I’m a Registered Psychotherapist from Ontario and a Registered Clinical Counsellor in BC who now lives and works on the ancestral, traditional, and unceded lands of the Coast Salish Peoples, including the territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. I work in private practice with offices in Vancouver and Squamish and specialise in Prolonged and Complex Grief Counselling with youth and adults from ON (online) and BC (online and in-person).
I offer trauma and attachment informed counselling to those who are grieving a major loss; facing major life decisions; struggling with anxiety, depression, and/or overwhelming emotions; working through relationship challenges; and are seeking deeper balance, meaning and purpose in their lives.
Over the 10 years I’ve been counselling in private practice, the 20 years I’ve been training and working in mental health, and by walking my own path of healing, I’ve come to specialize in an approach to counselling that helps people navigate the emotional challenges they’re facing with practical tools to access their bodies’ innate healing resources.
I have a Masters in Counselling from OISE/University of Toronto (2005), advanced post-graduate training in Prolonged and Complex Grief Counselling from the Portland Institute for Loss and Transition (2012 ongoing), as well as professional training in a number of methods that help people connect with their deepest values, needs and resources, including: emotion-focused therapy, narrative therapy, family systems therapy, mindfulness-based stress reduction, eco-psychology, depth psychology, expressive arts therapy, nonviolent communication, and Circle process.
I also am committed to advocating, educating, and raising awareness of grief, bereavement, and mental health issues in my communities. I am a sessional instructor at the University of Guelph, who developed and teaches “Grief Therapy with Couples and Families;” am on the Board of Directors of the BC Bereavement Helpline; and am a member of the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA) and the Association for Death Education and Counselling (ADEC).
As a Registered Psychotherapist with the CRPO and a Registered Clinical Counsellor with the BCACC, I am covered by many insurance programs.
As a survivor of breast cancer and a mother, I bring to my work a deep understanding of the primary importance of nurturing self-care in our daily lives. I am also a musician and a climber with a special interest in social and environmental justice. I am deeply committed to anti-oppression approaches to mental health, and to supporting marginalised populations in creating systemic change.
