Individual, Couple & Family Counselling

For the duration of the Covid-19 crisis, I am providing online video sessions.

Welcome!

I aim to approach therapeutic conversations through a non-pathologizing, respectful lens and to honour and appreciate people's lived experience.

Non-pathologizing Approach

The reasons people seek counselling vary a great deal. Often, something comes up that has us reflecting about ourselves and our relationships - who we are, who we want to be, or what we want for ourselves. Some of the more common concerns people want to discuss are:

Depression
Anxiety
Trauma
Experiences of marginalization
Relationship difficulties
Life transitions
Grief/loss
Eating and body image struggles
Self-doubt
Food-related troubles

My Approach

Painful experiences can take Centre Stage and influence how we see ourselves. As a result, many stories of our strengths, commitments, cherished values and wisdom get relegated to the "back seat." By seeking out and remembering these subjugated parts of ourselves comes the opportunity to broaden our identities, revise the relationships we have with problems, and reclaim what is most important to us.

The hardships we go through do not occur in a vacuum; they are often a reflection of the social, political, familial and cultural contexts in which we live. The problems affecting us - including some of the practices and patterns we find ourselves stuck in - are not who we are. Problems are separate from people.

It is my aim to explore with you the wisdom you already have and any ideas you might not yet have considered. I will work with you from the perspective that:

People are the experts in their own lives
Problems are separate from people
Issues of power and privilege with regard to gender, race, culture, class, sex, ability, age, & sexual orientation often influence problems
People come to therapy with many skills, beliefs, and commitments they have cultivated throughout their lives, that can help them reduce the influence of problems they are experiencing - even when things feel hopeless.

Rescuing Words

As a Narrative therapist, I am intrigued by the concept of "rescuing the said from the saying of it" (David Newman, 2008). At the end of our sessions, I will often review with you anything that stood out to you as significant, helpful, or stimulating of further thought, so that it doesn’t get forgotten. Time permitting, I will sometimes write a brief document to my clients, summarizing any significant ideas, questions or stories we discussed. People have indicated that these oral and written summarizing practices allow them to know they have been heard (or gives them the chance to correct my understanding if they have not), and is helpful in teasing out problems and ways of responding to these problems so that they can be recalled and dealt with in greater clarity.

About Me

I am a therapist, an artist, and the parent of two children, alongside my partner of 24 years. I am a Registered Social Worker (RSW) with the Alberta College of Social Workers, with a Masters of Social Work (clinical specialization) from the University of Calgary. My other training includes 8 years of ongoing therapy practice, a year-long externship at the Calgary Family Therapy Centre, and intensive trainings through the Vancouver School for Narrative Therapy and various other institutions.