How I Work with You.

I envision my therapeutic stance as if I were standing in the centre of a circle. Within that central locus, the core of my approach is a deep respect for each person’s unique journey, their innate value, and their knowledge about their own lives. Standing in this centre, I hold a steady faith in people’s ability to heal and grow, and to step into their vision for the most fulfilled, best-lived life they can envision.

Radiating from that central core, one might envision the spokes of a wheel, connecting to various tools. I am what is sometimes called an eclectic therapist, in that I draw from a variety of approaches to establish the most effective combination to help my clients. Eclectic therapy is considered an open, integrative approach to customize the process for each individual.

Below, you’ll find a description of some of my favourite approaches. Feel free to click on the links to go directly to a section where you can read about an approach. You can also contact me if you’d like to take the next step to talk about what’s on your mind, and how I may be able to help you.

Narrative Therapy; Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy; Self-compassion Practices; Mindfulness-based Non-violent Communication

Modalities to Address Difficult Past Experiences, Trauma, and PTSD: Brainspotting (BSP); Traumatic Incident Reduction (TIR)

I will often use key principles and tools from narrative therapy. In this approach, client and therapist work collaboratively. Clients are considered the experts on their own lives, and experiences.

This form of therapy is considered ‘non-pathologizing,’ looks at ‘problems’ as separate from people, and includes the belief that people already have many abilities, skills, values, and beliefs that can assist them in addressing problems. Narrative therapy also recognizes the wider context of people’s lives, including social forces and systems, and the ways we are diverse (examples: culture, race, ability).

In terms of actual narratives, our brains work very much like ‘meaning-making machines,’ because our senses are always taking in data (ex. sight, sound, touch, hearing, tasting). Our brains make meaning of experience, and will commonly organize these meanings into stories. And, our stories can shape our perceptions of our lives, and ourselves.

Some stories, or narratives, might be referred to as ‘problem-saturated’ stories, which can also translate into stories about ‘identity.’ For example, we might hear a person refer to themselves as ‘an anxious person.’  Identity stories like this can have a powerful, negative influence on the way people see themselves, and their capabilities.

Therapists who use a narrative approach will often listen to both better understand problem stories, and also look for clues to skills and abilities that are different from, and often contradictory to problem stories.  A person’s life and identity are seen as multi-storied, and clients and therapists work together to discover and bring forward preferred, hidden possibilities that are often hopeful, strength-based, and connected with people’s values, and what is deeply important to each person. Clients are invited to re-author their stories into more empowering narratives that support their personal goals, and preferred futures.

Selected Training Highlights: Intensive Certificate (Narrative Therapy Institute); Narrative Therapy Workshop (Windz Institute)

The practice of combining mindfulness and cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) was originally influenced by the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) eight-week program developed by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn. Research has shown that MBSR is empowering for people with physical health problems, including chronic pain and gastrointestinal disorders, as well as for psychological issues like anxiety.

Let’s start with the cognitive therapy part of this combination. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) has been a widely researched model, and has demonstrated effectiveness for a range of concerns, including anxiety and depression.

CBT is based upon several core principles. One of these is that people can develop patterns, or habits of thinking that can be unhelpful, or self-defeating. Part of these self-defeating patterns can be connected with our human brain’s default tendency to be like Velcro for negatives (sticky), and like Teflon non-stick coating for positives (more easily sliding out of our awareness). Changing these thinking patterns can relieve problematic symptoms.

Strategies for doing so can include learning how to gain more awareness of what type of patterns are creating problems, and consciously re-evaluating them in more helpful, balanced ways. CBT can also involve developing problem solving skills for certain situations, which can help shift behavioural patterns. CBT encourages people to learn more about their own thinking habits, and empowers them to build on this self-awareness, and to increase their self-confidence, through practice.

The Mindfulness piece complements the core benefits of CBT. Mindfulness is a non-judgmental way of paying attention to the present moment. The heart of this work lies in becoming familiar with unhelpful modes of mind while simultaneously learning to develop a new relationship to them. As such, a mindfulness approach to cognitive therapy is less about labeling thinking patterns as bad or wrong, and more about a non-judgmental curiosity about one’s own thinking habits.

Combined, mindfulness practices and cognitive therapy help people to recognize, and then consciously interrupt how they habitually react to situations, so that they develop the power of choice to respond in more skillful ways.

