Many years ago now, I began my human services career in Toronto, Ontario when I got a summer student position working in the developmental services sector and discovered I had a real passion for helping others.  I  completed a degree in Sociology of Gender and Families at York University (2004), then moved to Ottawa to complete my Masters in Social Work at Carleton University (2007).

 

In the earlier stages of my career, I provided social work and counselling services to critically ill patients and their families in hospital and outpatient clinic settings, to children and youth in the care of the state, to children and youth in schools, and to people in mental health crisis.  Whether offering adjustment support to those newly diagnosed with critical illness, legacy planning for people facing end of life, grief support to the recently bereaved, or mental health support to children, youth, adults, and families, I have always strived to offer client-centered, dignity affirming, and non-judgmental approaches to service with the intention of supporting clients in ways that respect self-determination.  This approach to service continues to serve as a foundation for my work in private practice today.

 

I consider myself a life-long learner and frequently engage in professional development opportunities to broaden my knowledge-base and skillset for the purpose of being able to offer high quality care.  Some of the psychotherapy modalities I have trained in to date include ego-state therapy, EMDR, Exposure and Response Prevention, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Dialectical Behavioural Therapy, Cognitive Processing Therapy, Prolonged Exposure Therapy for PTSD, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, and Narrative Therapy approaches.  In addition, being aware of myself as a socio-political actor in the social service realm prompts my engagement in learning that improves my capacity to offer competent care to others both inside and outside my own experience of the world.  This includes learning specific to providing neurodivergent and queer positive care.  It also includes approaches that better reflect indigenous ways of knowing, seeing, and experiencing.

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