Every month, we connect with a member of our therapy team to learn more about them and their work.
What are you reading off your therapist bookshelf at the moment?
“The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion” by Christopher K. Germer
I have a lot of appreciation for the perspective and tools shared by Christopher Germer. He highlights the value and benefit of being fully present in an extremely accessible and practical way- the more present we are, the more control we feel, the more intentional we act, the more meaningful change we can create. He introduces the concepts and practice of allowing and accepting without judgment or resistance as deeply important for our wellbeing, our happiness, and our ability to be fully present and strategic.
A powerful statement I came across in The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion:
“40% of our overall happiness level is determined by intentional activity .. what we do, such as exercising and spending time with friends; how we think, such as cultivating gratitude or kindness, and how engaged we are in our interests and values”
Some of my main reflective and practical takeaways are that life is happening around us every day; there are a lot of events and situations we don’t have control over, while we do have control over our decisions and responses. There is an inevitable reality that challenging moments will be part of our life experience, just as happy moments will. Through a mindful, accepting and allowing approach, we can all learn to navigate all of life’s experiences with intention and purpose.
What inspired you to become a therapist, and how do your personal experiences shape your approach to counseling?
I have always been a curious and social person, drawn to learning about people and their stories and experiences. Through childhood and teenage years, I was very interested in getting people talking and asking the right questions to support good conversation. I gradually discovered a real passion for connecting with, listening to and supporting people from all walks of life who were going through obstacles and challenges.
Over the years, I evolved from talker to listener with friends, family members, teachers, coaches, and eventually colleagues and clients, as I found that there is so much to gain when we fully listen, when we let someone fully express their thoughts and hear themselves talk.
Growing up playing sports, and to this day, I have had tons of appreciation for the coach-athlete relationship, and the “coaching” perspective continues to be an influence and inspiration in my approach to therapy. I find it extremely important to make therapy services relatable, practical, accessible and tailored to each person’s priorities. With this approach, I make a point of assessing and working towards therapeutic goals from a practical and hands-on lens, creating opportunities for discussion and practice in session, and sharing tangible tools and strategies to implement outside of therapy.
I am an active believer that mental health is an integral element of being healthy. I have a lot of respect for the client-clinician relationship and its potential to create significant, desired change.
Can you share a bit about your therapeutic philosophy and the theoretical approaches you integrate into your practice?
I believe in a strengths-based, client-centered and feedback-informed (FIT) approach to therapy, and that sessions should be engaging, interactive and tailored to each individual. Therapy should be a safe environment and experience where individuals can be their whole selves without fear of judgment and can engage in the journey of learning about themselves in the presence of a trusted ally. Establishing a strong trusting relationship and feeling seen, respected and valued are deeply important aspects of the therapy dynamic. I believe each person should have an active and defined role in their therapy service, where their priorities, capacity and input are key considerations for the process in effectively working together on individual goals.
While DBT, CBT, mindfulness are the main formal theoretical models inspiring my approach to therapy, I draw from an eclectic mix of therapeutic interventions, such as Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).
What specific populations or issues do you specialize in, and what unique insights or techniques do you bring to those areas?
Some areas that I tend to work in is with:
ADHD, depression, anxiety, emotional regulation and anger management, compulsive behaviours,
life transitions, work stress, burnout, self-esteem and self-perception, communication
parenting support and coaching
I’m particularly motivated to combine theoretical knowledge with practical tools; to educate and inform while also exploring and practicing hands-on skills to create incremental, meaningful change. I fully support the notion that knowledge is power - the more we know, the more we understand, the more equipped we may be - and aim to tap into individual interests, curiosity and real-life experiences to connect theory and practice. Experience is the biggest teacher; what if we leaned into the lessons and approached different experiences with different action plans?
In your experience, what are some common misconceptions about therapy, and how do you work to address and overcome them in your practice?
That people should only access therapy if/when there is something wrong or damaged that needs to be fixed. I believe that therapy is and can be so much more than solving problems and “fixing things”. Therapy has such a far-reaching potential in providing people with a designated time and space to reflect on and process their life-- there's definitely a lot of it that happened and is happening. Therapy can be a space for people to truly have the opportunity to look inward, learn about themselves and create a relationship with their person; for people to not need to be anything or anyone other than their full selves. So much of our time and energy is spent accomplishing, interpreting, deciding, reassessing, doing - therapy can be a space and experience that supports intentionally slowing down the pace of life, catching our breath, and connecting with ourselves. When we give ourselves the permission to reflect and process, we give ourselves access to extremely valuable insights, which can inform the steps we can take, on the path we want to follow for the life we want to live.
In sharing a common understanding of the context and reality surrounding us, I hope to connect with each person in recognizing the value and benefit of investing time, space and energy in themselves.
What’s your favourite self-care activity?
I’m a big believer in holistic wellbeing and wellness, and combine several activities, hobbies and experiences to create fulfilling life moments . I love physical activity and exercise - sports (golf, hockey, softball, snowboard, training at the gym), spending quality time with friends and family, reading, and spending time outdoors (canoeing, swimming, hiking).
What do you find most rewarding about being a therapist?
Some of the most rewarding things that I find include:
The opportunity to walk alongside people through their various life journeys and explore significant events and experiences in their lives.
Being able to create a space where men truly feel they can be their most authentic selves; where they feel safe, seen, understood and valued
The chance to be part of men’s process of self-discovery, where they can find meaning from their experiences and engage in the process of change with which they feel most aligned
Getting to talk openly with men about mental health
What would you say to someone who has never been in therapy before and may be considering taking that first step and reaching out?
All of you is welcome. Life can be complicated and demanding - you deserve this time, space and opportunity to be fully yourself, to reflect, and to process your life experience. You don’t need to have anything “wrong” to seek out therapy - therapy can be proactive and can always be tailored or readjusted. Therapy is a process, a relationship that can be deeply intimate and insightful, where individuals can learn about themselves and discover parts of themselves with understanding and compassion.