About Me

From a very young age,  I was often the confidante of friends and the friends that I have from those years say it isn’t a surprise I became a therapist–the writing was on the wall, so to speak. But losing my sister, in a tragic accident, as a young adult, was truly a significant catalyst to my becoming a therapist (My Master’s thesis was on how couples coped with losing a child). Just as I have been curious about my own way of creating meaning, healing and finding joy in my life during immense challenge, I have wanted to join with others working through difficulty as they do the same. Time on this earth is limited and special! And we humans have so much capacity for strength and well-being.

My counselling career started almost 20 years ago and during that time I have had the privilege of offering support to individuals, families and groups of all ages.  In addition to having my private practice, I have also had experience counselling individuals and families at BC Cancer Agency, individuals and groups at the Friends for Life Society (people living with life-limiting illnesses) and children dealing with grief and loss through the Rainbows Organization.

I hold a Masters of Arts in Counselling Psychology (2008), a Bachelor of Education (elementary education trained teacher) and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology all completed at the University of British Columbia and I am a Registered Clinical Counsellor in good standing with the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors.

I care most about the relationship I create with a client and believe that is the largest factor in effective therapy-research findings say this, too. With that said, all of my work is grounded is attachment theory, neuroscience, with a mindfulness orientation, and has a focus on what’s going on for my client in their body as they move through their feelings, thoughts and days. Buddhist psychology also plays a role in the work that I do. All of my work stems from viewing people and their struggles in a non-pathologizing way.

I’m often considering the impact that little or bigger traumas have had on clients on their feeling of self in this messy world. I use various evidence-based approaches particularly emotionally-focused therapy, internal family systems, polyvagal theory and Mindful Self-Compassion.  I am a trained teacher in Mindful Self-Compassion (https://self-compassion.org/) and one’s relationship with themselves is at the core of all I do with clients.

I have come to know humans as having incredible grace and resiliency even, and especially, through the hardest times. I believe deeply in the inherent strength and unique wisdom of people.

I am very comfortable working with individuals and couples who identify in any way in terms of gender and sexual orientation.

I humbly acknowledge that I live and work as a guest on the unceded homelands of the Coast Salish nations, including the territories of the St’át’imc, Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh). As a white, cis-gendered woman, I am committed to educating myself and investing in education about social justice issues related to anti-racism and anti-oppression. 

We shall not cease from exploring, 

And the end of our exploring 

Will be to arrive where we started 

And know the place for the first time. 
~T.S. Eliot