Addressing the effect of stress and trauma on your mental health as well as bringing presence and understanding to your unmet needs can alleviate your suffering and liberate your mind.
I have extensive experience in the following areas:
Services
Professional Services
Trauma / Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Trauma is what happens at a psychological level when a person experiences an event that overwhelms his or her ability to process and integrate it, paired with a perceived lack of support in the immediate environment. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a specific mental health condition that can develop after exposure to a traumatic event.
How I work with Trauma
* Establishing a safe and trusting therapeutic relationship
* Using techniques like mindfulness meditation and grounding exercises to help clients stay connected to the present moment and manage overwhelming emotions
* Gradually and safely revisiting and processing traumatic memories and emotions which will reduce the emotional charge associated with them
* Through body-centered approaches, such as somatic experiencing, focussing on the body’s physical sensations and responses to trauma to release stored traumatic energy and promote post-traumatic growth.
Chronic Pain & Physical Symptoms
Chronic pain is a persistent and often debilitating condition characterized by pain that lasts for an extended period. Unlike acute pain, chronic pain can persist long after the initial injury or illness has healed. Chronic pain can have a significant impact on a person’s physical, emotional, and social well-being and psychotherapy is often a valuable component of a comprehensive treatment approach.
How I work with Chronic Pain
* Mindfulness and yoga therapy: People who experience pain on a daily basis often have to dissociate from their bodies in order to cope. Through body awareness, breathing techniques and sometimes gentle movement, you can learn to, once again, inhabit your own body.
* Acceptance and self-compassion: It is human to react to pain with resistance and even negative emotions and thoughts towards oneself. Working towards acceptance and compassion will improve one’s experience of pain.
Depression
Depression is a common mental health condition characterized by a range of symptoms that persist for an extended period, that include persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness, low energy, loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities.
How I work with Depression
* Mindfulness and body centered approach to develop a non-judgmental, embodied awareness, which lessens the power of the negative self-beliefs and self-talk
* An emotion-centered approach helps us identify, connect to and feel the emotions that may have been pushed away, thus allowing them to be released
* The psychodynamic approach helps us explore the unconscious conflicts at play and any repressed material, gaining insights into the roots of the symptoms.
Anxiety
Anxiety is an adaptive response to stress or perceived threats. Symptoms of anxiety disorders include excessive worry or fear, restlessness, rapid heart rate and difficulty concentrating.
How I work with Anxiety
* Develop coping strategies tailored to you to contain and lessen the intensity of the symptoms
* Teach you self-regulation tools to manage the symptoms
* Explore the causes and functions of the anxiety and uncover the unconscious conflicts at play
Grief & Loss
Grief is a natural and complex emotional response to loss. It can result from various types of losses, not just the death of a loved one. Unlike what many people think, grief encompasses a wide range of emotions (not only sadness) that are experienced in a much more intense way than usual, which can be very overwhelming.
How I work with Grief & Loss
* In my experience, people who go through grief need a space where these emotions can be both expressed safely, aside from any societal expectations and judgments, and contained so that stability can be maintained while healing takes place.
Body Image & Eating Disorders
Body image refers to a person’s perception of their own body’s appearance, including their thoughts, feelings and attitudes about their body. Negative body image involves dissatisfaction with one’s body, often rooted in self-criticism and low self-esteem, and can contribute to the development of disordered eating patterns. Eating disorders are mental health conditions characterized by unhealthy eating behaviours and excessive preoccupation with food, weight and body image.
How I work with Body Image & Eating Disorders
* Through a body-centered approach, we can work on building a relationship to the body that is more connected and intuitive.
* Challenge distorted beliefs around food, eating and exercise.
* Body images issues often have to do with early attachment traumas and, therefore, a strong and stable therapeutic relationship is paramount while working through those.
Addictions & Dependence
Addiction refers to a complex, chronic and relapsing condition characterized by the compulsive use of a substance or engagement in a behaviour. There are many objects of addictions such as drugs, alcohol, gaming, gambling, food, exercise or even a relationship (in the case of co-dependence). The function of the addictive behaviour is to both avoid and soothe pain, which can be of a physical or psychological nature. In this sense, an addiction is an attempt at self-care, which is important to acknowledge because of the guilt and shame people experience over their addictions.
How I work with Addictions & Dependence
* Build self-regulation skills to create more space between the pain and the compulsive response.
* In that space, you will be able to approach the pain, address the unmet need underneath it and meet it with compassion.
Attachment & Relationship challenges
Most of the challenges we experience in relationships in the present are rooted in early attachment traumas that occurred in our past. When there is enough safety and trust in the relationship between the therapist and the client, these traumas can be addressed and reworked through this relationship.
How I work with Attachment & Relationship Challenges
* Transference is the process through which the client unconsciously transfers feelings, attitudes and experiences s/he had for a significant person in their past (generally their primary caregiver) onto the therapist;
* Regression is the process through which the client psychically regresses to stages of his/ her development when trauma occurred. We will use regression and transference as opportunities for attachment repair within the therapeutic relationship.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between counselling and psychotherapy?
Counselling and psychotherapy both provide a safe space for individuals to explore their thoughts, feelings and behaviors in order to improve their overall well-being and mental health. My understanding of the difference between those two services in that counselling is more supportive in nature and suited for people who are generally functional but are going through a challenging life situation. Psychotherapy is more therapeutic in nature and suited for people who are ready to work deeper and more intensively.
How often do I need to have sessions?
For how long?
For how long?
Weekly is optimal, especially at the beginning. Based on individual’s needs or limitations, more or less frequency can be arranged. Overtime and as things progress, sessions can be more spaced out.
The length of the counselling services is often influenced by the person’s life circumstances and resilience. Clients generally know when they no longer need it and some may like to continue to check-in once in a while.
The length for psychotherapy is less determined by outer circumstances and it is more long-term in nature. A minimum of 6 months is generally recommended. Within a year of two, people will typically be satisfied with their progress. Some people find it beneficial to stay in therapy for several years.
Is online counselling as effective as in-person?
As long as it includes a video and we can both take in each other’s body language, I think it can be as effective. But the answer will depend on your own personal preference. Some people find online meetings more accessible and less threatening while others need to be in the same physical space in order to experience safety.
What age group do you work with?
20 years-old and up. I enjoy working with people of all ages but I my training and experience is with adults.
Do you provide direct billing?
I do not provide direct billing but you will receive a receipt which you can submit to your health plan. Please make sure that your plan covers C.C.C (Canadian Certified Counsellors)
Pricing
Sessions are 50 minutes long and cost $140 CAD (no tax)
Payment Method: E-transfer
If you have benefits through work, you may have coverage for counselling. You can inquire with your plan about the designation of therapist that they cover (I am a CCC).
Reduced fees can be arranged for regular ongoing therapy.