My passion for learning how our experiences inform how we are in the world began while pursuing an Undergrad in Psychology at the University of Ottawa. There were two classes in particular – Theories of Personality and Social Psychology that turned my world upside down. The professor was electric, and I hadn’t met someone so alive before. I wanted this aliveness for myself, to feel so comfortable in my own skin. Exposure to this kind of possibility had become my north star, and my experiences and insights in those classes would open the door to the beginning of my own therapeutic journey in learning about myself and healing childhood wounds. Standing firmly by the belief that therapists have an ethical obligation to continously engage in our own work if we are going to guide clients through deep exploration and healing, I am consistently in therapy myself to continue to peel back the layers of the onion, as Shrek would say.

My Approach

As an introvert and a highly sensitive person, my heart connects deeply with those experiencing anxiety, childhood trauma, low self esteem and/or emotional folks. I feel most passionate when I am engaging with others about their very human, messy, beautifully imperfect selves. This includes in the counselling room when I am normalizing experiences and guiding clients with new skills that may come in the form of tuning into our bodies sensations and cues, using mindfulness techniques, and getting curious about yourself and your reactions, thoughts and feelings in a compassionate way. I help you make connections between whats distressing to you in the present and how that is connected to an unmet need of the past. The purpose of this isn’t to dwell on negative experiences, but rather to rewrite the story and learn to support yourself from a deeper place.

I think of therapy as a practice in becoming more yourself. This could mean to get to know your inner child for the first time, or to work on how you show up in relationship, to be more comfortable in your own skin, to learn to deal with situations differently, or to befriend yourself just a little bit more. Along the way, we will use practical tools to bring into your life. I use a number of approaches in session and they can vary depending on your needs. These include Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Somatic Experiencing and Focusing, Mindfulness Approaches, Adlerian Therapy and Inner Child Work.

My Experience

Before pursuing a Masters in Counselling, I spent a year working at the Vancouver Crisis Centre, thinking on my feet and supporting individuals through existentially challenging times of distress. During my internship, I worked at a low barrier access centre called Foundry on the North Shore for youth ages 12-24. In this role I supported youth both short and long term with a broad variety of concerns including childhood trauma, complex family relationships, substance use, sexual trauma, individuation, suicidality, anxiety and depression. Continuing my work with youth, I created and facilitated a course at Bodwell High school, teaching students about self regulation, psychology of self and tools to manage distress. While working at the school, I also facilitated a workshop to the staff of Bodwell Boarding regarding how to work with Suicidal Ideation and Self Harm with Youth.

What excites me about this work is how transformative it is to witness clients put down the weapons on the war against themselves, so that they can free up more attention to focus on the things that truly matter to them. How would you be living if you didn’t have to deal with constantly fighting your internal state? Would you like to find out?

My passion for learning how our experiences inform how we are in the world began while pursuing a... Read More