In verbal psychotherapy, I work primarily with adults and occasionally adolescents, and have particular experience supporting
 

• people with intense or overwhelming emotions

• people with eating disorders

• people dealing with self-destructive thoughts and habits

• survivors of assault/abuse

• people who feel they should be over this by now

• people who have been marginalized, harmed and/or frustrated in 
  accessing healthcare in the past 

• people who "over-think"

• people who are, or think they might be, neurodivergent

• people who are, or think they might be queer

• people who feel as though they don't know who they are

• paramedics, firefighters and veterans. 

 

I work to support people in feeling less at the mercy of their own minds,

gaining a stronger sense of capacity, and finding relief from harsh inner worlds and unmanageable thoughts and feelings. My work is premised on the acknowledgement that systemic injustice and violence contribute to the personal pain that people experience. I work with clients to understand feelings of shame and decide who that shame belongs to, and what to do with it. I like to swear, face existentialism directly, and trust your wisdom.

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I use theory, expeience, evidence-based care, as well as the wisdom of those I have worked with to inform my practice.

 

The modality I draw from primarily is Compassion-Focused Therapy, an empirically supported approach developed specifically to treat individuals with high shame experiences.  I follow principles from Health At Every Size ® research and practices. I have training in and draw from Dialectical Behaviour Therapy and Narrative Therapy, and am qualified to provide Cognitive Processing Therapy, a structured, evidence-based treatment for post-traumatic stress disorders.

 

​Throughout my work there is a common thread of learning to have greater power over where the mind goes, which may include attention training, mindfulness practices, and a practice of kind curiosity about one's internal experience.

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As an MTA, my verbal psychotherapy work is also influenced by my experiences in music therapy supporting people to encounter their own emotions or inner worlds in creative ways,  and learning to honour and accept what matters to them. Click here to learn more about the role of music therapy in my practice.

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Please note that I do not provide verbal psychotherapy with children. Music therapy might be an option for your child!