Counselling Services
I provide counselling services to individuals, couples, and families experiencing a wide range of issues and concerns including parenting and relationship issues, mid-life transitions such as menopause and career changes, conflict and communication, anxiety and depression, grief and loss, and addictions.
For teens and young adults, common areas of concern include relationships with peers, parents, and partners; life transitions such as post secondary education, employment, and independent living; healthy choices and consequence-informed decision making; anxiety and depression; and substance use.
For adults, common reasons for seeking therapy include relationship concerns (communication, conflict, infidelity), difficulties with mood regulation (such as anxiety and depression), decision making and life transitions, and wanting space for reflection and personal growth.
For parents, some specific challenges include negotiating and maintaining boundaries; supporting children through grief or trauma; safety concerns with teens/pre-teens; postpartum adjustments for new parents; and support with parenting plans through separation and divorce.
The counselling services provided may be brief or longer term, depending on the needs and goals of the individual or family. Single sessions are available.
Although each individual and family will have a unique situation with counselling services tailored to meet their needs and goals, this is what you can generally expect:
You can contact me by phone or email with any questions and to set up an initial consultation. I provide free 15 minute phone consultations in order to introduce ourselves and ensure a good fit moving forward. I will usually respond to messages within three business days.
I offer in-person and video counselling sessions. You may choose which format you prefer and you may move between different formats from session to session (so long as my office schedule allows).
During the first full session we will review practice policies and answer any questions you have. You will have the opportunity to let me know what brings you to seek therapy at this time. You may have a clear picture of where you want your therapy sessions to go, or you may need to explore that further with me. I will ask you questions and offer observations to help clarify the issues you are experiencing and develop a plan to work through them. While I bring skills and experience to this journey, you are ultimately in charge of your therapy experience.
I recommend meeting weekly for the first three sessions in order to build momentum for change. After this stage, some people will have met their goals while others may benefit from ongoing weekly sessions to maintain support on their journey. A biweekly frequency can also work well as it allows time between sessions to integrate new learning and practice new behaviours. Together we will decide the frequency and duration of counselling sessions to best support your needs and goals.
Once you have reached your goals, it will be time to acknowledge your achievements and create a plan for maintaining your progress. You may wish to set new goals and work towards them with me, or you may be ready to take this on yourself, knowing you can return to see me down the road if needed.
Part of my role is to keep track of our progress and any new learnings or behaviours that will be part of your ongoing plan. For this reason, I do recommend at least one session’s notice before ending counselling in order to allow us time for proper reflection, summary, and closure.