None of us are getting through this life without struggling with loss, anxiety, depression, or relational challenges at some level. Although we recognize commonalities of the human experience, the particular way we suffer, struggle, or are wounded is unique to us. The journey toward self-understanding and healing is an art, fruitful in the collaborative moments where you can experience being truly seen and heard. We are relational beings, created to connect with ourselves and with others to become who we are. This can go wrong. Developmental trauma, attachment wounds, loss, depression, and anxiety are some of the many ways our human formation gets disrupted and we can lose our way and lose touch with who we are. Therapy is a place to focus on gaining freedom from emotional dysregulation, distortions, attachment wounds, and developmental traumas, so we can be free to heal, grow, and discover a more excellent way.
Who is Sarah McKenzie?
I am a daughter, a wife, a mother, a sister, a friend, a Registered Therapeutic Counsellor, and a Clinical Trauma Specialist. I have spent the last 23 years building a family and raising 8 kids, alongside my husband, Collin. The invaluable education I have received through this adventure has led me to the counselling profession where I have discovered an incredible sense of meaning and fulfillment in accompanying others on their journey, if only for a while.
Two years ago my husband was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. As anyone whose life has been touched by this terrible disease knows, this was a very difficult and uncertain time in our lives. It was exceptionally challenging for Collin but also for every person who knows and loves him. The support we received from those people stunned me, and a day doesn’t go by that I don’t marvel at the generous and thoughtful hearts of our friends and family. Knowing that their support made all the difference to our family motivates me to accompany those who are struggling with illness or their caretakers on their difficult journey as well. We are not meant to feel alone.
I am an avid reader and podcast enthusiast and like to describe myself as a curious humanist who is passionate about human flourishing and actualization through relationships.
My favourite place to be is at home with my family. I love to watch my kids dance, play soccer, baseball or fastpitch, battle at Jiu Jitsu, perform in a play or sing at church, tend their garden, or catch a crab or fish for lunch. I will probably never stop trying to recreate the lush Victoria gardens here in the Kelowna desert.
