Jay Brotherton

COUPLES & FAMILIES:  With enthusiasm, openness, sensitivity and compassion, Jay facilitates a genuine dialogue of caring connectivity, understanding, reciprocity and mutual acknowledgement between romantic partners and family members.  This often leads into an exploration of communication styles, active listening skills and consequently the ways in which we can sometimes unintentionally miscommunicate, misinterpret or invalidate as well as be misinterpreted or invalidated.

SELF-ASSERTIVENESS:  Acknowledging how conscious and unconscious emotions reflect our deepest needs, Jay assists individuals in acknowledging and then effectively voicing these emotions/ needs in order to promote a sense of self-validation, congruence, authenticity and self-advocacy in their lives.

ANXIETY & DEPRESSION:  Informed by personal meditative practice, by mindfulness approaches, by his yoga teacher training (YTT)/ certification and by further yogic studies, Jay recognises the benefits of quieting, concentrating and centering the mind.  He teaches various grounding and relaxation techniques to guide clients to exist beyond depressing, obsessive or anxious thoughts that can overwhelm us.

GRIEF & LOSS:  Death, dying, aging, abuse, estranged family members, failed partnerships, major illnesses, physical injuries, job cessation and social injustices highlight just some of the many significant losses most of us will eventually endure over the course of our lifetimes.  Jay aims to help clients move from a place of devastation to peaceful integration of these very painful events/ situations while also helping each client to discover and honour their own authentic grieving style.

WHOLE-SELF SELF-CARE:  Jay works diligently with clients to nurture, express and exercise all aspects of self regularly in their lives, understanding that balance is achieved quite differently from one person to another and approaching self-care as an ongoing, ‘whole’-istic lifestyle orientation.

PARENTING:  As a registered early childhood educator, as a youth recreation facilitator and in his current role as a family therapist, Jay has routinely worked with parents/ guardians on a variety of topics, from behaviour management with toddlers to post-secondary options for teens. He especially enjoys discussing multi-generational communication strategies, exploring not just how to talk to kids so that they will listen but how to listen to kids so that they will talk.

MEN'S ISSUES:  Despite how the world may otherwise view them, Jay believes in men's inherent goodness and earnestness, recognising that men desire wholeness, feel deeply about their lives and care deeply about others.  So, whether it's pursuing work/life balance or bettering relationships, Jay appreciates how important it is for men wanting to integrate all aspects of who they are and for men wanting to explore the potential for stronger, more intentional bonds.

INDIGENOUS PERSONS:  Jay has been building trusting relationships with indigenous Canadians for the last 11 years, recognising the immense resilience of Canada's First Nations, Inuit and Métis populations as well as the compassion, respect and sensitivity all persons deserve.  He currently offers counselling through the First Nation Health Authority (FNHA).  If you are First Nations, Inuit or Métis, you may qualify for FNHA mental health benefits with Jay and can contact him directly.

LGBTQ2S PERSONS:  Jay understands well the specific issues that two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer and intersex folks face, which is often in addition to regular life struggles experienced by the general population. And so, he is quick to acknowledge the ongoing challenges of having to navigate these added (yet underestimated) stressors while creating a safe/ non-judgemental space for 2SLGBTQI+ persons to unload.  Lastly, Jay is careful to highlight the specialness of every 2SLGBTQI+ client's gifts as well as applaud their determination to continue to lead lives of congruence, self-acceptance and inspiration.