I would describe myself as a relational and integrative therapist that focuses on promoting curiosity and flexibility in trying new methods of change. My approach tends to be direct, highly collaborative with you, and focused on how we can create meaningful change for you.
I describe myself as relational not only because I work with couples, families, and different relational structures, but also because this shapes how I view the process of change. Considering how you relate to yourself and others, the roles that you play in different relationships, and how relationships and their dynamics impact the work you’d like to do can often support the change you’d like to make.
My main priority is being helpful to you, in the unique way that you need support. Being integrative to me means that I prioritize showing up as responsive, flexible, and creative in pulling from a variety of therapeutic styles and skills to build a plan specific to you and the goals and needs you have. I view the therapeutic process as being a unique co-constructed artistic and compassionate process, grounded in evidence based-practice.
Why parents, caregivers, and perinatal mental health?
Working with couples, families, and children as a system has been a life-long developing interest for me. What began as a love for working with children turned into an undergraduate research project about how parents effectively engage their children in learning, which turned into a master’s thesis in applications of Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) concepts for self-critical and burned-out parents of children with emotional or behavioural difficulties. I found my passion for working with parents and caregivers, rather than just children directly, to ultimately create more lasting and effective change in the mental health of their children and the strength of the entire family system. I am utterly fascinated with the importance of the parent-child relationship and am overjoyed to be able to support it. I specialize in supporting parenting difficulties, relational difficulties related to parenting, family conflict, as well as promoting maternal, paternal, and family perinatal mental heath.
Therapy Modalities:
- Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT)
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) (Couples, Relational, Individual, Family)
- Gottman Therapy (Couples/Relational)
- Emotion Focused Family Therapy (EFFT)
- Motivational Interviewing (MI)
- Sex Therapy
I have completed continuing education in the therapeutic modalities listed above because they suited the populations that I value working with, and because I feel they are a good fit for my style. Many of these therapies place value on identifying what caused and maintained old patterns of behaviour or thinking, figuring out the emotional ‘block’ to change, practicing and planning new strategies, and using curiosity to workshop their impact on your goals.
Training and Education:
- Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology – Western University
- Bachelors of Arts (Hons., Dist.) in Psychology, minor in Cognitive Science – University of Waterloo
- Registered Psychotherapist – College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO, #11856)
- Intensive Sex Therapy Training Program – University of Guelph
- In progress: Certification in Perinatal Mental Health Postpartum Support International (PSI), Expected Spring 2027
- Emotionally Focused Therapy Externship Training, International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)
- Gottman Therapy (Level 1; The Gottman Institute)
- Emotionally Focused Family Therapy Core + Advanced Skills Training, (EFFT) Mental Health Foundations
- Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) Chairwork training, The Compassionate Mind Foundation
- Advanced Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) training and InterACT with couples training, Praxis
- Online courses in: Motivational Interviewing Foundational (MI) and for Addiction course, Trauma-focused Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Compassion Focused Cognitive Behaviour Therapy with Mindfulness (CBTm).
- Conference attendance: The Canadian Association for Couple and Family Therapy (CACFT) conference 2025 “Evolving Systems: Empowering Relationships in a diverse world”; Association for Contextual Behavioural Science Virtual World Conference, ACBS 2021; Grief Summit: Grief Counselling and Treatment in a Pandemic of Loss Webinar, Pesi 2021.
