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Trauma
Trauma occurs when we are faced with a threat that overwhelms us. Trauma is caused by singular events such as a car accident or an assault, or by chronic experiences of abuse or neglect.
We may downplay what happened to us, saying that it wasn't that bad, or that others had it so much worse. We wonder why we can't seem to get it together, shaming ourselves as we suffer symptoms like anxiety, depression, lack of trust, lack of self-worth - which are all expressions of unhealed trauma.
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I take a holistic approach to treating trauma. We learn about the harmful beliefs you carry about who you are, and how you can let those beliefs go. We learn how to honour your needs and to take better care of yourself. We explore the relationships in your life and how to set healthy boundaries and share your real self with others. Using a powerful body-based approach called Somatic Experiencing, we help your battered nervous system to regulate and heal.
Anxiety
Anxiety has many faces. It can show up as panic attacks that seem to come out of nowhere. Or as irrational fears of things like getting cancer or going to the grocery store. Our minds get tangled up in worst-case scenarios, our overwhelming to-do lists, or how we're messing everything up. With social anxiety, we imagine all the terrible things that people are thinking about us, and struggle to be ourselves with others.
Anxiety can feel so awful precisely because we know that our fears are irrational. We know that we worry too much, or that we overreact. So we shame ourselves, writing ourselves off as too sensitive and fragile to live a full life.
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In treating anxiety, I focus on the mind, emotions, and body together. We learn about how to better manage extreme thinking patterns. We question the expectations you hold for yourself - often anxiety shows up when we have a demanding inner critic who expects perfection. We see if your anxiety lies on top of deeper emotions like grief or anger. And we tend to your body, learning ways of being that calm your dysregulated nervous system.
Burnout
Burnout happens when we hit a wall with all the stressors of our lives. We feel overwhelmed and undervalued at work, at home, or in our relationships with others. Burnout often first appears in our bodies as headaches or getting sick a lot. Or we feel unusually tired and drained. Maybe we feel resentful towards others, or we hold a sadness that we can't shake.
When we're burnt out, we often tell ourselves that we're being lazy, that we need to just get over ourselves and try harder. But in the end we just can't do it, so we end up on stress leave, or we get really sick.
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Burnout is your body's way of telling you that things need to change. In therapy, we take a look at the sources of your stress and figure out what can shift. We examine the toxic cultural messages that tell us we're not enough. You learn how to read your body's stress signals and respond to them with compassion. We brainstorm on boundaries that you could set to give you more breathing room. And we address the harmful beliefs that you hold about yourself and what you deserve in life.
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General Counselling
Over the years, I have worked with clients on a wide range of concerns. I have training and experience treating issues such as:
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Perfectionism
Grief and Loss
Low Self Worth
Narcissistic Abuse
Abuse in Relationships
Parenting Concerns
Relationship Concerns
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Life Transitions
Career Guidance
Gender Identity
Chronic Illness
Depression
Addictions
Disordered Eating
For all of these concerns, I follow a holistic approach that tends to your needs as an individual. I focus on how your mind, emotions, and body have been impacted by your lived experiences, and offer space and support so that you can move forward.
Get in Touch
Reach out to book a session or to learn more about what counselling can offer you.
I offer a free consultation online or over the phone so that you can get a sense of whether I would be a good fit for your needs.