Personal Philosophy:

I believe that we are all born with an innate capacity for growth and healing but that it becomes obscured by the defensive barriers we build to protect ourselves from emotional wounding. Unfortunately, the walls we erect often block our capacity for enjoyment and creative change as well. We may come to believe that we are victims of circumstance and have no choice over what happens to us. It is my life’s work to provide a safe and accepting environment where together we can identify existing strengths and use them creatively to transform current misperceptions and negative beliefs into stepping stones to positive change and personal empowerment.

Professional Experience:

For the past 14 years I have worked as both an Individual and Family therapist in non profit Agencies (i.e. Family Services of Greater Vancouver, North Shore Crisis Services, ACT II Child and Family Services) and Private Practice. Wherever I’m providing services, I believe in helping clients to develop a sense of personal empowerment through acknowledging their existing strengths and resources and using these to work through challenging times in their lives.

As a Registered Clinical Counsellor I provide assessment, evaluation and treatment of mental, emotional, behavioural and spiritual challenges.

As an Art Therapist I provide an experiential alternative to traditional “talk” therapy. It is now well known that insight alone does not usually heal or create behavioural change, thus experiential modalities are often necessary to release trauma or “stuck” emotions and promote positive behavioural change. Art Therapy and somatic interventions i.e. EMDR, EFT, Focusing and Mindfulness are particularly effective in helping individuals who have experienced any sort of trauma that may be impossible or very difficult to express in words.

As a Clinical Supervisor, I have taught Clinical Assessment and Case Study Preparation to post graduate students already working as professional therapists. I also supervise the clinical work of students and advise on their thesis projects.