Counselling

Discover how I can help with…

 

Transitions

 

motherhood

grief

 

anxiety & depression

trauma

 

High-Sensitivity

 

Being a human is hard. 

Do your emotions overwhelm you or keep you stuck in patterns that aren’t serving you?

Is anxiety ruling your life?

Are you struggling to come to terms with a loss in your life or navigate a life transition?

You’re not alone.

I know what it’s like to be flooded with unwanted and intrusive thoughts.

I know how draining and hopeless self-judgment, shame and self-sabotage can feel.

I also know what it’s like have that uneasy feeling that you’re failing and not reaching your potential.

Life is tough. It’s messy. Nobody gets through it unharmed.

And yet somehow we often believe that there is something inherently wrong with us or that we are failing at life when we experience pain and suffering.

You are not broken. You are experiencing something in your life or inside yourself that’s unbearable and overwhelming and you not only deserve but need support and company to move through pain.

Counselling and the therapeutic relationship can help you to connect vulnerably, at your deepest level of feeling.

When you are truly seen and heard with genuine acceptance you will begin to heal, change and flourish.

Below are some of the common experiences that clients bring to sessions and some of the core approaches to my work and practice. You’ll also find some answers to some frequently asked questions about starting therapy.

Please take a look and if you feel ready to begin counselling or have more questions I’d love to hear from you. 

HOW I WORK

Find out more about my approaches to therapy…

 
 
 

EMBODIMENT

Embodiment simply means being present to and grounded in our body. We continually experience and process our emotional experiences and the experiences of others in our body and yet we’ve become a society focused on solving problems with the thinking mind. But when we focus solely on our thoughts and disconnect from our body we miss a great deal of information. Our body is a profound and vital resource if we can learn to come back home to ourselves. Our past, our culture, our personalities, traumatic experiences and our interpersonal relationships will all deeply affect our ability to be in and present to our body. For many of us it can be scary and deeply uncomfortable. But by listening to how our body is communicating and responding to it through embodiment practices and regulation skills we have an opportunity to reclaim parts of ourselves and create lasting and powerful change.

ATTACHMENT-BASED

Attachment-based therapy takes into consideration your early childhood experiences, specifically those with your primary care-givers. How you developed in the context of vital relationships will be a critical part of how you show up in relationships today. As an infant and young child we need our caregivers to keep us alive. Ideally our parents would consistently meet not just our physical needs but also our emotional needs. If that doesn't happen consistently, then we will either learn to be avoidant of and dismiss relational and emotional closeness, or develop anxious behaviours to seek out connection. Without realizing it we developed ways of relating that would keep us as safe and connected as possible. The goal in attachment-based therapy is to build or rebuild security and emotional safety in a relationship. We do this by offering the client an experience of a secure relationship and attachment - this means that no matter what you’re experiencing or what emotional experiences you’re having you have you will be met with care and compassion and openness. The therapist is fully present, real, attuned and ready to meet your relational needs without judgement. Just as a securely attached parent would be. 

TRAUMA-INFORMED

As a trauma-informed practitioner it is my job to prioritise your safety both emotionally and physically. My approach is to create a safe, secure and non-judgemental space for you to explore and grow while also being aware, respectful and attentive to any trauma, significant losses, abuse, neglect or any other adverse events you may have experienced. I collaborate with my clients rather than give advice, push or assume authority over their situation. I am always transparent about our work and my intentions. You’ll never be asked to explore something without understanding why. Trauma-informed also means I have done personal work to become aware of any biases I may have and how my culture, privileges, power, race have the ability to affect the therapeutic relationship. We will work together to recognize signs and symptoms or trauma and ensure that you feel regulated and in-control as we explore challenging experiences. In therapy growth happens when we push past uncomfortable edges but it is imperative that we move at a speed that feels manageable, helpful and transformative versus re-traumatizing. 

Learn more about trauma, attachment and embodiment by receiving my free quarterly journal.

