Approach to Psychotherapy / Trauma Therapy
My current practice focus is in complex/relational trauma (C-PTSD) and co-occurring symptoms.
I work with adult clients who have experienced intergenerational and interpersonal traumas in their upbringing and in their adult relationships. We may have had unavailable caregivers whom did not have the tools to provide essential emotional support, which then shaped our sense of shame and other core beliefs about our worth. We needed to feel safe and protected, to be guided with the appropriate balance of security and independence to develop self-trust and confidence in our decision making. We learned to adapt and survive with coping strategies that continue to exist and may no longer be helpful in our adult lives.
We all need to feel seen, heard, validated, known, and respected. My hope, as a neutral guide, is to assist you in contemplating the bigger picture of your life and relationships, to witness patterns, promote self-compassion, and make connections between past and present that may inform change for a richer future for yourself and your relationships.
I work with clients to unpack and understand their relational experiences, family roles, unmet needs, adverse childhood experiences, community, systemic, and environmental challenges, and resiliency factors in order to inform more emotionally intelligent, secure, and confident ways of being with themselves and others in the here-and-now and promote an increasingly meaningful and authentic existence for the collective greater good.
This work is not easy. Difficult and uncomfortable emotions arise in therapy. I aim to support you from a place of respect and compassion while gently challenging you to move out of your ‘stuckness’ toward conscious change, an improved sense of self, confidence, meaning, and greater joy in your life.
No one can do this work for us, it’s an inside job. No external person, place, or thing can replace the essential internal work that may lead us to a more fulfilling and purposeful existence.
Qualifications & Education
I am a Registered Psychotherapist (RP) with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO) and a National Certified Counsellor (NCC) in the United States. I am a Professional Member of the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA), a Certified Trauma Professional (CTP), and a Certified Clinical Supervisor.
I hold an Honours Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counselling from Walden University, an Honours Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Phoenix, and an Honours Diploma in Behavioral Science Technology from St. Lawrence College.
Theories & Techniques
Attachment-based
Clinical Supervision and Qualified Supervisors
Cognitive Behavioural (CBT)
Compassion Focused
Culturally Sensitive
Dialectical (DBT)
Emotionally Focused
Existential
Family / Marital
Family Systems
Humanistic
Integrative
Interpersonal
IFS-Informed
Jungian
Mindfulness-Based (MBCT)
Motivational Interviewing
Multicultural
Person-Centered
Positive Psychology
Post-Traumatic Growth
Psychoanalytic
Psychodynamic
Relational
Schema Therapy
Strength-Based
Transpersonal
Trauma Focused
…and more.