Supporting you to heal and flourish
I am committed to walking alongside individuals through the challenges of life. Counselling for me, isn’t simply helping you “get through” a difficult time, it is about creating a safe and supportive space where you can develop emotional, relational, mental, spiritual, and physical well-being; experiencing a greater sense of confidence, connection, and hope.
My work with children is grounded in play therapy and child-centred approaches. Play is a child’s natural language and can provide children with a safe and developmentally appropriate way to express feelings, communicate experiences, process difficult events, develop emotional awareness, and practice new ways of responding to challenges. Through a trusting therapeutic relationship, I seek to enter the child’s world, listen to their voice, honour their unique perspective, and build on their strengths.
I believe that authentic relationships are at the heart of counselling. I value client voice and choice and use a holistic, strengths- and asset-based approach. Rather than focusing only on what is not working, I help individuals identify and build upon the abilities, relationships, interests, and resources that are already working well.
Some of the areas in which I am privileged to support children, adolescents, and families include:
- Emotional regulation and coping skills
- Anxiety and worries
- Life transitions and change
- Parenting and family relationships
- School and educational difficulties
- Bullying and peer relationships
- Relational conflict
- Social and emotional development
- Building confidence and self-esteem
- Challenges of adolescence
- Decision-making and problem-solving
- Grief, loss, and difficult life experiences
- Developing healthy communication and relationships
- Providing a safe place to be heard and understood
My Experience
I am a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) with the British Columbia Association of Clinical Counsellors (BCACC) and a Canadian Certified Counsellor (CCC) with the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA). I am also a certified teacher in British Columbia.
I hold a Bachelor of Education from the University of Alberta, a Master of Arts in Counselling, and a Doctorate in Education, both from Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington.
My professional experience has included working within the Alberta health system as a social worker and mental health therapist, as well as working in public schools as a teacher and school counsellor. I also had the privilege of serving as a school counsellor in international schools in Beijing, China, for twelve years and Singapore for six years. Most recently, I have worked as a school counsellor in Surrey, British Columbia.
These experiences have given me the opportunity to work with children and adolescents from a wide variety of developmental, educational, cultural, and family backgrounds. They have also reinforced for me the importance of understanding the whole child—not simply the presenting concern.
A Strengths-Based Approach
I believe every child has strengths, capacities, and potential. My role is not to simply focus on what is difficult or what needs to change, but to help children discover and strengthen what is already within them.
Through listening carefully and building an authentic therapeutic relationship, I work collaboratively with children and their parents to identify meaningful and achievable goals. Depending on the child’s developmental stage and needs, counselling may include play-based interventions, creative activities, conversation, storytelling, emotional regulation strategies, skill development, and parent support.
My goal is to help children develop the skills and confidence they need to navigate challenges, strengthen relationships, and experience greater well-being.
It would be my honour to sit down with you and your child, listen to their story, and explore how we might work together—not simply to survive life’s challenges, but to heal, grow, and thrive.
