Go deep with an attuned other and see what you discover.
Experiential trauma-focused therapy in Vancouver, BC.
Welcome! Thank you for being here.
I work with adults* who are ready to change how life feels, from the inside out. In technical terms, I practice somatic, experiential, relational, psychodynamic, trauma-focused psychotherapy. I have advanced training in a modality that wraps all those elements up in a beautiful package called AEDP (Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy).
I show up with love, authenticity, intention and presence to stand alongside you in your journey to heal and grow. You’ve probably read in every therapist blurb about how the relationship is the most important part of therapy. While that’s an oversimplification (uh oh, don’t get me on my soapbox), it’s true that a safe, real relationship is absolutely essential for therapy to be productive. We are relational beings, even the introverts among us. To be witnessed and accompanied can be healing in itself, and can support the courage it takes to process fearful or painful material.
I operate from the fundamental understanding that we live under imperialist, racialized capitalism and its tragic corollary of catastrophic climate change. I hold space for anger, grief, hopelessness, and anxiety about these realities, and acknowledge the impact that social, economic, and political systems have on us as individuals. I try to resist the assumption that our problems are individually caused and individually solved, and from this place, get curious about what we can change to alleviate our suffering.
*dreamers, schemers, troublemakers, shit-disturbers, queers, freaks, artists, eldest daughters, those who have tried and need to try again… and sometimes couples.
I choose to practice experiential/somatic therapy based on the latest research in the neurobiology of trauma and transformation (and because I love it). Therapy is most effective when you don’t simply talk about your problems, but have transformational experiences that elicit real and lasting change. Our “symptoms” are driven by unconscious learnings (sometimes called implicit memory, schemas, or internal working models - or even parts), and experiential work activates those learnings so they can be reshaped for good. These experiences in therapy can look like experiencing deep emotions, connecting with your body, doing parts work, working with past or imaginary experiences, exploring the here-and-now of our relationship, and more. Somatic work can also offer your mind and body new experiences of safety, connection, and regulation that can shift the foundation and allow cascades of change to take place.
Therapy with me tends to feel focused and deep, but with plenty of space for laughter and connection. I want our work together to be helpful to you, so I take an active role in shaping the session and treatment to move toward your stated goals. I share my honest thoughts and feelings with you when I feel it may be helpful, and I take the side of your thriving self, even if it’s buried or overshadowed. I gently support you to face what you have been avoiding, whether it’s your feelings, your true desires, or a difficult reality. And I join with you in times of grief, loss, celebration, and transformation as a compassionate ally and witness.
If this resonates with you, go ahead and book a free consult or an initial session with me - or read my bio to learn more about me.
Ways I work
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Evidence suggests that therapy is most effective when the client has transformational experiences, processing from the “inside out” or “bottom up”. This is often via emotional experiencing and expressing, but can take other forms too, such as reprocessing a past event, identifying core beliefs, or doing “parts work”. Experiential work helps you connect with your feelings, beliefs, and desires, leading to new insights and a greater sense of wholeness.
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Therapy is, at its core, healing through relationships. One definition of trauma is the result of overwhelming emotion experienced without adequate support or connection; therefore, undoing aloneness is a beautiful and healing aspect of therapy. The therapeutic relationship constitutes a secure base from which to process trauma, do specific work, and embark on growth and transformation.
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Human beings have a uniquely lengthy period of infancy, during which we are totally dependent on our caregivers for survival. When we sense that the attachment relationship is threatened, this is experienced as a threat to our very survival, and we adapt in whatever ways we can to maintain the relationship. Often this requires us to negate our feelings of anger or repress parts of ourselves that seem to displease our caregivers. Therapy can offer a reparative experience in which we reclaim these parts of ourselves and experience the forbidden emotions of the past.
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Your active participation and empowerment is crucial for success in therapy. I am not here to impose goals upon you; I am here to support you in your own journey of identifying and achieving your goals. One way to think about this is that you are the expert on yourself (the content) and I’m an expert on the process. Working from a basis of trust, consent, and safety is non-negotiable for me.
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Psychodynamic theory, a modern evolution of psychoanalytic theory, posits that it is important to face what has been avoided. What we aren’t aware of controls us. In taking a loving look under the surface, we become less fragmented, less stuck, more free and more whole. Psychodynamic theory also led to the “change triangle” used in AEDP. Fun fact, attachment theory developed out of psychoanalytic therapy!
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I value the spiritual, magical, religious, existential, philosophical, artistic, creative, holy. I never impose this on clients, but if you are seeking to explore your relationship with this area, I am ready to meet you there. I also integrate mindfulness into sessions when relevant and desired.
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Lots of modern therapy is targeted at getting workers back in the workplace and ensuring their productivity. While I believe that meaningful work is an essential part of being human, under neoliberal capitalism work is often more exploitative than meaningful, I want therapy to help you feel and function better, but on your own terms and for your own purposes.
I also acknowledge the often-harmful impact of our social, economic, and political systems on our wellbeing and sense of self, especially for those with marginalized identities. If there are structural forces at play in your life, I want our work to honour and acknowledge that. This validation and accompaniment can be powerful in and of itself. And it can allow us to explore the places you do have power and agency, however small.