Originally on a career path in book publishing, I first entered the field of social services through my participation in a women’s literacy community project. Since then, I have enjoyed over 25 years’ experience working with adults, youth and children in community-based and educational settings in various professional roles. These include group and workshop facilitator, post-secondary instructor, social service worker, researcher and counsellor. Both my love of people and our stories have threaded through my life to date.

I graduated from the University of British Columbia with a Master’s in Counselling Psychology in 2009. I was inspired to conduct narrative research on counsellor development and self-compassion – a construct just beginning to emerge in Western psychology thanks to pioneers like Dr. Kirstin Neff and Dr. Paul Gilbert. This research process affirmed to me how cultivating self-compassion is foundational to human well-being and personal growth. It also revealed to me the transformative potential of the research process for participants and researchers, alike. An aspect of my research was published in Professional Psychology. 

Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.

– Carl Jung

My continued studies of transpersonal psychology, most notably the holotropic paradigm, marked a crossroads for me both personally and professionally. My theoretical and practical training – led by seasoned teachers who have worked closely with Stanislav and Christina Grof – offered me an expanded map of the human psyche/psychology and highlighted to me how to deeply honour my own and others’ inner healing intelligence. I was also reintroduced to the concept of spiritual emergence/y, which I had discovered as a young person via an edited book called Spiritual Emergency. My training with Dr. Emma Bragdon deepened my understanding of how to support others experiencing spiritual emergency and pointed to other models of care that complement our existing dominant biomedical model.

I believe that we are interdependent fellow travellers. As we meet our edges in growth, I know what a tremendous difference it can make to be supported with genuine care, and to be seen and heard – rather than going it alone. The power of “being together” can amplify clearer understanding, unearth possibilities and inspire new ways of being. I am honoured to collaborate with you and to bear witness to your personal journey.

My joy and commitment is to my own ongoing personal and professional development. The following are some of my educational and training highlights:

• Master of Arts, Counselling Psychology, University of British Columbia
• Satir Transformational Systemic Therapy Training (Level 1)
• Grief and Loss Training for Professionals, Living Through Loss
• Inner Relationship Focusing (Levels 1 & 2)
• Being There Hospice Training, Vancouver Hospice Society
• The Foundations of Well-Being: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love and Wisdom (Year-long program with Dr. Rick Hanson)
• Peter Levine’s Somatic Experiencing, Step by Step online master class course
• Holotropic Breathwork® Facilitator, Grof Transpersonal Training (Modules: Spiritual Emergency; The Power Within: The Practice of Holotropic Breathwork®; The Art and Practice of Integration; Inner Ethics; The Holotropic Paradigm: The Psyche, the Inner Healer, and Moving Toward Wholeness; Music and Transcendence; Addiction, Attachment, and the Spiritual Quest)
• Spiritual Emergence Coach®, trained by Dr. Emma Bragdon (Courses: How to Effectively Help Someone in Spiritual Emergency and Practicum)
  
• Mental Health, Recovery and Community Inclusion, WHO QualityRights etraining, World Health Organization

I am accredited by BC Association of Clinical Counsellors (#3847) and Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (#8551).

A designation of BC Association of Clinical Counsellor