I have a PhD and MSc in counselling psychology (University of Calgary) and have worked as a researcher, graduate-level instructor, and counsellor/psychologist in a variety of not-for-profit and academic settings. I have over 15 years of counselling experience and have worked with individuals, couples, families, and groups offering help with issues such as chronic pain, eating disorders, anxiety, depression, relational difficulties, sexual abuse/assault, domestic violence, childhood trauma, suicidality, and grief/loss.
As most psychologists, my initial training was in traditional talk therapy- the idea being that as we talk, we get a chance to examine ourselves and our lives and create intentional change. However, this oftentimes overlooks the changes that can take place at a more unconscious bodily-level, beyond what words can say. In my education and training, I have focused on bodily-relational, artistic, and movement-based frameworks that incorporate the more hidden aspects of our ways of being. This has given me a perspective that draws on both top-down approaches such as talk therapy and on bottom-up approaches like animal-assisted therapy, art therapy, and movement based therapy.
“The answer to trauma recovery isn’t found in reliving the past, but in having a different experience of the present.”
