How I Work:

With all clients, my most important goal is to build a trusting, safe and supported relationship. I do this through allowing the therapeutic process to unfold at a pace that is comfortable for you, providing gentle encouragement, using humour, asking meaningful questions, and meeting you with authentic empathy and validation.

When I work with individuals

When working with individuals, I mostly commonly use an emotionally-focused framework (i.e., EFT). When working from this lens, you and I will explore your experiences with emotional processing and better understand how earlier life and relationship experiences may be influencing challenging emotional reactions and coping behaviours. The goal of Emotionally-Focused Individual Therapy (EFIT) is to help clients have a more coherent sense of self and healthier engagement with others in the outside world.

For some clients and presenting concerns, it is more appropriate to work from a Cognitive-Behavioural (i.e., CBT) orientation. This means that I work with you to better understand how you are thinking and behaviours you are engaging in and explore where modifications might be possible to help you heal and grow. This does not mean that I will simply ask you to “think and act differently.” Instead, we work together to 1) identify problematic, troubling, or distressing beliefs and behaviours, 2) understand the roots and function(s) of frequently occurring problematic beliefs and behaviours, including how these beliefs and behaviours may have been adaptive for you, and 3) work to challenge, soften, correct, and/or reframe the beliefs and behaviours.

I am also trained in a number of additional approaches including Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (i.e., DBT), Narrative Therapy, and Solution-Focused Therapy.

I have completed intensive training in Exposure & Response Prevention (Ex/RP) for OCD and Prolonged Exposure (PE) for PTSD.

When I work with couples

Common reasons individual clients see me

Anxiety, OCD, PTSD, Phobias
Women’s health issues
Depression, low mood
Relationship challenges
Life transition challenges
Divorce & separation
Stress management
Caregiver stress
Attachment injuries
Identity concerns
Parenting stress
Motherhood
Self-esteem
Perfectionism
Boundaries, communication, assertiveness
Blended families
Family of origin concerns
Imposter syndrome

Common reasons couples see me

With couples, I draw from Emotionally-Focused Couples Therapy. Here, the goal is to help you and your partner understand your unique patterns of attachment and interaction and facilitate a more bonded and functional way of interacting. I do this through getting to know your history and the history of your partner, highlighting how past experiences may be influencing current patterns of interaction, and facilitating dialogues between you and your partner in a new way to help you better understand each partner’s fears and needs.

I am proud to work with couples of all ages and have experience working with couples in heterosexual and same-sex relationships.

In addition to EFT, I have completed Gottman Level 1 and draw on this material when appropriate for my clients.

Infidelity
Communication challenges
Loss of emotional connection
Blended family concerns
Loss of intimacy
Family of origin challenges
Major life transitions
Parenting challenges
Divergent values and goals

Referrals

There are a number of areas where I do not possess the experience of expertise to adequately serve clients. I am proud to suggest the following referrals where appropriate:

Eating Disorder Care