Family Counselling Services in Chilliwack, BC.

Most of my training has been in family therapy. I love having the opportunity of working with the whole family as it is often so productive and rewarding! I have training in several different modalities which provides me with the opportunity to mix and match as needed when trying to help families solve complicated issues! It is often much more effective working with the complete family rather than pieces of the family.

Imagine a family as a tree with branches, roots, trunk representing parts of the immediate and extended family. When working with families, all elements are considered. Usually there is a request for family therapy due to one of it's members in crisis, often a child. However, when an analysis of need is done it becomes apparent that more than one member of the family needs help in adjusting, growing and learning new behaviours. Clients contact me for a variety of reasons: to improve communications, solve family problems, support in special situations such as death, divorce, marriage, illness, child or adolescent issues.

I strongly believe in restorative and compassionate counselling for families that have conflict in their relationships. Family members can also get into patterns of communicating and relating that cross healthy boundaries and leave them feeling drained and disrespected. My approach leans on family systems and understanding each individual and their role in the family unit. My therapeutic approach is built on Bowen's family therapy, tragic therapy, contextual and narrative therapy modalities. Family therapy is beneficial to building healthy boundaries between family members, strengthening the family unit , building trust and respect where is was lost, and finding healing from loss and trauma

Despite the best intentions of ourselves and our family members, we are often tangled in patterns of invalidation, rejection, frustration and blame. It can feel so messy that we operate in a constant state of fear and a crippling sense of unworthiness. In 2008 I started my counselling career as a family therapist. A combination of individual and joint sessions will take place to allow the space for all voices to be respectfully heard, while helping to identify bigger ‘systems’ patterns that keep you stuck in pain and finger-pointing. I will help to smooth out communication, make room for wants and needs and to heal the old wounds holding you back from having a healthier relationship.

Exploring better ways to resolve conflict and communicate effectively with one another can be meaningful ways of supporting many concerns within families. Concerns can range from communication issues to crises. I, therefore, approach family counselling through a systems lens, where each member plays an integral role within the system and where the system can impact each individual within it.

Listening with love is a gift that family members can give to each other. Carey can help you to have meaningful conversations that lead to desired changes in the family. Relying on systems theory and effective communication practices, emotional bonds can be strengthened and misunderstandings corrected. Carey's goal is for each family member to have a positive counselling experience with their hope for change realized. Family members can work toward interpersonal goals on their own in session or invite family members to join them.

My approach is centered on fostering open communication, understanding, and cohesion among family members. Recognizing the unique dynamics within familial relationships, I tailor interventions to address the complexities of diverse family structures. By emphasizing effective communication strategies, conflict resolution, and the cultivation of a supportive family environment, my goal is to strengthen the bonds that connect each family member. Through a collaborative process, clients benefit from developing practical tools to navigate challenges, build resilience, and foster a harmonious family life.

Family therapy is essential for understanding deeper systemic issues. Through the implementation of family systems therapy and family counseling nurturing family change and ongoing development becomes possible. It's important and helpful to involve the family in solutions as this quite often benefits the clients. This direct involvement of families is commonly accomplished by direct participation in the therapeutic process. When one person starts to change this evokes change in other family members.

Family therapy is the cornerstone of our practice. We understand that the most important relationships in our lives have profound meaning and impact on our lives. We work to understand the individuals, families, and couples we work with to best support, assess the concerns, and offer insights and support. We help families by working to identify patterns of interaction that are not working and offering new ways of responding to each other.

Experience: Throughout my 20 years of professional experience in the human services field I have been driven by a passion for helping others that I now bring to Clinical Counseling. It is rewarding to serve youth, adults, and families, helping them to overcome distressing and traumatic life events while realizing their strengths and resilient qualities. My clinical counselling practice includes supporting individuals who experience anxiety, depression, PTSD, grief and loss, self-harming behaviors, suicide ideation, and those who experienced domestic violence. My lived experiences inform my practice. Being married for 33 years and raising three children, now young adults, has increased my empathy, compassion, and understanding for youth, adults, and...(view profile to read more)

Any relationship at any time, can face challenges. Families are not an exception to the rule. When crisis hits, we sometimes feel desperate, seeking help from a professional might be the best route at that time, instead of trying old tools that have never worked. At Cognitive Health Clinic, the DESTINATION AFFINITY COUNSELLING CENTRES you will feel not be judged, you will feel accepted, comfortable, in a safe and confidential environment to disclose the issues that hindrance your family dynamic. I will support you, work with you to find sustainable solutions.

I believe that we are all profoundly shaped and impacted by our family systems and larger social context. From this perspective I do not believe that "problems" are solely located within the individual. I believe they are impacted by our family system within a social context. In family therapy, we will explore the "problem" and how it is impacting the family system. For example, how are the family members affected by the "problems" and how are they responding. Using a Systemic Family Systems Approach with interventions from Response-Based Practice and Narrative Therapy we will explore the interactions in which the "problems" occur. We will also explore the meaning behind the responses.