Selected Training and Practice Highlights: Cognitive Behaviour Therapy Certificate (Hincks-Dellcrest/OISE); Insight Meditation Retreats (Insight Meditation Society); Mindfulness Facilitators’ Retreat (Spirit Rock Insight Meditation Center; California); Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program (Dr. Bob Stahl); Regular meditation practitioner for over 18 years

To understand the term self-compassion, it can be helpful to consider what it means to feel compassion more generally. When we feel compassion we notice and feel moved by the pain of other people. Compassion literally means, “to suffer with.”

As human beings, we have a built-in capacity in our brains for kindness, which we often direct outwards, towards others. However, a growing body of research, such as that by Dr. Kristin Neff, has demonstrated that deliberately cultivating self-compassion helps to support life-changing shifts in people’s mental health, wellness, and ability to pursue meaningful life goals.

In terms of how self-compassion can be misunderstood, it is important to note that it is not self-indulgence. When we cultivate self-compassion it does not mean that we are not honest with ourselves, that we don’t recognize or build on our strengths, that we don’t set goals, or that no effort is made to work on certain areas of our lives, or ourselves. But, the attitude that we bring to these pursuits - that of pressure and self-judgment, or a more supportive, kind energy - can make all the difference.

For many years, therapists emphasized the importance of building up people’s self-esteem, which is different from self-compassion. Self-esteem refers to how much we view, or evaluate ourselves positively. It represents how much we like or value ourselves, but is often based on comparisons with other people. Like a child’s teeter-totter in a playground, or a set of balancing scales, self-esteem is always going up, or down, depending upon who is around you at the time to compare yourself to.

In contrast, self-compassion is not based on positive judgments, or evaluations. This means that with self-compassion, you don’t have to feel better than others to feel good about yourself. Self-compassion is always there for you to access - whether you are feeling a moment of achievement and are on top of the world, or have stumbled and fallen flat on your face. And so, it offers more stability than self-esteem.

Self-compassion is also less isolating, because it recognizes our shared human condition. All of us have more or less than someone else in some way, at some time. None of us are perfect. And, we all stumble and make mistakes sometimes. It’s okay. You’re not alone in this experience. It’s a part of the human journey.

When I work with people to help them address self-criticism and a tendency to be hard on themselves I find that practices that help cultivate self-compassion are very helpful. Self-compassion entails being warm and understanding toward ourselves when we suffer, fail, or feel inadequate, rather than blaming, criticizing, and hurting ourselves.

In learning to acknowledge our problems and shortcomings without judgment, people actually find it is easier to do what is necessary to cope, to help themselves, and to move forward with rewarding, meaningful life pursuits. When we combine nourishing self-compassion with empowered, or ‘fierce’ self-compassion, we can take action in our lives from a place of self-awareness and a connection to what matters to us.

Selected Training and Practice Highlights: Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) Core Skills & Fierce Self-Compassion Courses (Dr. Kristin Neff & Dr. Chris Germer); Mindfulness, Wisdom, and Compassion in Psychotherapy: Beyond the Basics (Dr. Ronald Siegel); Metta (Compassion) Meditation Retreat (Insight Meditation Society); regular personal meditation and MSC practice

Broadly defined, mindfulness is a term that refers to the basic (innate) human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we are doing. We all have this capacity. Mindfulness practices help us to strengthen our ability to be present to our experience (including feelings, thoughts, and body sensations) in ways that allow us to be more balanced and steady, as opposed to being overly reactive or overwhelmed by our experiences.

Developed by Dr. Marshall B. Rosenberg, NVC is an approach to communication that helps people learn to hear their own deeper needs, as well as those of others. NVC can be seen as both a practice that helps us see our common humanity, using our power in a way that honors everyone's needs, and a concrete set of skills to help us create and sustain community and connection through meaningful collaboration. This language reveals the awareness that all human beings are only trying to honor universal values and needs, every minute, every day.

Although I work with individuals, and am not a couples or family therapist, the subject of relationships often comes up. The reason is that, as human beings, we are a relational species. We are always interacting with other people in some way. And, in many situations, it is possible to shift relational interactions when we change aspects of our approach, and how we show up. I use practices from the integration of mindfulness and NVC to help people improve their relationships through learning how to bring more clarity, kindness, and effectiveness to their conversations with others.

Selected Training and Practice Highlights: ‘Say What You Mean’ (12-week Mindful NVC interactive program); Wise Speech (6-week Mindful NVC interactive program); Authentic Communication (6-week Mindful NVC interactive program)

Below are my favourite modalities to help people resolve past, painful emotional and/or physical experiences, including trauma and PTSD. For more information about trauma, please click here.

