Counselling is my life’s work. It is my passion, my great love and my privilege to share in the deeper meanings of people’s lives.
I stopped seeing clients for a while and co-ran an organization. While I loved developing programs that I felt would make a difference, I missed my one on one work. The truth is, I love working closely with people and being involved in their growth and healing. I am now dedicating myself solely to seeing clients. That is the core of this work for me.
How I work
Many people find that one approach or another to counselling doesn’t meet their needs. I don’t believe in a “one size fits all” approach and because I specialize in many areas, I don’t often need to refer clients out to other specialized therapists. My first priority is to establish a good relationship with my client, to listen and create a safe space for them. It can be hard for a client if they get bounced from one counsellor to another because the crucial bond of trust must be recreated each time.
I’m in love with learning and have spent years training with many great mentors in different areas of the counselling field. I use my instincts, my years of experience and academic training to customise treatment for each of my clients. My feeling is that most clients have a deep knowledge of what they need to talk about and I would never impose strict guidelines upon them. I respect the wisdom of each person and believe that counselling can be a collaborative process between the therapist and the client.
From suffering to hope
It is not my job to judge or diagnose my clients. I am there to support, encourage, listen with compassion, and to guide them to find their own direction and empowerment. In addition, I am able to teach them concrete coping skills to make not only daily life more manageable, but that will also help on a long term basis.
We all experience pain and suffering, but I believe that the traumatic experiences of our lives don’t have to become our futures. We can grow out of whatever circumstances we have been given and change is always possible if we want it badly enough.
My clients
I work with people of all faiths or no faith. I work with people of all sexual orientations, LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and heterosexual) and with people whose sexuality is undefined. The diversity amongst my clients is a great joy to me.
I have training in:
- CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy)
- AEDP (Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy)
- EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)
- EFT (Emotionally Focused Couples and Family Therapy)
- Family Systems
- John Gottman Model, couples counseling
- Grief and Loss Therapy
- Somatic Therapy
- Interpersonal Therapy
- Narrative Therapy
- Rogerian Therapy
- Solution Focused Therapy