My Approach

By using brain-based modalities and working from an understanding of the neurobiology of trauma, I help people for whom traditional talk therapy has not allowed them to reach their fullest potential.

Talk therapy only goes so far. Only 10-20% of the information the brain processes is thought-based, meaning we think thoughts and those thoughts impact our emotions, behaviours, decisions, experience of our body (how we carry stress). 80-90% of information processed by the brain comes from the external world, move through our senses, up the spine, through our survival brain (reptilian brain - the brainstem), our emotional brain (mammalian brain - limbic system) to our logical thinking brain (pre-frontal cortex, where thoughts arise). What this means is that by the time we are thinking thoughts, there has been a whole lot of other information impacting what those thoughts will be. Many talk therapy techniques are focused on engaging our logical thinking brain however often stress and trauma are triggering us from a deeper brain level - this is the experience of people who understand exactly what their issues are and where they come from, who know what they are supposed to do to manage their reactions and lives in healthier ways, but in moments of stress they just can't think clearly, all of that knowledge goes out the window, and they revert back to all of the things they have been working so hard to change.

I help people understand that their thoughts, emotions and behaviours are more affected by whether they are feeling at ease in any moment or stressed (fight/flight/freeze/shutdown responses). When people realize this, they don't have to take their thoughts as seriously, and can use strategies to manage overwhelm and triggers, and come back to an experience of empowered calm, where they can think more clearly and where emotions are less intense.

I also readily refer clients to other allied health care professionals, to ensure that their whole self is being cared for. I do a thorough Intake Assessment, screening not only for mental health symptoms but also medical, dietary and lifestyle factors that can have an impact on one's mental health. Based on that information, I often make recommendations for clients to consult with their family physician, engage in some type of body work to help with tension and stress (massage, chiropractic, osteopathy), and consider naturopathic care which can provide dietary and supplement solutions to symptoms that may not need to be medically treated but can have symptoms improve with lifestyle changes. Such integrative approaches can support clients currently taking psychotropic medications as well as those seeking a holistic way to manage their mental health symptoms.