I will hold a safe and non-judgemental space for you to bring your questions, your worries, your fears, your hopes and your dreams. There, we will work together to move toward growth and awareness. We will do this by remaining curious and open, and asking dynamic and thoughtful questions.
What is Counselling?
The goal of counselling is to support individuals, couples and families in making changes and moving towards a better understanding of themselves and/or others. This is done by being in relationship with a counsellor who provides a safe and non-judgemental space for clients to explore their thoughts, feelings and behaviours. Through this process of exploration, they will become more hopeful and content, as well as learn skills and strategies that they can use in their daily lives.
Areas that people often seek counselling for include conflict with family, abuse/trauma, mental health issues such as anxiety and depression, stress, loneliness, feelings of worthlessness, substance use, life transitions, grief/loss, parenting, anger and communication.
It is important that the counsellor respects the client’s values and preference for counselling approach. Some other things to consider when looking for a counsellor include:
- What is the counsellor’s level of education
- Do they do either phone or in-person free initial consultations to help determine best fit
- How long have they been in practice
- Does their availability fit your schedule
- What are their fees
- Are they part of a professional association
From counselling, a client can expect to experience:
- Increased self-awareness
- Increased understanding of self and others
- Increased emotional awareness
- Greater clarity
- Ability to articulate challenges and strengths
- Increased resilience and coping strategies
- More peace and sense of contentment
- Increased sense of hope
I have worked with:
- Families experiencing challenges and struggles
- Children who have experienced abuse
- Children with problem sexual behaviour
- Grief and Loss
- Friendship issues
- Stress
- Suicide Ideation
- Assertiveness
Approaches that I have studied and use in my work:
- Body-oriented
- Trauma-Informed
- Attachment based
- Narrative Therapy
- Mindfulness
A large part of my work involves working with children, adults and families to increase social and emotional skills. These are the skills that we all need to be able to get along with others.
In addition to building these skills with children and adults in session, I support parents in helping their children develop social and emotional skills at home. In my workshops and in counselling sessions, I share practices that you take home to do with your family to encourage these social and emotional skills.
Social and Emotional Skills include:
- Empathy
- Perspective taking
- Self-awareness
- Emotional literacy
- Social Awareness
For more information on social and emotional skills, please go to casel.org