Therapeutic Approach

My psychotherapy practice is collaborative and incorporates a range of powerful and evidence-based modalities. I operate from the principle that you are the expert in your own life, and therefore I tailor all therapy sessions to meet your evolving needs and goals. I help you to notice your strengths, what is functioning well in your life, and to recognize what is no longer serving you.

As we work together you can learn effective life skills, such as how to calm the stress response in your body and how to manage and process difficult thoughts and painful emotions. Neuroscientific research demonstrates that our brains can change. We can train our brains to calm down, think more clearly, make sounder decisions, and ultimately function better in our daily lives.

We start with whatever is troubling you. We will pay close attention to the ways in which your relationships, both past and present, function. We will be curious about what comes up in the present moment, unearth unconscious tendencies, and take note of the ways in which long-standing behavioural patterns and coping strategies may no longer be serving you. We will also tune into any sensations in the body and notice what comes up. Attending to the mind-body connection can play a powerful role in helping to ground you, especially when symptoms of anxiety are present.

I am conscious of the ways that systemic oppression, marginalization, and racism impact mental health, and I operate from an anti-oppressive, feminist framework. My practice embraces all genders and sexual orientations, and is queer, trans, and non-binary positive. Everyone is welcome.

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Relational Psychotherapy

I view relationships as both the root of emotional distress and the source of emotional growth and healing. At your own pace, we will explore how your past and present relationships function and notice what patterns emerge. Through this process, we can begin to identify which unconscious beliefs and developmental attachment systems may be keeping you stuck and disconnected from yourself and those around you. We will give voice and offer care to the parts of the self that have felt abandoned. Ultimately, I strive to help you feel more fully at home with yourself so you can have greater capacity to manage all the unpredictability life can bring.

EMDR & Trauma Therapy

If you have experienced a life-altering event or have intense and persistent symptoms of anxiety and depression, EMDR therapy can be extremely helpful. I am an EMDRIA-certified EMDR therapist. Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy (EMDR) is a powerful, evidence-based therapy that has been shown to be extremely effective in treating trauma, PTSD, addictions and a wide range of other distressing experiences. The evidence is so strong that the World Health Organization recommends EMDR as one of only two treatments for PTSD.

When we experience something disturbing, the recollection of the event can get stored in our long-term memories. When this happens, we can experience distressing symptoms that simply won’t go away. We can become stuck feeling powerless, worthless, or terrified.

EMDR therapy works by bringing the recollection of a distressing event out of the long-term memory part of the brain and into the working-memory part. With the help of bilateral stimulation— tapping or rapid eye movements—these memories get reprocessed and lose their intensity. This reprocessing can mean that the memory becomes less intense and the feelings of powerlessness and hopelessness can fade.

Couples Therapy

Maybe this is a crisis moment in your relationship, where you cannot seem to connect, you sense the spark is lost or you feel stuck in what seems like the same fight over and over again. Or perhaps you want to deepen your connection and need some support.

Wherever you are, couples therapy can be a powerful space to explore how individual attachment and communication styles are impacting you and your relationship. When working with couples, I create a therapeutic environment that lends itself to deep listening and empathic communication and enables each person’s feelings can be authentically expressed. In our work together, we will look for opportunities to break the cycles that may not serve the relationship and lay the groundwork for a path forward. I support straight and queer folks in all different relationship configurations, including monogamy, polyamory and open relationships. Couples do not necessarily have to be involved in romantic relationships to benefit from therapy. I also work with friends, family and work colleagues looking to resolve conflicts and deepen their relationships.