Find a Therapist in Anmore, British Columbia.

Throughout my life and educational career, I have learned the benefits of understanding how our brain and body develop and impact each other. The brain is like any other body part - when injured or not functioning properly, it requires proper attention and care to heal and strengthen it back to a higher functioning state. It is with this knowledge that we can begin to understand ourselves and our own reactions more. My goal is to help you find a path towards self-compassion and a clearer sense of self, while also working together to seek out alternative solutions to create a healthier mindset.

In my practice as a psychotherapist I assist individuals to understand forces within that cause suffering & confusion. My approach is engaging, compassionate and expansive. I have over 25 years of experience with many types of people from different cultures & backgrounds. I believe most people have a mixture of complex emotions & complicated life experiences. But most everyone is trying to live a better life. People often have ‘scripts’ of who they are & why they came to be living the way they are. I help people develop ways of reflecting on what has been, what is, and what might be. This opens the possibilities for more choices in life. Your life can be different if you want it to be.

Psychotherapy (or counselling) is ‘talk therapy’ – where you, as the client, share: your experiences, goals, challenges, presenting concerns, both verbally and nonverbally. Through this communication a therapeutic relationship (or alliance) is formed. This relationship acts a safe space for you to explore, excavate, evaluate, take new risks, etc. In a large way, engaging in the therapeutic relationship is ‘practise’ for the real world. I, as the therapist, will work with multiple modalities (or theoretical orientations) within our dialogue and engagement, which will serve to help us reflect, challenge, bear to light, collaborate, as well as model things (such as security, compassion, etc.).

Psychotherapy is an interactive process between a clinician and a client. By examining and challenging thoughts, feelings and behaviour, one can affect change, solve problems and reach maximum potential. As a clinician, I help to facilitate this process by implementing interventions such as Neurofeedback (NFB), EMDR and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). NFB retrains your brains ability to act rather than react. EMDR is a powerful tool that goes to the roots of barriers to functioning by affecting neural processes with eye movements. CBT allows you to actively engage in examining your thoughts and behaviours to effect change.

Psychotherapy is a big word, that really just means talking through your thoughts, feelings and behaviours with someone that is trained in helping you understand them and then how you can change them to live the life you desire. Over the years, I have worked with hundreds of individuals who have shared with me their thoughts, feelings and behaviours and together we worked on individualized steps to create a new, more desired future. It takes honesty and a desire to make small steps and the results are amazing.

Diving in to our selves and our unconscious minds can yield unexpected gifts. Sometimes individuals are called to do so because of problems in their lives or symptoms that cause them discomfort, and at other times for personal growth and self-innovation. Through guided self-exploration, you can heal and grow. You can experience increased life satisfaction, a greater sense of meaning and purpose, and a broadened awareness of your past and present choices so that you can improve the ones you make in the future.

A major focus for me is the body-mind relationship and attuning to the wisdom within the person. Besides "talk therapy", I often incorporate tools such as dreamwork and creative expression. Having over twenty years experience as a psychotherapist and having been an instructor of counsellors for many years as well, I am familiar with all of the major approaches to psychotherapy and am therefore able to work with each client according to their individual needs. For those exploring spiritual issues such as meaning, direction, and deeper connection, I bring my training in Interfaith Spiritual Guidance and many years exploring Jungian psychology.

I use a neurobiologically informed approach to treating trauma. That means I'll use the lenses of the nervous system and brain science to help make sense of how you're feeling stuck or repeating patterns you'd like to grow beyond. Most trauma experts agree that our body stores the residue of traumatic experiences and that it is necessary to include the body in the healing process to experience real and lasting change. I always bring the body into therapy by inviting you to become aware of your sensory experience and nervous system states.

Life and relationships become painful, sometimes paralyzing when our emotions overwhelm us. Emotions are actually intended for good - they are intended to give us motivation and information; specifically they inform us of how to act in the way that is in keeping with who we are. I help people to face their emotions, take from them the lessons that they offer and move forward positively in their lives. You do not have to be stuck, paralyzed and fearful, you can be peaceful, productive and motivated.

The circumstances and issues that you are dealing with are unique to you, but you don't have to face them alone. Every individual has different experiences, perceptions, feelings, thoughts, beliefs, values, attitudes, cultural backgrounds and "upbringings". Counselling sessions are private and confidential, and can provide a way for you to explore your problems and really tune in to your feelings. This is an opportunity to speak freely about your circumstances and release pent up feelings, without having to worry about what others think or feel, and without receiving unwanted advise from family, friends or coworkers. At the root of the problem, there are very real, legitimate and understandable reasons for feeling the way you feel, thinking the way...(view profile to read more)

My approach to Psychotherapy incorporates mind, body, spirit and emotions. It goes much deeper than talk therapy alone. While talk therapy is an essential component, a somatic approach to Psychotherapy allows for the possibility of deeper healing and more permanent change, as the body holds the information we need to heal. Therefore I take a body centred approach to healing while drawing on an extensive range of other psychotherapeutic approaches. Each session is tailored to where the client is at in the moment and from the belief that somewhere in all of us, no matter how deeply we have been wounded, we have the resources we need to heal.

Psychotherapy is a deeper subset of counselling, that works to discover and identify longstanding patterns and themes by which an individual views the world and their life. We all have a sense of how the world works, but rarely do people shift their awareness to a particular theme and explored how it impacts their life. In doing so, one is able to explore new ways of interpreting their past, present experiences, and future choices.

Many clients come to me with only having had talk therapy. They tell me that with their previous counsellor they just discussed their challenges and never really got anywhere. I personally believe that the difference lies in the distinction between the terms "counselling" and "therapy." In my opinion, counselling involves talking and gently exploring issues, whereas therapy involves teaching new concepts, applying specific tools and approaches, and making tailored plans. Clients brainstorm with me, apply new ideas at home, challenge themselves, and develop new insights and skills. This is how I work and what I offer, and my clients notice the difference in their daily lives.