A bit about me
I am a third-generation settler whose ancestors came from the Dufftown region of Scotland and settled on Stz’uminus and Halalt Territories. I continue to learn about my family’s history and how it shapes my identity, relationships, and practice today.
I have worked as a counsellor for the past 27 years in schools, community mental health and addictions programs and correctional facilities. I am also a yoga teacher and sound healing practitioner and love to share these practices when folx are interested in exploring how they might support their well being. I truly believe that a person’s presenting symptoms are adaptive responses to trauma rather than deficits within the individual that must be fixed. I have lived—and at times worked—within military communities for over 20 years, which has given me a nuanced understanding of the impacts this lifestyle can have on individuals and families.
In my work, I attend to how experiences such as sexual violence, intimate partner violence, racism, colonialism, homophobia, transphobia, classism, ableism, and misogyny shape nervous system responses, relationships, and overall wellbeing. I approach therapy and teaching with an awareness of how these forces operate not only at an individual level, but across families, institutions, and communities.
I believe healing happens in relationship.
When I’m not working, you’ll often find me on top of mountains, wandering through forests, in or on the water, lifting weights, spending time with my dogs and my amazing daughters. I am forever a student of yoga and of life, and I continue to learn more about myself and how I want to move through the world—with authenticity, curiosity, and passion.
What you can expect
I view counselling as a partnership. You bring your lived experience, values, and goals; I bring tools, perspective, and a steady presence. Together, we make sense of what you’re going through and explore how you’d like things to shift.
Our work often involves slowing things down—paying attention to thoughts, emotions, and body sensations—to better understand how your nervous system responds to stress, trauma, and everyday life. As we build awareness, we also develop practical strategies to support regulation, choice, and movement toward what feels most important to you.
At the core of my work is the belief that your body and your story hold important knowledge. My role is to help create the conditions where that knowledge can be safely accessed and integrated.
