Janice Graham, Ph.D., Counsellor and Psychotherapist
Supportive and respectful counselling for individuals and persons in relationships
PLEASE NOTE: IMPORTANT CHANGE OF STATUS
As a step toward retirement I did not renew my registration with the British Columbia Assocaition of Clinical Counsellors (BCACC) on January 1, 2020. I have been a member of BCACC for nearly twenty years and before that was registered with the Ontario Association of Consultants, Counsellors, Psychometriasts and Psychotherapists (OACCPP).
I will still be seeing some clients. However, now clients will not be able to claim remuneration for fees from your employee health insurance. If you are able to be a self-paying client I will be pleased to hear from you.
Education and Affiliations
Ph.D. and M.A. in Counselling Psychology (Berne)- Masters of Theological Studies (UWO)
- Certificate Palliative Care and Bereavement Studies (UWO)
- Western Branch Canadian Psychoanalytical Society (WBCPS)
Counselling Philosophy
Dr. Graham's approach is to help each client identify and develop individual competencies in order to resolve problems and lessen unhappiness. Each person has a unique and complex emotional, spirituality, physical, sexual, mental, social, psychological makeup. Your life experiences, from the very beginning, have laid the path on which your life has run. Janice will ask you to tell your story and will ask questions to help focus on key issues and patterns in your life. You will be listened to attentively, respectfully and without criticism. Counselling will help you understand your experiences and empower you to make goals, learn skills and take steps to direct your future life along a path which will bring you greater happiness and satisfaction.
Treatments methods include a variety of respected counselling techniques including:
- Psychotherapy
- Art Therapy
- Cognitive Behaviour Therapy
- Traumatic Incident Reduction (TIR)
- Narrative Therapy
Consistently, Dr. Graham's clients have described her as someone they are comfortable with and who is easy to talk to.
People decide to contact a counsellor for many reasons. You know what is happening in your life and can probably identify some of the behaviours, yours and those or other people, which are causing you distress. Often the root causes of a problem is not apparent to you in the beginning of counselling. Once you know the root causes you will be able to plan the changes you need to make to move toward greater happiness in your life.
Counselling will start with you invited to tell the whole story of what is happening in your life and why you have contacted a counsellor. I will ask you lots of questions. I will listen respectfully to your story without criticism or judgement. I will do my very best to help you; that is my promise and commitment to you.
The lists below identify some often seen concerns. Very often clients make an appointment to discuss a particular problem, something that has been happening to upset them, but in counselling often other problems are identified. It is finding these root or earlier issues that can stimulate a counselling break through that will lead you to a better and more satisfying life. It is an exciting process!
No problem is too minor to discuss.
Following the lists below is more in-depth information on areas of special interest, training and expertise.
Relationship Concerns
Communication
Trust
Understanding impact of pre-relationship and family of origin experiences on current relationship issues
Sexuality and Intimacy including lack of sexuality in a relationship
Anger and Anger Management
Power and Control Issues
Abuse
Infidelity including use of internet porn and chat rooms and dating sites
Blended families issues
Coping with separation and divorce
Pre-marital counselling for first time partners and when one or both partners has been married before
Financial issues
Decisions concerning having children or not
Death of a child, living or unborn (miscarriage and abortion)
How to forgive self and other
Individual Concerns
Depression
Anxiety and
Worry
Stress
Abuse
Sexual Addiction and Porn Addiction Anger and
Anger Management
Family Conflict including extended and in-law family issues
Self Esteem
Grief and Loss
Trauma Relief
Goal Review and Setting, Life Change Planning
Personality Disorders and Other Mental/Emotional Challenges
Dating and Search for a Partner including discussion of match making services (on-line and personal)
Phobias, fears and compulsive behaviours
Spirituality, values
Additional Information on Specific Counselling Concerns
Marriage and Relationship Counselling
Counselling can help with many relationship issues such as intimacy and sexuality, communication, anger and control, trust, betrayal, values differences, commitment and family life.
