I provide services to individuals ages 18 and over for assistance with issues related to stress and self-care, self-esteem and self-worth, and emotional understanding and wisdom. I also provide group therapy.
My counselling and therapy services focus on
Individuals who see me for therapy may also be experiencing mild to moderate levels of anxiety, depression, or self-injury.
My approach to therapy places emphasis on the enhancement of psychological well-being through helping people find ways of living that reduce suffering, that are personally meaningful to them and enriching, and that cultivate a sense of personal integrity and wholeness. This is the foundation of my approach regardless of the specific symptoms and life circumstances a person has experienced or is experiencing.
I view the participation in psychotherapy as participation in a life-affirming process—one that has cognitive, affective, behavioural, and relational elements.
Individuals’ specific needs vary; however, my approach to psychotherapy typically encourages a combination of self-reflection, the introduction of new things (e.g., ideas, information, experiences), and action (that is, doing something differently, whether in relation to one’s inner world, self, or external world). The cultivation of compassion, mindfulness, and emotional understanding are often aspects of this process, as well, inevitably, as the cultivation of connection and courage.
I begin by meeting individuals wherever they are at (emotionally, physically, situationally), by learning about this, and by beginning to work towards contextualizing their experiences. I then try to work collaboratively with individuals in a respectful way as we begin to determine what might be helpful and to work toward implementing that.
Compassion-focused therapy, emotion-focused therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, and cognitive-behavioural therapy significantly influence my approach.
I am not the right therapist for everyone or for every type of difficulty. It is important that individuals find the services that have an approach and knowledge base that is best suited to their situation and needs.
Typically, individual therapy sessions are one hour in length occurring from once per week to once per month for a number of sessions and period of time that works well for you and for what you are experiencing. A one hour session allots about 50 minutes to talking about and working on what you are experiencing and about 5 to 10 minutes to administrative things like scheduling and payment .
Fees for my services are paid for by the person seeing me for therapy at the time the service is rendered or by a third party when funding has been approved by that party for a person to see me for sessions. An example of the latter is when Medavie Blue Cross pays me for services I have been authorized to provide to individual members of the Canadian Forces and to veterans.
With respect to extended health benefits plans, I am registered as a psychologist in Ontario.
Services provided by registered members of the College of Psychologists are also recognized by the Canada Revenue Agency as medical expenses for income tax purposes.
If you would like to inquire about booking an appointment, please contact me. If I have openings, I will invite you to tell me a bit more about what you are experiencing so that I can make an initial assessment of whether or not I might be a suitable resource for you. We can also discuss whether or not my current availability is likely to be a good fit for what you are looking for at this time.
For current clients, I offer the service of being able to schedule appointments online at your convenience. Please contact me for more information. Clients may also schedule appointments with me in-session, by email, and by phone.
After several years of my office being located at 505 Alfred Street, my office location and set up is going through a transition period.
The office and home base for my practice is now located in a nature-immersed setting near Sydenham, Ontario. Although the therapy space is not yet ready, it is moving in the direction of becoming ready (or ready enough) for those who would prefer this setting and/or live in the area. As I so often say to those with whom I work, “this will unfold”; the office and services offered at this new location will unfold as I learn from experience, as new ideas come, and as I work to realize my vision of offering services in a tranquil, nature-connected setting that support people’s journeys of connecting to the wholeness and goodness in themselves (and others), of supporting healing/healing experiences, compassion, and well-being.
In the mean time, and for those for whom Kingston is the preferred location, I am available to meet clients at 815 Blackburn Mews in Kingston (in an office inside the clinic of ClearMind Neurotherapy).
The mailing address for my practice is 1031 Sands Lane, Sydenham, Ontario, K0H 2T0.