I am a Master Therapeutic Counsellor (RTC #1077) and a member of the Association of Counselling Cooperative Therapists of Canada (ACCT). I am a counsellor for couples and individuals, a support group leader and workshop facilitator. I have been a practicing counsellor since 2014. I feel proud knowing my life’s work is to encourage and empower my clients to live more freedom-filled, connected, and purposeful lives.
AREAS of CONCENTRATION
Everyone: Anxiety, identity crisis, grief and loss, life transitions, self-esteem/self-worth struggles, post-addiction acclimatization and spiritual crisis
Parenthood: Post-partum depression and anxiety, loss of sense of self, parent-child conflict and single-parenting struggles
Relationships: Communication struggles, loss of intimacy and connection, sexual and emotional affairs, end of relationship conversations and transition
and co-parenting relationships
Families: Blended family communication, parent-child conflict, teen support
PERSONAL STORY
My journey to becoming a counsellor began in my early 20s when I found myself emotionally exhausted from the amount of energy it took to pretend that “everything is okay.” My life looked wonderful on the outside yet, so little felt good on the inside. Deep down I was overwhelmed, anxious and scared – and I gave myself very little permission to share this pain and discomfort with anyone. Instead, I berated myself for not being grateful for the life I had and, I felt angry and impatient with myself for struggling so much. This internal battle made me hard to live with at times. I was irritated, reactive, and easily triggered. I was constantly looking for approval outside myself because I could not feel my own self-approval or worth. I expended an incredible amount of time and energy trying to be liked – yet nothing made me feel loved enough. I desperately wanted all these feelings to disappear but no matter what I tried, I could not figure out how to make that happen. I was drowning in layers of shame.
Eventually, a friend told me about a workshop called The Awakening, which I hesitantly signed up for. It was there, for the first time, that I allowed people to see the depths of the pain I felt inside. I also witnessed others in their raw and vulnerable struggles. It felt like a revelation to know that I wasn’t alone, and that struggling was nothing to be ashamed of. I was waking up to the beauty of being fully human.
This experience launched me into a 10-year journey of self-discovery. Through personal growth workshops and consistent personal counselling sessions, I worked through childhood wounds, limiting beliefs and longstanding unhealthy patterns of behaviour. I learned how to give myself permission to not be perfect, show up authentically, understand and express my boundaries, be gentle with myself and fully stand in my worth.
I did cognitive work but also body work and this combination of talk therapy and somatic therapy allowed me to create deep and lasting change. Over time and with practice, I could feel myself move away from exhaustion, stuckness, and disconnection with myself and lean into a life filled with space for self-compassion, experiences of deep peace, greater resilience and unapologetic joy.
And there isn’t an end goal – I remain a constant and curious student of life, learning new layers of myself every day. This learning is part of my joy. The desire to give this gift to others inspired me to become a counsellor.
During those 10 years I completed a 3-year Counsellor Training Program with Clearmind International and a 2-year Relational Somatic Therapy program with Opening to Grace. To this day, I voraciously listen to podcasts, read books, take courses, trainings, and workshops to feed my appetite for this work I love so much.
THERAPEUTIC APPROACH
The kind of therapy I offer is grounded in transpersonal psychology, which is rooted in the belief that psychology and spirituality are interconnected. It sees the therapist as a guide (not the all-knowing expert) who is there to help you orient towards your own inner knowing and transform your pain into a pathway to (what you define as) personal freedom. This definition is different for each one of us.
Transpersonal psychology believes that human struggle is rooted in our disconnection with self and others as we are all connected to one another (inside our personal circles, but also globally). It explains that our words and actions have impact on our collective movement towards deeper peace or greater pain, depending on what we choose. Transpersonal psychology holds the belief that we are greater than our ego thoughts and, when we each walk toward our own healing, the ripple effect of this courageous and vulnerable work reaches far and wide – far further than we could possibly imagine.
I am educated in and guided by the following modalities, which I make use of in my client sessions:
– Attachment Theory
– Bowen Family Systems Theory
– Gestalt (Psychodrama) Therapy
– Buddhist/Mindfulness Practices
– Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP)
– Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
– Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP)
– Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) – I mostly use this in my couples therapy sessions
– Relational Somatic Therapy (RST)
My approach is guided by a deep desire to know my clients fully and to provide them with a safe, non-judgmental space to explore their inner emotional terrain (past and present). Once this terrain is open, seen and explored, we work with it – cognitively (with the mind) and if desired somatically (with the body) – to heal what hurts and bring alive the parts of you that have gone quiet or been forgotten. We learn to build the muscles of steadiness, faith and resilience in moments of instability. We learn to be okay with comfort and discomfort alike. It is from this place of full and complete aliveness (in other words, feeling deeply connected to our unique authenticity and living wholly from this place) that we can be free.
The process of walking towards freedom is an unfolding. We don’t reach a destination, but we do learn what the feeling of freedom feels like. And when it is learned we can return there with more ease and frequency, again and again.
MY COMMITMENT TO MY CLIENTS
I understand that saying yes to therapy can be scary. As your counsellor, I commit to offering you not only my knowledge but also my heart. I will be fiercely compassionate yet straightforward. I will offer you both patience and encouragement. I will be creative and offer you opportunities to shift and grow, while remaining respectful of where you feel challenged and the pace you want to take when we work with those tender areas. Above all else, I will unwaveringly hold the belief that you can find your way through your struggle and live the life you truly want — even when you have forgotten it is possible.