Some persons are seeking help to strengthen their relationship. Some want help to save a troubled relationship. Others are seeking help to end a relationship in a dignified way. Sometimes clients are not sure where they stand or if their relationship has a future. Counselling will help you figure out your best course of action and will help you move forward to achieve the best outcome for your relationship.
Loss and Bereavement
Bereavement is the process of accepting and adjusting to a loss, to an unwelcome new reality of life. The loss may be the death of a loved person, loss of health or ability through aging, illness or accident, infertility, loss of a relationship, loss of occupation through retirement or job loss or any other loss which leaves you in mourning and distress.
Janice Graham is a specialist is death studies and grief counselling. She is a graduate of the Death Studies program at King's University College Centre of Death and Bereavement, University of Western Ontario. She has been regular participant in Bereavement Conferences and was a faculty member teaching courses in Death and Bereavement at King's University College.
Dr. Graham is a sensitive and compassionate grief counsellor. The death of children is a special interest and bereaved parents are particularly welcome.
Post Abortion Grieving and Healing
Have you or your partner experienced an abortion? Recently or many years ago?
Abortions are a solution to a problem pregnancy. A problem pregnancy is any pregnancy which is a problem for someone - for you or someone else.
For all kinds of reasons which make sense the pregnancy has been terminated. Sometimes the decision is your own; often the woman is pressured by others to have an abortion.
For some women, the minority, the abortion is an incident, over and done with. However, for the great majority there remain troubling suppressed unresolved emotions. It is never too late to resolve these feelings.
Typically the abortion experience is silenced and buried in secrecy.
Research shows that the abortion experience has long lasting negative impact, leading to self destructive behaviours such as eating disorders, relationship and parenting problems, low self esteem and sterility.
Many women experience lingering internal emotional strife, alternatively condemning and defending the abortion.
Many fathers of aborted babies experience these same feelings but society does not acknowledge their grief. It is never too late to resolve these feelings.
Persons who have received appropriate post abortion counselling report feeling more at peace with themselves.
Dr. Graham is an experienced post abortion counsellor and educator. She will offer you non-judgmental, sensitive, compassionate support using a structured approach whose goal is to facilitate reconciliation and forgiveness and to honour the life that ended. Dr. Graham has no connection with any political position on abortion but seeks only to provide support to those who request it.
Persons who are considering abortion now are encouraged to seek informed counselling to help them understand as fully as possible the implications of their choice.
Adult Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse
Enormous numbers of men and women have been victimized by sexual perpetrators in their childhood.
This experience has the potential to severely damage one's life. Intrusive memories, flash backs, depression, relationship difficulties, anger, severe emotional pain, suicidal thoughts and helplessness are only a few of the experiences survivors report.
Some people who have been sexually abused fear that they will themselves become abusers because they have been trained in the practices of abuse. This is an important concern to be discussed in counselling.
Dr. Graham will work with you to help you overcome the abuse and legacy of sexual trauma in your childhood. You can feel comfortable and safe discussing these very personal experiences.
Pre-Marriage and Re-Marriage Counselling
Statistics show that marriage partners who attend some form of premarital counselling have an improved chance of achieving a lasting marriage.
Janice offers practical and supportive counselling to both first time marriage partners and unions in which one or both partners have been in committed relationship before.
Blended Families
Increased divorce and remarriage leads to many new families being formed by combining members of former families into new family units.
Most persons enter blended family formation with optimism and confidence that the members will bond and function well together as a family. After all, the new parents love each other. However, problems often develop.
Counselling will help you understand and cope with the difficulties of being a step parent or grandparent, step child or step sibling.
Internet Abuse and Addiction
Inappropriate and overuse of the internet damages many lives. Cyber sex can destroy intimate relationships. Internet gambling, shopping and game playing can lead to financial problems by encouraging unplanned spending. Sexual Addiction (SA) and Porn Addiction negatively affect many lives, both the addicts and those in relationship with them.
A fantasy world can become dangerously real. People are attracted to the anonymity, excitement and ease of access of online communications but very often progress from internet to real life contact often with troubling outcomes.
Counselling will help you understand why you are attracted to or overusing internet services and help you learn to overcome problem behaviour.