Practice information:

Parenting is the hardest job. All of us reach a stage in our children’s lives where we need guidance, reassurance, and support. For example, an unexpected transition can lead a child to become anxious and abnormally clingy. A trauma can shake our teenagers to the core. The daily grind of work and school can leave family life feeling chaotic and exhausting. You don’t have to go through this alone.

As a parent and counselor, I know how hard parents work to make their children feel loved and supported. Sometimes our children and teenagers’ behaviour can overwhelm us and professional support based on best practices in research are needed to help our kids find emotional balance. Please reach out to me today for help if your child or adolescent is exhibiting the following behaviors or you are facing another challenge in your family:

• An unusual amount of sadness (e.g. increased crying spells, voicing feelings of helplessness or lack of worth, not taking care of personal hygiene)

• Rage (e.g. defiance, tantrums, hostility)

• Anxiety (e.g. being very worried about separation from loved ones, voicing that they are generally nervous, feeling panicked)

• Trauma (e.g. showing unusual behaviors after a stressful event, such as having nightmares, peeing the bed, avoiding someone or something)

I provide a caring and non-judgemental setting for parents to work on reducing family conflicts, behavioral challenges, and other stressors using counseling strategies that are shown to be the most effective in research (e.g. cognitive behavioral therapy, solution-focused therapy). My work with children and adolescents includes developmentally appropriate counseling strategies, such as therapeutic play and cognitive behavioral therapy. My work focuses both on providing therapy for kids and simultaneously working with parents to help their kids grow out of problematic behaviors outside counseling sessions in daily life.

I have a bachelor and master’s degree in social work with a focus on adolescent mental health. I did my internship at BC Children Hospital’s in-patient psychiatry unit and then worked for a health authority for 5 years with families, children, and adolescents. I have completed training in Child-Centered Play Therapy, Filial Therapy for parents and kids, Therapeutic Sand Play, and Neuroscience and Satir in the Sand Tray (NSST). I have also completed training in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Mindfulness Therapy for Trauma, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.