Attachment Based, Somatic, IFS Informed
The most important relationship you will ever have is the one you have with yourself, yet we would not have survived as a human species without our connections to one another. That is why I work relationally with individuals, couples, and families to find a healthy balance of attachment, help transform fear into love, and start living life to the fullest.
In my work I have supported relationship repair and healing from: grief & loss, childhood trauma, addiction, anxiety & depression, relational conflict, and self-esteem issues. I use a blend of somatic skills (tuning into the body) and psycho-education, and I work collaboratively with you to excavate the root of the survival pattern (the past) that is keeping you stuck and getting in the way of you living your life (the present).
Although the bulk of my experience has been working with families interfacing layers of systemic oppression and mental health issues, this attachment repair is a framework that informs how I understand people. As individuals we all have our own “internal family” within us that carry our deep wounds, trauma, betrayal, neglect, as well as our resilience, love, power, and resourcefulness. Using a blend of the science of trauma and artistic strategies such as visual tools and expressive arts, I will gently support you to notice and name the many different parts of you - the contradictions and the tensions - and awaken you to your potential for growth. This process supports ‘internal attachment repair,’ or relational repair with your ‘self,’ which I believe to be the basis for mental health recovery.
Non-Insured Health Benefits for First Nations and Inuit
I offer services through the NIHB (non-insured health benefits for First Nations and Inuit) program.
“I will aim to meet you where you are at, keeping you in the driver’s seat…”
I chose this line of work because I love people. My approach is down-to-earth, transparent, humble, and openhearted. In our work together we will laugh, have fun, sit in the pain, and even the awkwardness. I understand that you are the expert of your own life and already bring with you tremendous skills and resiliencies. I will aim to meet you where you are at, keeping you in the driver's seat so you can inform me if the direction we are taking feels right. We will work together so that what happens in therapy translates to changes in your life outside of therapy. My intention is that through this relationship you will: move toward a greater sense of agency and authenticity in your life, and broaden and deepen your capacity to love yourself and others.
Anti-Oppressive Practice & LGBTQ+
I hold an anti-oppressive, gender-affirmative, trauma-informed, and non-pathologizing stance to support people of all ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, relationship types, ages, and abilities.
What these stances mean to me is that no matter who you are, I will hold the space for you to feel safe and support you to understand and notice your nervous system and physiology as it relates to your mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health. I see these individual aspects of health all existing within the context of a system that privileges few and oppresses many. I will support you to unpack that complexity by way of acknowledging the harm, releasing unwarranted burdens, taking responsibility, reconciling, or advocating for you (and sometimes that means taking action against the system). In my experience, this process of teasing apart systems from you and your relationships and confronting systems can support you to move towards a greater sense of wholeness.