My Approach
For Individuals
My counselling approach is based on Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy (EFIT). I work with clients from an attachment-oriented, anti-oppressive, and trauma-informed lens. I will welcome you just as you are, and I will have compassion for you even when you feel you don’t deserve it. I will be curious about your past and present relationships because I believe that relationships, particularly our earliest ones, shape who we are. I will also be curious about your emotions, as they have a powerful effect on our experiences and motivation. Together we will gently explore how past events may be influencing your present emotions and behaviours and reshape the patterns that no longer serve you.
All of this will happen at a pace that feels comfortable for you, and I will be there every step of the way supporting and encouraging you. I believe that the relationship between us is the foundation for your growth in therapy, so I’ll work at building trust with you and I’ll be curious about your experience of me.
I can’t promise exactly what the outcome of therapy will be, but I hope to help you see that all of your ways of being, even those you desperately want to change, make perfect sense given all that you’ve been through. I hope that you will understand and connect with yourself and others in a new way. And, if you still want to change a part of yourself as we move through this process… well, it’s a paradox, but in my experience as a human and a therapist, it’s so much easier to change a part of ourselves once we know how to lovingly care for it.
For Couples and Chosen Family
You want things to be different in your relationship. Maybe you’ve been trying to learn about attachment styles and communication skills but somehow all of your effort isn’t yielding the results you want. Maybe you’ve even been to couples therapy in the past, and you’re starting to wonder what’s wrong with you as individuals or as a couple if you haven’t experienced a transformation. Maybe a part of you is starting to give up, thinking that good relationships are rare and magical, and you aren’t one of the lucky ones.
As your couples therapist, I can’t promise magic, but I can promise that I will approach you and your partner with a lot of hope that things can get better if we are all willing to work hard and if we follow a strong plan.
I use an Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy (EFCT) approach with couples and chosen family clients. This approach is grounded in attachment science and the science of emotion. Whether you are straight or queer, whether your relationship structure is traditional or expansive, the science of attachment tells us that we are hardwired for connection with others. We are happiest and healthiest when our relationships are connected and secure.
Clients sometimes wonder about the emotion-focused approach. Does that mean that we will just feel feelings and talk about feelings and hope that things will change? It’s a fair question; this is an investment of time and resources, so you want to know that it’ll be worthwhile. I know what couples therapy with an unfocused therapist feels like as a client, and I am committed to providing an excellent experience. I will help you explore the patterns in your relationship, clarify and express the core vulnerabilities that drive your conflicts, and resolve past hurts by guiding you through moments in session that will change the way you engage with yourselves and each other.
The EFCT approach gives me a roadmap that I strive to follow quite closely because I believe that it can guide us towards the relationship you long for: one that is loving, safe, and deeply connected.
I know from personal experience how change and trauma shape our sense of self and our worldview, and I have witnessed how injustice can compound suffering. I know some of the wide range of joys and sorrows that life brings, and I have experienced the transformative power of the counselling profession both as a client and as a therapist.
I came to the counselling profession after a decade of working in personal development and leadership programming in post-secondary education. I have volunteered my time as a crisis line call taker and as a co-facilitator for the peer support group Dear John, I Love Jane at Qmunity. You can read more about my education and qualifications at the bottom of this page.
I was raised in British Columbia on S’olh Temexw territory, which is the traditional territory of the Stó:lō people since time immemorial. I now live, work, and play on the traditional and unceded lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.
In my spare time, I love reading poetry, trying new hobbies (watercolour, printmaking, embroidery, crochet) and feeding my cats, who are always hungry.
Areas of Focus
Relationships
Ethical non-monogamy
Divorce and separation
Family of origin
Parenting
Childhood trauma
Grief and loss
Anxiety and depression
Career transitions
LGBTQ+ identity
Coming out
Queer families
Religious trauma
Self-awareness
Self-worth
My Qualifications
I am a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC #21642). I hold a Master of Education in Counselling Psychology from Adler University. I completed an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and English at the University of Toronto, and additional coursework in Psychology at Simon Fraser University.
In my academic programs, I studied gender and sexuality, systems of oppression, anti-oppressive counselling, addiction, trauma, and Jungian psychology. I have also completed the following formal trainings:
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Transforming Trauma with Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy (EFIT)
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Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy Level 1 and Level 2
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AEDP for Trauma and Attachment Wounds: A Proven Approach for Transformative Healing with Diana Fosha
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Traumatic Grief: Neuroscience-Based Therapy Tools for Transforming Loss into Meaningful Recovery
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Gottman Method Couples Therapy Level 1: Bridging the Couple Chasm
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PHSA's San’yas Indigenous Cultural Safety Training
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UBC's Reconciliation Through Indigenous Education
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U of A's Indigenous Canada
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Narrative Assessment Level 1 Certification and who you are MATTERS! Facilitator Training through Career Cycles and OneLife Tools
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Gallup CliftonStrengths Educator Certification