THE STORY

I believe there is a wealth of wonder and wisdom within all of us.  My work in the healing profession began in the late 1980's working with teen mothers and HIV infected youth.  My drive towards wanting to assist others to rise through adversity compelled my own path of Self growth and led me towards completing my first degree in Social Work at UBC in 1994.  I then worked with the Vancouver School Board as an Alternate Program Worker and Youth and Family Worker for youth facing adversity. My work at an alternate school for teenagers transitioning back to the community after a psychiatric admission to hospital deeply inspired me to pursue a career in the field of mental health. I went back to UBC where I completed a Masters of Social Work degree in December 1998.  I began my career as an adult therapist with Surrey Mental Health and Substance Use Services where I worked from 1999 to 2021. I opened my private practice Good Wolf Counselling in 2020 where I now work full time.  

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Early in my career at Surrey Mental Health I received years of hands on training from a psychiatrist who specialises in psychodynamic therapy.  This training included weekly dynamic rounds, studying psychodynamic schools of thought and research, as well as co- facilitating a dynamic group for six years and assisting in the psychodynamic training of therapists whom observed the group with the psychiatrist.  My psychodynamic training deepened my curiosity of imagining our True Self and identifying resistances and blocks to accessing Self. 

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My therapy interests are a reflection of needs that consistently arise in the therapy room including trauma informed practice which propels me towards further understanding of client trauma experiences. I have received awareness training that specialises in intergenerational trauma experience, refugee trauma experience, and most recently I completed level I and level II First Responder trauma training for therapists and received my bronze and silver- seal endorsement from the BC Professional Firefighters Association as a culturally competent clinician. Additionally, clients struggling with acute anxiety, depression, addiction related issues and PTSI symptoms (post traumatic stress injury) have compelled me towards seeking training over the years in the areas of CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy), ACT (acceptance and commitment therapy), mindfulness practices, relational therapy, addiction informed practice, and other skills I draw upon as the need arises. 

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Acute symptoms of depression, anxiety, and PTSI (post traumatic stress injury) can often be a result of internalising compounding negative and traumatic experiences in our life. Our belief structures as well as social and cultural belief structures can make us feel unsafe to release or process traumatic thoughts and symptoms, which in turn can deepen our distress and escalate disconnection from Self and others, and compound imbalance in our life. Sometimes medication prescribed by a psychiatrist or family physician can assist in alleviating some of the above symptoms, but medication cannot process and help us understand and heal from the underlying issues that aggravate these symptoms, but therapy can.