Space To Exist – Counselling and TTRPG Groups for queers and multiples

What to Expect

Getting Started

We usually start off with a quick check in and then dive into whatever is pressing to you or pick up where we left off in working towards your goals. The first few sessions will be focused on getting to know you and what you’re dealing with, though I may offer some tools or knowledge that could be helpful to know right away.

It’s ok if you don’t know what you want out of therapy.

It’s completely valid to just want someone to hold space for us without an ulterior motive. Someone that’s got our back. I’m here to listen and try my best to understand what you’re going through without you needing to change anything. Space to exist, as you are, can be powerful stuff.

If you do want change, we can work together to figure out a plan. These are goals you choose, not something I say you need to do. I bring the tools, you set the destination.

There is absolutely no requirement to talk about your feelings.

Usually talking about our feelings is the default practice in therapy, and it can be a useful strategy, but that’s just one way of doing things. While our view of our past experiences affect how we see the present, and our possibilities for the future, we can keep our focus on what’s happening right now and what you want to do about it. I love to learning about different views on life, what’s important to you, and helping you make plans of action towards your goals.

No homework but lots of resources.

As someone with ADHD I understand how bad it feels when I struggle to do something, or just plain forget. Often in therapy there is the concept of ‘homework’, we try something in session and then it’s your job to practice it outside of it. It’s just one way to do things and it’s not a requirement.

I do however, love sharing resources. Knowledge is power, and I’m happy to share books, articles and other resources about neuroscience and the other nerdy things I’m basing my therapy style on. There’s a lot of different approaches to therapy, I have a few I lean towards and I’m happy to help you find other therapists that might be more your style.

I won’t pull a fast one on you.

Consent is incredibly important to me as a personal value. I will explain a possible idea to try, why I think it could be helpful, and what it looks like before we do it. You can decide if you want to try it out and we’ll check in to see if it’s something you want to do more of.

I’m not going to try and mold you into my own version of what ‘healthy’ or ‘normal’ looks like. Normal is made up and you don’t have to subscribe to it. We focus on what you want to be doing, not a text book treatment plan. This is especially important for plural systems. You don’t have to fuse, and you don’t have to ‘get better’. Same with ‘addiction’, if there’s something you’re doing that helps you deal with life and you don’t want to change it, you don’t have to. You still deserve support, on your terms, towards your goals. Even if that goal is to just have someone safe enough to talk to.

Our time together belongs to you.

We will check in to ensure we’re spending time in the way you want. Every now and then we’ll book a free 20 minute session to talk about how we’re finding our work together. This is purely a working style check in and not one of our usual therapy sessions. This lets us look at what’s working, what could be better, and what we want to try differently. Over time we’ll build a well oiled machine tailored to you.

Therapy Styles

Because everyone is unique and will benefit from different types of therapy, I pull from a lot of different sources. Here’s what I’m generally working from:

Existential Therapy focuses on defining your inner compass. We ask the big questions in life: What’s important to you? How can you live more aligned with who you want to be? We always have choice. Knowing our values lets us make more intentional decisions while navigating difficulties. Defining those values for yourself is the ultimate character creation. This makes existential therapy particularly good for identity exploration.

Inner Community and Internal Family Systems is about building self trust and inner team work. We do this by working with the different aspects of ourselves, listening to what they know and how they’re trying to help. Sometimes parts of ourselves have competing goals, we collaborate and facilitate conflict and repair work, and we only work towards goals there is internal consensus for.

We recognize that IFS is not the same as DID or multiplicity, despite it taking this terminology from the community. We borrow some tools from IFS, but see ‘parts’ in this context to be different than alters/inner people/headmates/etc, and don’t subscribe to everyone needing to have a ‘core Self’ that’s ‘the real person in charge’. Life are far to varied and interesting to have a one size fits all definition. Instead we pull in tools from the plural community to help foster internal communication and thriving as a system.

Narrative Therapy puts the focus on you telling your story, both where you’ve been, and where you want to go. We build on your strengths and values in a similar way to existential therapy, but we also externalize the things you’re working with. “You’re not the problem, the problem is the problem, together, let’s create a solution” This doesn’t mean digging through traumatic experiences. Rather, it is about looking at the stories we’ve internalized about ourselves and regaining agency to reframe and write new stories that better serve our goals.

