Personal History

It’s safe to say that I have found my way by exploring opposites. I have been a high school drop-out and a university instructor, a logger and an artist, I’ve lived in the northern interior and the southern coast, I’ve been trained as a scientist yet I rely on my intuition.

After leaving the woods in my late 30’s I returned to school and completed my grade 12 in Sechelt before moving to Prince George to attend the University of Northern BC. I completed an honours degree as well as a Master of Science in psychology and all but my doctoral thesis for my Ph.D. Studying psychology as a science, I was devoted to pursuing assessment and treatment of mental illness from an empirical perspective, training to become a “scientist/practitioner”. I was fortunate to have been mentored by strong and inspirational therapists who encouraged me to devote myself to pursue “best practices” with clients in order to promote mental and emotional wellness. I am grateful for the fact that among these best practices, I was encouraged to use my intuition and listen on a deeper level to the stories my clients tell me.

I have been a registered clinical counsellor with the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors for nearly two decades and have worked with clients in the areas of depression, anxiety, trauma, past abuse, relationship problems, various lifespan issues including personal identity and growth, men’s issues and positive masculinity, and strategies for gaining self-awareness. I am also trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR ) and am currently training in Focusing Oriented Therapy (FOT). I have six years of experience as a trauma therapist. I also have an extensive history of working with Indigenous clients, both on and off reserve.

Clinical Philosophy

I use the word “clinical” in terms of the assessment and treatment of mental illness and promotion of mental/emotional/spiritual health. My approach to therapy requires that whatever techniques I employ must be empirically supported, meaning that there must be research-based evidence that says these approaches actually work. I also adhere to the idea that I must take extraordinary care to make sure that at the very least, I will do no harm – this is the minimum for ethical care. Compassion and respect for the client are fundamental to my practice and includes the idea of unconditional positive regard.

Although I can and do work from a cognitive/behavioural perspective, the bulk of my work is somatic, which means that our bodies (and this includes emotions) are key to identifying and resolving trauma and distress. Most trauma specialists have concluded that traumatic memories are stored in the “body” as physical and sensory experiences at a largely unconscious level. Therapy to release and reprocess these painful memories are essential to resolving past traumas so that they no longer continue to interfere with wellbeing. Even when there are no significant traumas in the client’s past, early childhood experiences can continue to intrude on day-to-day living and interfere with relationships and general happiness. Therapy can uncover this old “programming” and allow the client to develop a new set of beliefs and strategies that foster success. My motto is, “That which we are conscious of, we can work on. That which we are not conscious of, works on us”.

Areas of Practice

In addition to treating trauma, I also have experience with treating depression, various forms of anxiety, historic abuse, ego-identity/personal growth, and men’s issues/positive masculinity.