Taking the first step on your path towards self-discovery and growth can be daunting and I commend you for the strength it takes to seek out help. Whatever pain and suffering you have endured – you no longer have to face it alone. I want to honor your courage by committing to create a non-judgemental space where you feel safe, seen, and valued. Within this space, we can begin to explore the patterns of emotions, thoughts, and behaviours that are negatively impacting your life. In my collaborative approach to therapy, informed by over 25 years within the psychology field, I will help to guide you along your journey, while leaving space for you to decide what ultimately works best for you.

In my clinical practice I work with individuals who are navigating experiences of recent and historical trauma, anxiety, depression, pain, grief, anger, and relationship and/or interpersonal challenges. In my work with couples, I look to identify and repair relational wounds and betrayals, as well as issues affecting connection and effective communication. I have training in and the experience to provide counselling for adolescents and adults of all ages, and work with all forms of diversity, including, but not limited to minority groups, 2SLGBTQI+, neurodiverse communities, and people in non-monogamous relationships.

In the first session, I will invite you to share what has brought you to seek help and what changes you’d like to make. Together we will explore past experiences and relationships to understand how you arrived to your present state, and to help clarify goals and solutions to work toward the future you envision. Furthermore, I will incorporate thorough evidence-based assessments developed from psychological research into the beginning of therapy to help build a more granular, objective, and integrated understanding of your unique lived experience.

In my clinical work, I utilize an integrative approach to therapy, which allows me to tailor my therapeutic style to best fit you and your goals. My integrative approach is guided by humanistic, attachment-based, experiential, and trauma-informed perspectives and incorporates emotion-focused, cognitive-behavioural, narrative, parts-based, and somatic models. Building on my experience as a neuroscientist, I recognize that all aspects of mental health start with the brain, whose intrinsic plasticity supports an almost limitless potential for positive, adaptive change. I believe that therapeutic processes are enhanced when delivered in a way that incorporate and are firmly grounded in our biology. Using this approach, I encourage reconnection with ourselves and others through building healthy relationships, resiliency, flexibility, and an authentic self.

In my previous clinical role, I worked for over a decade supporting children who had physical and mental disabilities, offering solutions that addressed their specific needs. My time spent working with these vulnerable populations has taught me how crucial a sense of safety is for effective therapy, as well as the skills required to promote and maintain that safety within the therapeutic relationship.

In addition to my doctorate in neuroscience from Oregon Health Sciences University, I am in the final phase of completing my Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology at Yorkville University. Currently, I am working as a counsellor at the Centre for Interpersonal Relationships (St. Catharines), under the supervision of Whitney Reinhart M.A., R.P.