Probably and hopefully! Many benefit plans cover psychotherapy if the practitioner is regulated. I’m a Registered Psychotherapist, License #007972. You should look at your specific benefit package to confirm.

This depends on you. Some people have therapeutic goals and once those are reached in months, or years they prefer to end the therapy. Others stay in therapy indefinitely, because they view it as a self-care practice to maintain their mental health. I have heard couples therapy described as a supervisor for the relationship. I check in regularly to know how you are experiencing our sessions, and if there are shifts you would like to make.

What is the normal frequency to start? Again, this depends on the issues you are exploring, your resources, your time, budget, energy levels. Some people like to do “homework” in between sessions. It also depends on the trust and rapport between us. Some clients feel ready and safe enough to open up right away, for others this process can take a year or two. Are you a golden retriever or a feral cat? All timelines (and animal types) are perfectly normal.

You do not have to commit to a certain number of sessions and you can choose the frequency that feels right for you. At the beginning, however, it can be helpful to have a scheduled day and time so that your nervous system gets used to a rhythm.

No, because you are not broken. I strongly believe that there are broken systems, unhealthy dynamics, but that people are themselves do not need to be fixed. I help people de-pathologize ways they have been labeled, or how others have seen them. We have all developed strategies to cope with the world we live in, and sometimes those strategies need some tweaking. I can help you fix patterns, but you yourself are not a problem.

You can expect me to hold the space in a way that is predictable, confidential, organized and professional. You can expect warmth, care, non-judgment, respect and a place that is for you. You can expect me to be on time, to be centered, to be curious, to be kind. You can also expect that this work is two -way, and you can expect that on your end you will need to show up as you are, with honesty. You can expect that you might feel uncomfortable and emotional, and this usually means that you are growing.

Yes, it can be beneficial in the same ways that in-person can work, which is to say that therapy is subjective and there is no guarantee! For many of my clients who moved from in-person to virtual during Covid we were pleasantly surprised by the way the work actually deepened and shifted. There are pros and cons with both and I do my best to practice virtual therapy in a way that is somatic, experiential, and intimate. I no longer see the screen as a barrier. I also love seeing clients’ spaces, and how pets often provide support during sessions.

Here is a helpful article: https://time.com/5883704/teletherapy-coronavirus/

It is impossible to measure trauma. The impact of trauma depends on how you experienced it. I like how Gabor Mate’ describes it: “Trauma is an invisible force that shapes our lives. It shapes the way we live, the way we love, and the way we make sense of the world. It is the root of our deepest wounds.”

Trauma work is about exploring the impact of the event on you, the meaning you made, the grief and loss it caused. My interest is in the story you tell yourself about it. Our work will involve carefully integrating your experience into the rest of your life, so it can have less power and control over you. You will never have to disclose anything you don’t want to, and we do not have to go into the specific details of what happened. Trauma work requires careful pacing and titrating. While I work with folks who have experienced violent or physical trauma, I also work with many people whose trauma is relational (asa child you experienced neglect, instability, enmeshment), developmental (chronic abuse including neglect, betrayal by caregivers, chronic emotional dysregulation of caregivers).

If you have reached out to me, then yes, you belong here.

For in-person sessions, the office is accessed by a flight of 17 stairs with a handrail. There is no elevator or ramp. The bathroom has two grab bars.

There is a bus stop directly outside the building and paid parking is available on Commercial Drive. There is also free parking on the surrounding side streets.

Please let me know any accessibility needs prior to meeting. I also offer virtual therapy.