I am currently in long-term recovery and have done a ton of training in all kinds of ways with all kinds of problems. Specifically, besides my Master’s Degree in Clinical Counselling, I have been rigorously educated by the Vancouver School for Narrative Therapy and have taken many workshops and courses in Motivational Interviewing, Trauma Informed therapy, Grief and Loss, and in working with men who have acted out in violence.

I have been described as “compassionate, smart, and experienced”, which I think make a good combo in this profession. This means I can not only “talk the talk” but “walk the walk” as well, which allows me to put myself in your shoes as we move forward towards change together.

I am all about making problems make sense. Gaining a perspective and seeing the context in which problems occur can be the most direct way of finding solutions. I have all kinds of professional training, which is important and it helps, but it’s the relationship that we’ll build together that most people say has the greatest influence in making change.

My work is informed by something called Narrative Therapy, which could have been called Deconstructionist Therapy, as it breaks problems down into understandable and workable chunks by providing context and externalizing them from living within you. Most times, people don’t WANT to be stuck in the problematic behaviour, even if it does provide temporary relief. It has been said that “The person is not the problem, the problem is the problem”, which means that problems can be seen to exist in complex situations outside of the person’s inner workings. I will not be treating you like a vehicle and lifting the hood to see what’s wrong with you, rather we will be having conversations together to search out the actual sources of the conflict in your life and discovering solutions from there.

Born and raised on the West Coast, I’ve lived on Vancouver Island for over 10 years now, and I’d be happy to never have to leave again. On the home front, I enjoy living the country life on a half-acre property with my gardening, cooking, firewood, and wild bird friends. When I do get out, it’s often to spend time next to a lake practicing survival skills and fishing. I’m interested in studying spirituality, haiku poetry, and the effects on the human body of doing nothing for long periods of time.