Informed by brain science, Brainspotting is a powerful method of treatment that works by identifying, processing, and releasing emotional and physical pain, and unhealthy coping mechanisms associated with difficult past experiences. “Brain spots” refer to specific points in a client’s visual field that are located in order to access unprocessed experiences and/or trauma in the subcortical brain (areas that include what is called our limbic system, and our brain stem). These deep areas of the brain are where trauma is primarily stored, and where the most effective healing from difficult emotional experiences, trauma, and PTSD can occur. BSP uses eye positions, somatic (felt sense) awareness, focused attention (mindfulness), and the therapist’s compassionate presence to support the processing of these stored experiences.

Often, BSP is used with bilateral sound (music, or nature sounds that move back and forth between the left and right ears). This use of sound is believed to balance activation of the left and right hemispheres of the brain, activating the calming (parasympathetic) part of our nervous system, facilitating the processing of unresolved experiences.

Traditional ‘talk therapy’ usually accesses only the newest, and most frontal region of our brain behind our forehead, called the prefrontal cortex. Because BSP allows access to deeper areas of the brain, it facilitates more effective healing than talk therapy can offer.

BSP is a newer generation of trauma therapy, discovered in 2003 by Dr. David Grand, an EMDR therapist. Dr. Grand found that BSP seemed to provide more rapid resolution of symptoms than the main approaches he was using. Because BSP requires less verbalization than other trauma therapies, Dr. Grand also observed that BSP is a more accessible a method for people who find it hard to talk about their past. BSP can achieve effective processing, even if people share very little verbally about their experiences.

In addition to the release of trauma from the brain and body, BSP also clears the way for the brain’s frontal cortex (the part that is involved in problem-solving, decision-making, and planning) to transform traumatic memories and negative beliefs in adaptive, and empowering ways. As such, BSP makes it possible for people to access the innate, holistic healing capacities that exist in the brain and nervous system.

That is to say, within you, and each person, lies the ability to heal. BSP just facilitates your healing power to step forward on your behalf. I have been inspired by seeing, first-hand, the powerful benefits of BSP to empower people to move forward in their lives with greater ease, and peace.

I am also trained in Expansion Brainspotting, which can help with the healing process, as well with clarifying how to step into what a more joyful and fulfilling life would look like for you. Expansion BSP allows people to connect with their inner strengths, gifts, and resources, and supports goal attainment, performance enhancement, and creativity.

Training: BSP Phase 1; BSP Phase 2; Phase 3; Expansion BSP; BSP & Parts Work; BSP for First Responders; Master Class (with Dr. David Grand); Comprehensive Intake Planning; Completion of Certification Process: Certified Brainspotting Therapist

Compared to traditional talk therapy, TIR is also a rapid method of effectively reducing the negative effects of emotionally and/or physically painful past, or current life situations, or events. Developed by Dr. Frank A. Gerbode, TIR is evidence-based, and listed on SAMHSA's National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is an agency of the U.S. federal government.

TIR can be useful when:

• You have a specific trauma or series of traumas you feel have negatively affected you, whether or not you have been given a formal diagnosis of PTSD.

• You find yourself reacting inappropriately, or overreacting in particular situations, and you have the sense that a past experience is possibly related to this.

• You experience unexplainable, or inappropriate negative emotions, either chronically, or in response to certain triggers (example: sights, smells, situations).

• You have chronic upset, worries, confusion, and uncertainty, and feel you are not living up to your potential, or what you think of as your best-lived life.

Life Stress Reduction (LSR)

LSR is complementary to TIR, and uses a series of techniques to systematically address and resolve emotionally charged incidents. LSR can provide clarity and relieve emotional pain in relation to a variety of concerns, including self-judgment and low self-worth, body image issues, relationship difficulties, job or career problems, financial issues, and anxiety. LSR can facilitate useful self-realizations, and can increase positive states of mind.

As a trained facilitator, I will work together with you to develop a treatment plan tailored just for you, to address your specific concerns, and to help you in your overall goal to get from where you are to where you want to be in your life.

Training Highlights: Traumatic Incident Reduction (TIR) Facilitator Internship and TIR Certification; TIR Core Training; TIR Expanded Applications Training; TIR Life Stress Reduction (LSR) Training

~ Additional Trauma Training: Trauma Counselling Certificate (Hincks-Dellcrest) ~

Although the modalities listed above are those I draw from often, I have training in other approaches that I will sometimes use, depending upon people’s situations, and goals. Working with me, we would collaborate to establish a plan that is unique to you, communicating as we go, and making sure we’re on the right track to meet the goals and outcomes that are important to you.

If you find yourself connecting with the way I work, and are ready to take the next step, send me a message or give me a call for a free consult. Let’s talk about how I can help you along your path.