Somatic, or Body Based therapy is a way of tuning into your body’s radio station/gut instincts to get information that’s harder to access through the usual talk therapy strategy. You can also think of it like being with your inner cats. How freaked out are they? What do they need to feel a bit safer or more ok? We help the body to feel a sense of safe-enough-ness in the present moment, and then if we want to process something, we pay attention to sensations that come up and hold space for them from this safe-enough space. There’s a lot of different techniques for this, but the most important part is that we’re only going there if/when you are feeling up for it. We will never force you to feel into your body sensations if that’s not something you want to do.

Person-Centered Design is a style of design that emphasizes clearly defining the desired user experience (your life situation now and what you’d like it to be), generating ideas, choosing some things to try out, seeing how they go and then iterating on that design again with the new information. It’s grounded in the idea that you (the user), are the one who’s experience matters most, and that we can find unique solutions customized to your goals by experimenting, reviewing, designing and experimenting again. We essentially end up with a map and a choose-your-own-adventure style plan together.

Trauma Informed Care comes from a passionate drive to support my communities, many of which deal with discrimination and trauma on a daily basis. A lot of people have trauma, in various forms, and I strive to safely hold space for whatever comes up. I’m not afraid to talk about difficult subjects and you don’t have to hide if you’re finding life hard. I’m here to listen. I won’t force you into ‘care’ you don’t’ want, or to go into topics or details that you’re not okay with.

Attachment is complex and impacts us all at our core. It informs how we relate and interact with people, what we expect from relationships, and how we manage those, both inside and out. Attachment wounding is a common target in complex trauma work, and while it can be very transformative, it must be handled with deep care and skill. Often self worth and learning to be on our own side is related to this work. We’re informed by affective neuroscience, the Comprehensive Resource Model, and many other attachment based knowledge systems. The general goal is to create deeper understanding and secure support within oneself, healing a lot of deep hurt, and being better able to engage in relationships, counteracting isolation and loneliness.

Training and Knowledge

Current Learning

Linda Thai’s Certificate in Somatic Embodiment and Regulation Strategies

A decolonized, transformative justice, and deeply trauma informed program that offers useful somatic based support tools

Finding Solid Ground Program

A research backed, lived experience informed therapy framework specifically for Dissociative ‘disorders’ and complex trauma

Plural Competency Certification

A course developed by plurals that provides insights and practical skills from lived experience, to offer more inclusive and affirming care for systems, regardless of their origin.

Training and Experience

16 Years of Game Design and Producing LinkedIn
Diploma of Counselling Therapist from Stenberg College
Trauma-informed Practice when Working with Complex PTSD
Felt Sense Polyvagal Model – A Certificate for Treating Trauma and Addiction
Proficiency In Focusing
Comprehensive Internal Family Systems Therapy
Janina Fisher’s Complete Trauma Immersion : Essential Strategies for Working With Trauma, Shame, Suicidality, Self-Harm, Traumatic Attachment & More
Geek Therapy® Certified

Credentials and Insurance Coverage

I am licensed with the Canadian Professional Counsellors Association, and hold the designation of Master Practitioner in Clinical Counselling (MPCC-Provisional), member #4480

To provide you with the best possible care and safety, I continue to remain under direct supervision with the CPCA, receiving guidance and feedback as I gain additional experience.

The designation of “MPCC-Provisional” is approved for coverage by many 3rd party insurance providers, but is dependent on your specific coverage. Companies vary on their terminology for accepted mental health practitioners. In BC, the following terms apply to services I provide: Counsellor, Clinical Counsellor, Counselling Therapist, Master Practitioner in Clinical Counselling, Registered Professional Counsellor

It is important to check with your insurer for coverage ahead of time as we currently do not provide direct billing with insurers, but will provide receipts for reimbursement.

Services

Specializations

Individual Counselling

D&D Group Therapy

Custom Campaigns

More Information

Current Learning

Training and Experience

Adapting “Best Practices”

Suicidal Ideation, Self Injury and Addiction

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