PSYCHOTHERAPY SERVICES

I am an embodied, creative & empathic human being who strives to bring curiosity, compassion, playfulness, humour and an attuned presence to my work as a therapist.

In my psychotherapy practice, I combine mindfulness and compassion-based approaches, art therapy/expressive arts therapy, somatic body-based approaches (Somatic Experiencing), parts-oriented approaches (Trauma-Informed Stabilization Treatment (TIST) / Internal Family Systems (IFS), and narrative therapy techniques to support children, teens & adults who are experiencing a variety of concerns. These concerns might include anxiety, trauma, relational issues, depression, uncertainty, significant life transitions, work-related stress, identity development and loss. It may also include struggles with infertility, early postpartum mood shifts, gender diversity, disordered eating, increased substance use, and parenting challenges. Alongside these concerns, I wholeheartedly believe in the importance of end of life care, grief and bereavement therapy, and always feel honoured to support any person who is living with a terminal illness, considering medical assistance in dying (MAID), care-giving for a loved one, facing the death of someone close to them, or grieving the death of someone they cared about. 

I work from a trauma, attachment & nervous-system informed perspective with a therapeutic approach that is embodied, strength-based, anti-oppressive, and relational. My work is grounded in the latest developments in the fields of neuroscience, attachment and trauma that understands the body’s, brain’s, and nervous system’s capacity to heal and shift. This means I work from a strength-based framework that is grounded in an understanding of the impact of trauma on a persons body, brain & nervous system. Knowing this impact, I therefore strive to maintain physical, psychological and emotional safety for everyone I work with. This also means that I believe you are the expert of your life, and that you have within you what it takes to face challenges. My hope for our work together is to provide a safe, empathic, and caring space where you can feel empowered to explore your thoughts, feelings, behaviours, life experiences, and relationships.

As a professional art therapist I often weave creative practices into my work (with those who wish to try) because for many individuals, art therapy can support you to express your inner world for the purpose of strengthening your self-awareness, reducing anxiety, increasing resiliency, supporting integration of a life experience or trauma that may be unresolved, and/or to make meaning of a present life challenge.  

For many of us, no matter our age or what life challenges we are facing it can feel scary or difficult to open up and express ourselves verbally within a therapeutic setting. Simply using a crayon to mindfully scribble one's energy, thoughts or feelings on a piece of paper can be a non-threatening, and playful way to bring attention to the issues one is facing in the moment and act as a jumping off point for therapy. What I love about creativity in therapy is that you do not have to be a trained artist to benefit from it! It's actually not really even about the finished artwork itself -- it's about being open and curious to explore how your creative process and artwork might connect to relationships, experiences and struggles in your life. In other words, creating art can make your unconscious conscious. 

Many people think that art therapy is only for children or for skilled artists, however art therapy is valuable for individuals at any age and with any artistic skill level. All you need is an openness, a sense of curiosity and a willingness to create.

***Please note I am also very happy to work with people who do not wish to incorporate art creation into their therapy process as I use a variety of modalities in my practice.

Having taught & studied yoga and mindfulness meditation since 2008, this allows me to seamlessly integrate a variety of somatic, mindfulness & compassion based approaches into my psychotherapy work as a way to support individuals to bring awareness to their mind-body connection, to recognize their somatic experiences, to build capacity to regulate their nervous system when faced with a stressor, to cultivate self-compassion and to help them build healthy and effective coping skills. 

I wholeheartedly believe in the importance of collaborating with each one of my clients to process the current life challenge(s) that might be making them feel stuck or overwhelmed, while strengthening their own inner resilience & resources. I strive to provide a safe space where all of the people I work with feel welcomed, seen, heard, understood and valued.

Curious to know more?

CONTACT ME to book a free consultation or choose one of the following two options for more information: