Services
Available virtually and in person
Trauma-Informed Therapy
Trauma is an experience, or repeated experiences, that is overwhelming and beyond a person's control. It may be life-threatening, a threat to safety or cause feelings of extreme fear and helplessness. Trauma can create significant distress, making it immensely difficult to cope emotionally, mentally, physically and behaviourally.
I provide a safe and warm environment to support you to identify and work through the impacts of your trauma. Using staged trauma therapy, I will help you to process and come to terms with your experience over time. I draw from a variety of therapeutic modalities to best support you, including psychodynamic therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT).
Trauma Symptom Management
Responses to trauma are common and varied, with trauma symptoms often manifesting as emotional outbursts or reactivity, addictive behaviours, unhealthy relationship patterns, intrusive memories or flashbacks, negative core beliefs, unexplained physical illness along with many others.
I will work with you to uncover and address the symptoms of your trauma and help you to establish safety and stabilization in your body, environment and emotions. You can gain control of symptoms that feel uncontrollable.
Trauma symptom management is goal-oriented and structured with independent activities or "homework", as preferred.
Intimate Partner Violence (IPV)
Psychoeducation and Counselling
Violence and abuse in intimate relationships (also referred to as domestic violence), although very common, is seldom talked about until it is too late. IPV is not always physical and can take the form of aggressive behaviour or angry outbursts, among others. Using violence and abuse towards others is often learned and reinforced in early age and can feel uncontrollable at times. I believe it is of utmost importance to recognize the personal responsibility in this behaviour and to acknowledge that help is needed.
Psychoeducation and counselling on IPV as related to an individual's own experience can aid in development of insight, accountability and behavioural change. Psychoeducational topics that I examine in session include the different forms of abuse as related to power and control, power dynamics in intimate relationships, gender socialization and strategies for nonviolent behaviour.