What problem do you strive to overcome?
I believe that everyone is doing the best they can within the contexts of their lives - and - that sometimes there are things that hold people back from showing up how they'd like to. When caring for other people in your professional or personal lives, it can be hard to intentionally set aside time for your own recovery and support, escape burnout and compassion fatigue, and find the right fit in a therapist that understands your experience on a personal level.
I recognize that everyone is unique and has their own important story to share. You are the expert in your experiences and story, and I am here to support you along the way. Together, we will work collaboratively on the goals you feel are important. While we will discuss and work through the challenges that bring you to therapy, we will also create room for the ways you have coped and survived up until now, and ensure you're feeling supported and encouraged at every step.
My hope is that you would feel safe, seen, and supported in our time together. In our work my aim is to empower you - in whatever season you find yourself in - to seek a fuller understanding of your experience and walk away with a compassionate and embodied perspective of the challenges of being human.
Experience
Emily is a Registered Clinical Counsellor and an Athabasca University graduate with a Master's degree in Counselling. In the last decade, she has worked in a variety of roles within mental health services; private practice, community-based, and non-profit work has allowed her to gain expertise and walk alongside a broad diversity of people. As a facilitator for Mental Health First Aid (MHFA), she often supports conversations in workplaces and community spaces around how best to care for those in life who may be struggling with mental health concerns. She has additional experience and specialized training in supporting those in first responder and professional helper communities.
Client focus/demographics: Individuals (16+), Relationships, with a specialized focus in first responders/professional helpers. Emily accepts funding from ICBC and Medavie.
Types of Therapy
Formal training: Occupational Awareness (First Responder Health) and Critical Incident Stress Management, Trauma, Observed and Experiential Integration Level 2, LENS Level 1, Gottman Method Level 2, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
Informal - Narrative therapy, Self-Compassion, Mindfulness, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Parts Work, Mind-Body Connection
Issues
Standard: Trauma, Grief and Loss, Depression, Anxiety, Substance Use, Life Transitions, Identity Exploration
Specialities: PTSD, Trauma and recovery for helpers, Burnout and Compassion Fatigue prevention and recovery, First Responder Concerns
More than just my work
- In the therapy room and out in the world, you will usually find me with a cup of coffee or tea in hand - I am currently loving soy matcha lattes the most!
- "So often, when we feel lost, adrift in our lives, our first instinct is to look out into the distance to find the nearest shore. But that shore, that solid ground, is within us. The anchor we are searching for is connection, and it is internal" - Brene Brown
- The things that ground me, in no particular order: colourful clouds during sunset, the smell of sandalwood, and the sound of my bulldog snoring beside me.
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