Approach
Life can hurt. And sometimes, avoiding that pain hurts even more.
Many of us experience frustrated needs, overwhelming responsibilities, being overlooked in love or work, losing something or someone important, terrifying uncertainty that comes with health concerns, struggling with a relentless internal critic. These experiences can lead to a range of human emotions that often feel too heavy to bear—sadness, despair, rage, dread, shame.
We cope the only way we know how. This can look like shutting down, numbing, lashing out at loved ones, risky or addictive behaviours, social isolation, hurting ourselves, avoiding what matters most to us. These behaviours can hold pain at bay in the short-term, making us feel in control.
No one wants to feel helpless.
But avoiding pain in the long-term saps energy and makes us weary. We can benefit from having someone to share pain with, who also offers hope as we work together to map a way forward.
Without a map, it can be easy to get lost in therapy. My approach involves setting a goal to help us stay on track, learning new strategies and skills that can help achieve that goal, and accessing, processing, and making space for whatever pain is a barrier to pursuing what matters. I primarily work from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Emotion- and Compassion Focused Therapy approaches, which includes being open to our present experience without judgment and using what is most meaningful to us as a compass for mapping new healthy directions.
While life sometimes requires us to make radical changes, some changes need only be subtle. I can help with both, complementing your inherent strengths with my professional training to help you work through emotional pain, learn new skills, find hope, and discover affirming ways of understanding yourself.
I work with teens (14+), adults, and elders (65+). My training background is in cancer care, addictions, and workplace stress and injuries, with specializations in mood concerns (depression, anxiety), loss and grief (death, pet loss, unexpected life transitions, identity crises), health and illness (health anxiety, chronic pain), addiction (substance use, recovery, addictive behaviours), and trauma (PTSD, veterans, first responders).
Reach out if you'd like to chat about your needs, what you hope to gain from therapy, and to see if we’re a good fit.