouns, sexual orientation and unique ways of being in the world.
I work from a trauma-informed approach, focusing on safety, trustworthiness, personal choice, collaboration, and building your resiliency and skills in a way that works for you. When we cultivate a compassionate relationship with ourselves, we can heal the wounds from the past and learn to live healthy, meaningful lives.
I hold that each person has the inherent strength, creativity, and capacity to grow. I also believe in the interconnection of all living beings and the healing power of healthy relationships with one another, animals and the earth.
Some of the tools I find to be helpful in this work:
- Mindfulness
- Embodied awareness
- Self-compassion
- Connecting to nature
- Exploring family patterns and belief systems.
- Looking at the relationships between thoughts, feelings and actions.
- Unpacking old, problem-saturated stories and finding new, hopeful stories
- Creative expression
In particular, I have training in:
- Trauma-informed Practice
- Narrative Therapy
- Emotionally Focused Family Therapy
- Ecopsychology and Nature-based Therapy
- Fostering Resiliency with Aboriginal Children and Families
- Gender-affirming care
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
- Solution Focused Brief Therapy