ABOUT ME
I have been a counselling therapist for 16 years. Over that time, I’ve continued to build on my skills and strengthen my practice with advanced training and research. My greatest teachers, though, have been my clients. I have listened and learned that people want to feel safe, valued and accepted; they want relief from pain and to be in control of their lives; and they want to feel like themselves again.
I think of counselling as a constructive conversation. My job is to listen to you, with empathy and without judgment, and to offer what I can to help you move toward your goals for healing, growth and change. Sometimes it involves healing from the past, changing behaviours, learning new skills and coping strategies, or improving our relationships, home and work environments.
But most often, therapy is an inside job. In my experience, the process of self-discovery -- increasing your awareness about what you think and feel, what you need and want, and what triggers your distress and tapping into your own strengths, values, hope and wisdom -- is at the heart of the therapy journey. I may be able to offer a fresh perspective, encouraging feedback, and possible ideas and strategies based on my training and experience with the issues you bring to counselling.
You can learn more about the types of therapy I practice here. Overall, I bring a feminist, anti-oppressive and trauma-informed lens to my understanding of issues and life. Generally, this means that I see psychological or emotional problems as occurring in a context that includes your environment, relationships and society/culture. I'm not neutral about abuse, injustice and inequities of power and will name these things if I see them as playing a role in the concerns you bring to therapy.
MY BACKGROUND
Before starting my private practice, I was a youth and family therapist for the Province of BC. I also worked for a non-profit counselling agency, providing supervision to counsellors and graduate students.
Counselling is not my first career. I have worked in communications, marketing and program development for a variety of organizations from corporations to a tech start-up, a university and nonprofit associations. My diverse background gives me insight into workplace challenges, particularly as they affect mental health.
