Cynthia Ramsay, RTC

A little about me…

I am a Registered Therapeutic Counsellor and a member in good standing of the Association of Cooperative Counselling Therapists of Canada.  I am a Certified Life Coach, and have End of Life Doula training.  I’m also a wife, mother, dog lover, and Christ follower.

I enjoy good food, music, reading, gardening, walking dogs with my neighbors, spending time with family and friends, game nights, and laughing hard.  I also enjoy deep meaningful conversation, and the beautiful richness found in cultural diversity.

I’ve had personal experiences with death, addiction, and other challenges.  I know what it’s like to keep both faith and dark struggles hidden in two separate worlds.

Learning to acknowledge (and then embrace) ALL sides of myself as a whole being made all the difference for me.  That’s the difference I offer you.

I have a deep spiritual conviction that guides my personal life decisions, so I deeply respect the same in you, whatever that looks like for you.

Are there aspects of life, and how I deal with them, that I still sometimes struggle with?  Yes, absolutely!  AND I now have some tools and supports in my life to help me face those struggles without being overwhelmed and consumed by them.

Working Together…

I am educated in a variety of therapeutic modalities including CBT, DBT, Narrative Therapy, Somatic Therapy, Eco Therapy, IFS, and others…  What does this mean for you?

My holistic approach means that we will not be restricted by one specific type of therapy, but rather have the flexibility to stay fully “client-centered”, supporting you in what you need most, for example:

–   Explore the connections between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors;

–   Identify and untwist unhealthy thinking patterns so you can learn to make shifts and show up in the world the way you want to;

–   Learn to regulate your nervous system, to tolerate the distresses of life while staying within your window of tolerance;

–   Explore your problem as something separate from you, as something that is detached from your core identity;

–   Learn how trauma and stress can manifest as physical symptoms within your body, and ways to manage them.

Addiction is a family struggle, and recovery is a family process.  I am passionate about supporting substance-affected friends and family.  I believe that recovery must include helping loved ones to gain knowledge, build empathy, and see the person behind the struggle.  Spouses/parents/carers often have no place of respite, so learning skills to cope and thrive are critical. 

Services…

At this time, all sessions are conducted virtually.

It is understandable that there may be some feelings of resistance to virtual counselling, especially with so much screen time in our lives already.  I have found that there are also benefits, such as:

–   Attending sessions in your own private space can add to your sense of safety, and you will have your own personal resources to ground you (a blanket, a cup of tea perhaps?)

–   If you’ve had an emotional session, you don’t have to “pull yourself together” to leave the office and step out in public.

–   You’re not limited to a counsellor in your town.

If we haven’t yet been introduced, I invite you to book a free 15-minute consultation.  This allows us to meet one another and see if we would be a good fit to work together.

Online Booking Available:   https://graceextended.janeapp.com/

Land Acknowledgement…

I wish to humbly acknowledge that I am gratefully living and working on the stolen, unceded, traditional territory of the Syilx Okanagan Peoples, in a place now known as Oliver, BC. https://www.syilx.org/about-us/syilx-nation/