Counselling rates

$130 + gst for 60 minute individual sessions - in-person or online.

$185 + gst for 90 minute individual sessions - in-person or online.

FAQs

  • Our first session is about getting to know each other and building rapport and trust. I’ll invite you to talk about your current struggle and what specifically brings you to counselling. I will also ask you some questions about your family of origin, past traumas and losses and other important information to help me assess your needs. In this session we will also set goals and intentions for your therapy.

  • Individual Counselling Sessions are $130 plus GST for 60 minutes.

    A 90 minute session is $185 plus GST.

    Contact me directly for rates of groups and coaching.

  • I use an integrated mind-body approach which means I want to shift your focus away from in-the-head cognition and toward in-the-body sensing and feeling. Restoring access to the wisdom of your body and the natural healing processes and self-righting tendencies rooted within. Sessions should feel deeply safe and you’ll experience being deeply and emotionally accompanied. Moment-by-moment we will track sensations or blocks to feeling with the aim that you can start to drop-into your body and experience emotions before analyzing or reflecting on them cognitively. During our sessions, our work together might also include exploring your family-of-origin, paying attention to any inherited family losses or trauma, working with key childhood experiences, mindfulness techniques, breathing and focusing on your “felt sense” and subtle bodily sensations that can offer flashes of insight.

  • Clients usually book sessions weekly or bi-weekly, but this varies person to person and can be adjusted and reviewed although consistency is helpful in order to see significant gains. Throughout therapy, we will continually evaluate how you feel the sessions are going and review your goals. I encourage clients to invest time between sessions reflecting on our work and taking notes/journalling about any progress and insights. In my experience this can have significant impact to the effectiveness of counselling and supports the work we do together.

  • I trained at Clearmind International because of its unique, experiential, relational and transpersonal Counsellor Training Program (PRAC). The program focuses on the integrated healing of mind, body and spirit and requires deep self enquiry. My training is intensely focused on theory and practice of the experiential and relational schools of therapy that I believe are the foundation for lasting change. These include, but are not limited to Person Centred, Gestalt, Existential, Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP), Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT), Psychodrama, Buddhist/Mindfulness, Transpersonal and Somatic approaches. I am also a student of Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP) and currently hold a level 2 certification in this modality.

  • You can pay via credit card or e-transfer.

  • I offer sliding scale for a limited number of clients who are low-income. Please email to enquire.

  • If you do not show up for your scheduled therapy appointment, and you have not notified me at least a full 24 hours in advance, you will be charged the full cost of the session.

  • Yes. I love to work both online and in-person. If you live locally I would encourage you to try both and see what feels best for you. You’re welcome to mix-and-match - there’s no rules. Online does not work well for many people and for others it is the right choice.

  • First you can schedule a consult. We will have 15-20 mins to chat and see if we are a fit. I recommend talking to a few different therapists if you can. I will ask you to tell me what has prompted you to seek help, and if you’ve tried counselling before what you liked and didn’t like. Don’t be afraid to ask me, or any potential therapist, how they would approach working with your particular struggle and what their training and background is. Always remember that you are not committed to a therapist for life - you can stop at any time and try someone else , if the fit isn’t right.

  • For in-person sessions I see clients at my office in Vancouver, BC. The address is #501, 1587 West 8th Avenue. Please note that we are not wheelchair accessible at this time and there is no elevator for anyone bringing strollers.

  • I am currently full but will be taking on new client some time in August. Occasionally things open up earlier.

  • Services may be covered in full or in part by your health insurance or employee benefit plan depending on your coverage and if it includes clinical counselling. Members of the Association of Cooperative Counselling Therapists of Canada (ACCT) are frequently recognized and covered by several insurance companies, including but not limited to Sunlife, Pacific Blue Cross and Greenshield.

    Please note I do not bill directly to insurance companies. My policy is to provide a receipt to you once full payment is made. You then use this receipt to submit to your insurance company for reimbursement.