I believe in everyone’s inherent strength and courage and in their ability for growth, change and self-acceptance. At certain points in life we may need help to recognize our strengths, to accept our choices, to explore our patterns, to understand our experiences, to heal and to move toward our most fulfilling life.
I approach counselling with all clients from a person-centered perspective and believe a strong therapeutic connection is key to achieving set goals. I strive to meet clients where they are at and feel privileged to join them as they explore areas they wish to better understand or change.
I foster a safe, supportive, respectful and caring environment. My compassionate curiosity leads me to listen deeply and without judgement to each client’s story. Everyone is the expert of their own life experience. What I can offer is an understanding of their concerns through the lens of emotion, attachment, core values and beliefs. I use an honest, empathic and collaborative style to explore, understand and bring awareness to the underlying causes of the presenting concern.
I provide an integrative approach tailored to each client’s unique situation. My practice is informed by my orientation toward empirically-supported theories: Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT), Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical-Behavioural Therapy (DBT). I incorporate somatic work and mindfulness practice where it may be helpful. The combination of these frameworks allows me to offer shorter-term, skill-building interventions coupled with more in-depth, experiential approaches.
In addition to my education and clinical training, I continue to expand my knowledge through ongoing professional development. I have completed further training in: Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT) at York University with Dr. Les Greenburg, EFT for Couples through Vancouver Couple & Family Institute and ICEEFT, Grief & Loss Training with Living Through Loss Society, Mindful Self-Compassion with Dr. Kristin Neff and Dr. Chris Germer, Occupational Awareness Training through First Responder Health, Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical-Behavioural Therapy (DBT) Clinical Skills with Dr. Judith Beck, Dr. Lynn Miller, Dr. Lane Pederson, Dr. Randy Patterson and Dr. Jeff Riggenbach, trauma-informed therapeutic approaches with Dr. Janina Fisher and attachment-based parenting with Dr. Gordon Neufeld.