Practice information:

Therapeutic Approach

I have always found meaning in connecting with others on a deep, heart level and in making a meaningful impact in the lives of others. A longing to lead a life in alignment with who I am at the core of my being led me to pursue counselling not just as a profession, but as my ‘ikigai.’ I bring my whole heart in encountering each client as I believe that developing a secure, trusting relationship with a safe other is the birthplace for change.

I strive to provide compassionate care, empathy and a safe place as I believe that we as humans have longings to feel seen, heard, known, understood, felt, accepted, and cared for, especially in difficult moments. I consider it an honour to walk alongside you and to meet you where you are at – be it a time when you are navigating everyday difficulties, a time when you feel lost, a time of grief, loss and transitions, a time when hope feels out of reach, or a time when you find that you are desiring growth and change within yourself and in your relationships.

I am a grief- and trauma-informed therapist whose therapeutic approach is grounded in an emotionally focused lens. I integrate various tools from my specialized trainings in collaboration with and in consideration of clients’ unique needs and readiness. In addition to drawing upon various approaches and theories such as art, attachment, narrative (for grief-related concerns), experiential and existential, I include the use of mindfulness and grounding exercises.

I aim to hold space for your story to be told and acknowledged in a supportive space where your experiences are honoured, processed and integrated into your life story in a way that is fitting for you. In sharing your stories and allowing them to be witnessed in the presence and safety of a therapeutic relationship, it is my hope that what may have once felt unbearable becomes less heavy and eventually more bearable.

Focus areas

• Grief (including traumatic grief) | Death and non-death losses

• Life transitions

• Anxiety and depression

• Emotion regulation

• Personal growth

• Stress and burnout

• Relational and marital concerns

Although I work with a variety of concerns, I am best known for my work with young adults and adults in the area of grief and loss. My personal experience of grief led to my deep devotion and passion to support young adults and adults who are grieving a death and/or non-death losses.

Experience

I have supported individuals in a counselling capacity at a college, community service settings and a hospice society. At the hospice society, I supported bereaved individuals aged between 18 and 88 from diverse cultural backgrounds, trained volunteers, facilitated support groups and provided presentations on grief and loss.

Certifications/grief trainings

• Certified Compassionate Bereavement Provider [Center for Loss and Trauma (MISS Foundation)] 

• Narrative Therapy workshops with Dr. Lorraine Hedtke

• I am pursuing certification in Meaning Reconstruction as Grief Therapy & Art-Assisted Grief Therapy [Portland Institute for Loss and Transition]