COMMITTING TO POSTIVE CHANGE

ABOUT ME

If there is one thing I learned through life experience, it's that principles like collaboration, identifying and working within one's values, and navigating a productive, peace-filled young life amid current societal stressors sometimes mean just facing the right direction and taking one step at a time.

For me, this was learned on the ice rink, on the ski slopes and in the backcountry, portaging, mountain biking, and skateboarding. Perhaps a jack-of-all-sports, master of none, I've been a participant in whatever literally moves me. I've captained teams, coached kids, won, lost, been jobless, travelled the world, lived across the country, been injured, and sometimes, just not made the cut...

I have a certificate in TESL and spent time in my gap year teaching English at an orphanage in Costa Rica. An undergraduate degree in Psychology from Concordia (focus on positive psychology) aligned with my worldview, followed by a Master's Degree in Psychotherapy, has led me to my own practice.

As a Registered Psychotherapist, I now work on helping people manage life's bumps, understanding our thoughts and feelings at a higher level, and decreasing 'in the moment' impulses that usually make things worse. Identifying values, setting goals and skilfully managing relationships can make life so much easier and more fulfilling.

Life will throw all sorts of stressors our way, and how we accept, forgive, reframe, and recalibrate can increase our quality of life, whatever our circumstances. We all deserve to live our best life and, with some well-honed skills, this is an achievable goal.

"One size does not fit all. We will work together to determine the best treatment plan for you."

MY APPROACH

Integrating empirically-tested therapy approaches can effectively and efficiently pull all the pieces together, helping clients achieve their goals. But one size does not fit all, and sometimes a combination of therapies works best.

For this reason, I am trained in a number of therapies that may work wholly for you, or may be part of a journey that uses a few different tools.

Honestly, life can be a lot to deal with at times, and I believe it's so helpful to talk to someone about it. If you are ready to have open, honest, and vulnerable conversations about how you're really doing, I'm here for you.

I offer a safe, trusting, judgment-free space to explore the thoughts, feelings, and patterns that may be holding you back.

I believe therapy should feel like a real conversation—human to human. I’m genuine, direct, and honest, and I value collaborating with people who are ready to face their challenges head-on and take meaningful steps toward a more fulfilling life.

AM I WHO YOU ARE LOOKING FOR?

Choosing a therapist can be challenging and shouldn't be left to chance.

If you’re feeling lost, confused, hurt, sad, stressed, or simply in need of someone to talk to, I invite you to reach out. Life is a lot of things, good and bad, and whatever you’re feeling, you don’t have to face it alone. You’re human, I'm human, and these struggles are part of the human experience. I’m here to listen, understand, and support you.

If you see something here that makes you want to know more, book a meeting with me. After a first free half hour, we can both decide if we're a fit.

MY TRAINING

COGNATIVE BEHAVIOURAL THERAPY

(CBT)

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is the gold standard for challenging and changing thinking patterns.

We are all the sum of our DNA, our environment (especially early years) and the circumstances we find ourselves in. This stew of experience can create patterns of behaviour that once served a purpose but can now be dysfunctional in our day-to-day lives. The brain is mercifully flexible, however, and we can manifest more positive behaviours by identifying, countering, and practising new ways of thinking.

Whether treating existing mental health diagnoses or creating new 'peak performance' behaviours, CBT is a tried and true process for creating new patterns of behaviour that can be life-changing.

DIALECTICAL BEHAVIOURAL THERAPY

(DBT)

If Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is about changing your thinking to change your behaviour, Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT) could be thought of as changing your behaviour to change your thinking.

DBT may be a better fit for anyone experiencing high emotional dysregulation and is especially effective with impulse control. Drink, smoke, eat, spend, yell too much? DBT is a practical how-to skills-based approach in identifying and intercepting somatic signs of distress before the blow-up or melt-down.

DBT is for anyone who would like to develop better in-the-moment coping and resiliency skills to put you in control of your emotional expression. Treatment is by individual sessions or in a psycho-educational group (virtual) setting co-facilitated by a registered psychologist.

ACCEPTANCE AND COMMITTMENT THERAPY
(ACT)

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) could be thought of as a blend of CBT and DBT, acknowledging and accepting what you cannot change and focusing on what you can control.

Through a series of exercises and reflections, ACT helps you figure out who you are, define your values, set your goals and then work toward the person you know you can be. While acknowledging and opening up about the past, this process creates a dynamic for improvement by focusing on the present, helping you move toward what truly matters to you.

Sometimes bad things happen, and we can't change that. Still, ACT creates a framework for using those experiences to shape and choose the direction we want to be headed.

MINDFULNESS

To fix it, we have to feel it.

Being aware and curious about thoughts and feelings is the first step towards understanding who we are, and intercepting to rein in the yips. We don't have to be enslaved by a brain on a hamster wheel or feelings that take over our entire body like one of those inflatable giants at the used car lot.

Mindfulness isn't about getting into our heads and finding peace (that's meditation, and it's hard); mindfulness is about getting out of our heads and being in the moment. It's grounding. 'In the moment' is a place that's never as bad as your brain or body takes you on a whim.

Noticing allows you to intercept. Mindfulness skills can be with you whenever you need them and are integral to managing emotions.