Walking in the forest, eating ice cream, and going to sleep very early! 

I went on my own journey with mental health at a young age, and an incredible counsellor helped me get back on my feet in my teenage years. Her influence was so significant that my parents gifted me a version of the handbag she always carried, so I could keep her spirit with me after we stopped working together… all these years later, I still have that handbag, and it’s still one of my most prized possessions! This profound experience with counselling early in life showed me the incredible power of having people in your corner. People who understand you, see you, hear you, and believe health and happiness are possible for you – even if you can’t get there yourself. I now have endless belief in everyone’s capacity to heal, and I wanted to dedicate my life to helping folks along their path in the way I was so fortunate to be helped along mine.

My relationship with my body. With a lot of time and effort, I’ve now come to a place where I’m at peace with it on most days (I say most because I’m still human!). I now consider my body a wonderful source of information about where my stress levels are, because when I tune in, it’s certainly telling me what I need to know. 

First, I wanted to be a marine biologist (I had a big dolphin phase around grade two). Then I wanted to be an orthodontist, because the one who did my braces had a really nice car, and I thought that was a good sign about his life. I’m thankful I didn’t go that route, because I don’t think spending time in people’s mouths would have been up my alley… 

I’m reading, cooking, playing the piano, tap dancing, exploring the woods, learning to sail, writing poetry, and attending as many comedy shows, concerts, and theatre performances as possible! And of course, doing these things with the people I love whenever I can. 

That you’re in the driver’s seat of your counselling process. I’m a firm believer that my clients know themselves so much better than I ever could – and it’s important to me that you feel empowered to guide our work. You will have control over determining what areas you feel ready to explore, and which ones we’ll put on the shelf until the time is right. My role is to reflect, guide, and yes, sometimes gently challenge; but ultimately, we’re following your lead. 

I once had a client return after a longer space between sessions than they’d had before, and at the end of our session, they looked at me and said “I missed this.” 

My heart was so happy at that moment, because it meant both of us were doing our jobs. I had helped this client feel safe enough to open up to me; supported them through vulnerable moments; and brought appropriate tools to our sessions to help them move forward. The client had shown up regularly to sessions, been incredibly brave, and taken some very bold steps towards showing up authentically in their life. 

When we get the right “fit” between counsellor and client, and both do their jobs, this process is nothing short of magical. The moment I realize that’s happening right now is by far one of my favourite things about my work.

Authentic. I strive to show up fully as “me” in session, which includes a lot of warmth and empathy alongside a playful sense of humour and little tidbits about my own life as they may relate to our work. My clients always share that they appreciate how real I am! No pretend polish or authority here… I’m just a human who’s figuring all this out too. 

“Strong back, soft front, wild heart.” 

-Brene Brown.