Since receiving my doctorate degree in applied psychology from the University of Toronto in 1987, I have been helping people overcome personal issues and improve their lives. The most rewarding part of my career has been seeing the life-enhancing changes in my clients.

My experience is both wide ranging and specialized. I have worked in the psychiatry departments of general hospitals, in the specialized eating disorders programs for adults and adolescents, for a large employee assistance program, and in private practice. I have worked with a variety of issues and a wide range of severity. This allows me to have the ability to assess and recognize the most effective approach to meet an individual’s needs and goals.

I began my professional career doing clinical and research work with eating disorders in Toronto. My doctoral dissertation studied the family relationships of clients with eating disorders. I was fortunate to have been involved in the establishment of the first eating disorder treatment centre in Canada at the Toronto General Hospital.

I moved to Vancouver, B.C. in 1987 and began a post-doctoral internship at the British Columbia Children’s Hospital. I was then hired to work in the Neo-natal Follow-up Clinic where children born prematurely were assessed to monitor their development. In 1994, I took a position at St. Paul’s Hospital in the Eating Disorders Clinic. Later, I moved to a clinical position at BC Children’s Hospital where I worked in Child Psychiatry and in the Eating Disorders Program, providing assessment, as well as individual, group, and family therapy. During this time, I began a private practice providing individual counselling and psychotherapy for children, adolescents, adults, and couples.

Since 2007, I have worked exclusively in my expanding practice and provide individual and couples therapy as well as psycho-educational assessments for learning disabilities with children, adolescents, and adults. My office is in Vancouver where I currently treat a range of psychological issues including depression, anxiety, abuse, loss, eating disorders, parenting issues, relationship issues, stress, and work issues.

Memberships

College of Psychologist of British Columbia
British Columbia Psychological Association
Canadian Register of Health Providers in Psychology
International Dyslexia Association
Learning Disabilities Association of British Columbia

Languages

French
English

Services

Individual Therapy

My role as an individual psychotherapist is to facilitate and guide personal growth and well-being. My work with clients includes helping them develop self awareness and self understanding, learn new abilities and strategies, build more satisfying and fulfilling lives, or to recover or heal from detrimental past experiences. No one kind of treatment is suitable for all. I tailor the approach to the individual and to their goals. My approaches to individual therapy include:

• Psycho-education
• Cognitive-behavioural therapy
• Psychodynamic or Insight-oriented Psychotherapy

I do short-term therapy or longer-term therapy according to the presenting issue or to my client’s goals. Some individuals present a very specific and focused problem and want to learn strategies to cope with the problem. Others want or need to delve more deeply into their psychological functioning and recover from or heal from past trauma or negative experiences, or may want to develop new skills, abilities, or a renewed sense of achievement or accomplishment in their life. A collaborative relationship is developed, along with an alliance based on trust and understanding, whether a more cognitive-behavioural, structured approach or a less structured insight-oriented approach is embarked upon.

Issues dealt with in individual therapy include a wide range of issues:

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Abuse
• Stress
• Low self-esteem
• Eating Disorders
• Relationship Problems
• Work Conflict
• Parenting Issues
• Dissatisfaction with Life
• Loss and Grieving

Couples Therapy

I work with couples to improve their relationship, addressing issues such as communication difficulties, conflict resolution skills, and parenting skills. Having trained with Drs. John and Julia Gottman through the Gottman Relational Institute in Seattle and in Emotionally-Focused Therapy, I have developed effective techniques in facilitating the development and maintenance of a functional and healthy partnership. Relationships are complex as two very unique and separate individuals come together to share their lives together with the goal of enhancing each of their own individual lives. Challenges can arise with the demands and stress of children, work, family or of other stressors. My role as a couple’s therapist is to enhance communication skills, and to facilitate conflict resolution and the growth of the relationship.

Psycho-educational Assessments

I complete thorough psycho-educational assessments with children, adolescents, and adults in order to identify learning styles, giftedness, possible learning disabilities or learning weaknesses, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and other conditions which affect learning. The goal of my assessments is to understand the ‘whole’ person and what cognitive, intellectual, and psychological factors are affecting their ability to learn. Learning is a function of not only intellectual ability, but also personality and psychological variables, such as attention, anxiety, and perfectionism. The completion of meaningful psycho-educational assessments requires competent observational, analytical, and communication skills. My reports ensure the needs of the individual are met by providing detailed recommendations for the home, school, teachers, and outside tutoring assistance.

Assessment and Treatment of Eating Disorders

Eating Disorders are very complex and multi-faceted problems. The assessment and treatment of anorexia nervosa, bulimia, and compulsive overeating, require specialized knowledge of why and how these disorders develop, how they are maintained, the behavioural, physiological, and psychological consequences over time, and the process of recovery. I have worked in the area of eating disorders for 25 years in specialized in-patient and out-patient treatment programs in hospitals for both adults and children and adolescents, and as a private practitioner in the community. This has allowed me to develop expertise in assessing and treating the full range of severity of eating disorders and to have a clear understanding and deep knowledge of the process involved in the progression of the disorder and of the journey of recovery. This is extremely valuable to my clients as they cope with the fear and anxiety associated with letting go of these highly impactful disorders.

As a therapist in private practice, I work towards developing a coherent team of professionals, including a physician and nutritionist, to guide and monitor the healthy recovery of my clients. A number of therapeutic approaches are employed, including psycho-education, cognitive-behavioural therapy, motivational enhancement therapy, and psycho-dynamic or insight-oriented therapy. My clients report that the crucial factor in their recovery has been the deep, compassionate understanding of their experience.