Counselling for:
children   |   teens   |   adults   |   individual   |   family   |   groups

Fees: $120.00/hr

Partial or complete financial coverage may be available through extended health benefits that recognize Registered Clinical Counsellors (RCC) or Registered Social Worker (RSW). Please check your extended benfits plan for details of applicable coverage.

I am approved to provide counselling through the BC Crime Victim Assistance Program.

My counselling practices essentially are integrative in nature, which involves drawing on a range proven effective short and long term therapies. These include various techniques and strategies which can offer you solid and practical healing tools. For each person, appropriate approaches are established in collaboration in a focussed, gentle and respectful way in order to promote successful therapy. Counselling sessions include educational, therapeutic and experiential approaches. Specific theoretical orientations include: person centered, child-centered therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy, psychodynamic, brief therapy, solution focussed, humanistic perspectives, Play Therapy and Art Therapy.

I am also a trained Art Therapist, using expressive materials primarily paint, clay, oil & chalk pastels, marker/crayons, collage, plasters, mask making and other materials. Other expressive mediums include: writing/journalling, photography, sandtray and play therapy. Though Art therapy is a unique and powerful approach to counselling and can be used as a stand alone approach, Art Therapy can also be used concurrent to other therapeutic approaches, including EMDR. Please see more on the About Art Therapy page.

Benefits of Counselling

• increase insight and self-awareness
• assist in the process of changes: making changes in behaviour and thoughts
• improved self –esteem & self confidence
• improved communication skills
• improved relationships
• greater peace of mind & improved sense of well being
• reduced anxiety, depression, worry, or guilt
• improve problem behaviours
• improves concentration
• relief from stress
• increased ability to cope with symptoms, stress and trauma experiences
• gain specific skills, such as: assertiveness; coping strategies; problem solving skills
• having a safe place and a specific time to focus on self

Group Expressive Counselling

All of the group counselling uses Art Therapy as a method. Art Therapy with groups is used to express, explore, share and transform a range of issues. Group Art Therapy offers a unique alternative to group talk therapy. It allows people to express issues in a way that perhaps are too difficult for them to do with words wile being able to benefit from the support of a group. Being witnessed by others as well as participating in the process of witnessing other people’s process is a powerful and unique aspect of group work.

Group counselling is offered at various times with a range of focus.
*children * teens *adults

Group counselling may focus on issues of :
*anxiety *depression *grief & loss *self esteem *confidence
*abuse/violence *women & wellness

All of these issues can be explored through Art Therapy in groups. Art Therapy offers a gentle yet effective way for anyone to explore these, or any issues in group. My work as an Art Therapist is to tailor to the needs and ages of the groups and to guide the process of people’s inner experience, expressions and change, accordingly. See more about Art Therapy and groups on the About Art therapy page.

e-mail for information on the next groups and fees:

Workshops on Creativity

Workshops are offered at various times for people to explore with and use creativity as a means toward self awareness, change, insight, healing, spirituality and connection with others. Workshops are fewer in the number of times to meet as a group and are generally either 1 day or 3 hrs (or two 3 hr session). The focus is often be individual with a focus on the medium, ie., paint, mask making, Touch Drawing, clay and sculpture, collage and/or with a certain topic.

e-mail for information on the next groups and fees:

EMDR -- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing

• EMDR is a remarkable treatment method used to heal the symptoms of trauma and other emotional conditions. Research studies show that EMDR is very effective in helping people process emotionally painful and traumatic experiences.

• EMDR allows for rapid (compared to traditional therapies) resolution of trauma symptoms and disturbing emotions. It is not hypnosis. Traditional therapies often focus on memories fro the unconscious mind and analyse their meaning to gain insight into the problem. EMDR clients also receive valuable insights during therapy, but EMDR can short – cut the process and facilitate the releasing stage. EMDR tends to work fast, processing the most difficult emotions often much faster then traditional therapies.

• EMDR integrates elements of many effective psychotherapies in structured protocols designed to maximize treatment effects, such as psychodynamic, cognitive behavioural, interpersonal, body-oriented, experiential, therapies. When EMDR is used in conjunction with other therapies, EMDR helps to move the client quickly from emotional distress to peaceful resolution of the issues or events involved.

Short term effect of EMDR: improving the emotional distress and the elimination of unresolved trauma

Long term effects: restoration of natural state of functioning; brings self esteem, personal power, general sense of relief, positive relationships more peace

• EDMR can address trauma issues, including "big T's" and little "t's.

Big T: experiences of extreme: ie., childhood abuse, neglect or lack of safety; critical events (crime, accidents, fire, etc.); sexual abuse and sexual assault; natural disasters; surgery; death of a loved one; physical or psychological violence or torture

Little “t” events: are: create problematic trauma symptoms but are not the same intensity: unresolved moments, often in childhood, when you felt overwhelmed, powerless or confused; scolding by teacher or classmate; stress; conflict; bullying; relationship or friendship ending; death of a pet; moving; and other significant change

• EMDR is an Information Processing Therapy. When disturbing experiences happen they are stored in the brain and the body along with sounds, sights, thoughts and feelings that accompany it. It is thought that these memories get locked or trapped in the system. EMDR unlocks the disturbing emotions and memories stored in the nervous system and EMDR helps to successfully process the experience. With EMDR, the disturbing experience is remembered, just not with the distress or disturbance previously associated with it.

• EMDR uses a bilateral stimulation, right eye / left eye movement, or other bilateral stimulation such as sound, which repeatedly activates the opposite side of the brain where emotional experiences are trapped in the nervous system. A neurophysiological system is assumed, as the basis of the mind/body connection, to free blockages and reconnect itself.

Types of Issues addressed with EMDR

Because EMDR has the power to relieve any type of emotional block or fear, it can be used to enhance the performance of athletes, actors, musicians, students, speakers, and executives.

For further information see www.emdr.com

Training:

The EMDR Institute offers two levels of training: Level I is an Introductory and Level II is the Advanced. EMDR is a highly specialized training process available to experienced professionals with mental health experience and a clinical background. It is a highly specialized method that requires training for therapeutic effectiveness and client safety. At a glance, it appears as a simple process in terms of the procedure, however EMDR should never be used by an untrained clinician as it puts the clients safety at risk.