Counselling
Who I Work With
Young adults, and adults.
Folks who might be looking for a safe space to process trauma, and identify core beliefs and unexpressed emotion.
People who are ready to meet their growth edge and create change in their life.
You might be interested in developing a friendlier relationship with yourself.
You might be a perfectionist or a people pleaser who needs help setting boundaries.
You are looking for compassionate, non-judgemental support.
Specializations
Trauma/PTSD
Trauma is the lasting response after living through singular or repeated distressing events. When we’ve experienced trauma we might try to escape reality with substance use, addictive or unhealthy relationships, and overall find it incredibly painful to be ourselves, often resulting in a deep sense of shame. Gabor Mate shares that “trauma is not the bad things that happen to you, but what happens inside you as a result of what happened to you.”
Through compassionate inquiry into our own deepest needs we can reconnect with our genuine, authentic, wholly integrated self. I have been trained as a trauma therapist using therapies like Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) for PTSD, Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT) as a tool for emotion regulation and distress tolerance, and I practice and teach exercises for polyvagal safety and connection.
Anxiety and OCD
Everyone feels anxious at times, but overwhelming amounts of anxiety can get in the way of daily life. Anxiety can be experienced as general ongoing worry, intrusive and persistent thoughts associated with a stressful event, or even engaging in repetitive behaviours and having sudden feelings of terror.
I am trained in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), as well as Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) which is the gold standard treatment for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). I can help you become aware of thoughts/beliefs, open up to new ways of coping and support you in creating a new relationship with your anxiety. Together, we can help you do hard things, face your fears, and ultimately live a life with more ease, and freedom.
Depression and Low Mood
People who experience depression often feel persistent sadness and a loss of motivation in life. You may notice that you struggle with day to day activities and you may even feel at times that your life isn’t worth living. Depression is more than just the blues and you can’t just “snap out of it.”
I have been passionate about learning and healing from depression after struggling with my own experiences of depression. Through psychotherapy and mindfulness practice I was able to learn skills and tools to better support myself. I work with several different modalities including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT), mindfulness, somatic awareness, as well as self-compassion skills to support you in your journey to recovery from depression.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness practice connects you to the present moment which is the only time anyone ever has to perceive, learn, grow or change. When we practice present moment awareness we become attentive to and aware of thoughts, emotions and sensations in the body, which allows for more choice and ultimately freedom. Mindfulness can be practiced as a formal meditation, seated or lying down or you can practice mindfulness informally, as you walk, drive, eat and are engaged in your daily life.
When we practice mindfulness we are given the opportunity to adopt a curious attitude toward our relationship to stress, pain, and illness, as well as learning how to notice and open to moments of joy, happiness and love. Practicing mindfulness in our daily life can help us reconnect with our sense of wholeness, and interconnection with everything around us. This sense of spaciousness can help us respond to life rather than reacting automatically.