how i work

counselling sessions are informed by the phoenix lens ©—an integrative framework (that i’ve created) that understands distress as an adaptive response shaped by lived experience, nervous system patterns, relationships, and context.

in practice, this means we may explore:

  • how chronic stress or trauma has shaped your nervous system

  • how symptoms function as protection rather than ‘failure’

  • where your body feels stuck in survival states

  • what safety and regulation look like for you

  • how meaning, agency, and capacity can be restored without pressure

sessions are not about ‘fixing you’, pushing through, or forcing change. they are about creating enough safety and understanding for change to become possible.

what this counselling may support

this work may be helpful if you are navigating:

  • chronic stress, burnout, or nervous system dysregulation

  • trauma, including developmental, relational, or cumulative trauma

  • medically unexplained or stress-related symptoms

  • anxiety, shutdown, or emotional overwhelm

  • difficulty resting, trusting, or feeling present in your body

  • neurodivergence, sensory sensitivity, or ongoing nervous system overload in a world that often isn’t designed for it

  • feeling misunderstood, dismissed, or gaslit within medical or helping systems

  • curiosity about mind–body approaches to healing that honour both physiology and lived experience

  • identity shifts and/or grief related to illness, caregiving, or prolonged survival

education & background

my counselling practice is informed by both formal education and lived experience.

i hold a bachelor of arts (honours) in social work (ba), and a bachelor of social work (bsw). i am a registered social worker (rsw) in the province of alberta.

in addition to my academic training, i bring:

  • over eight years of professional experience within social service systems in various contracted roles

  • sustained engagement in trauma-informed, nervous system–based, and systems-aware practice

  • extensive self-directed study in stress physiology, trauma theory, and mind–body research

  • lived experience navigating chronic symptoms, medical uncertainty, and system-level dismissal

this combination shapes a practice that values humility, context, and deep respect for the intelligence of the body.

counselling sessions

trauma-informed, mind–body counselling grounded in safety, context, and meaning.

i offer 1:1 counselling for individuals seeking support with chronic stress, trauma, nervous system overwhelm, neurodivergence, and the embodied effects of long-term adaptation.

my approach is grounded in mind–body understanding, trauma-informed practice, and a systems-aware social work lens. sessions center on understanding why your body and nervous system respond the way they do—including the impacts of trauma, chronic stress, neurodivergence, and living in a world that often isn’t designed with all bodies in mind—and what supports regulation, safety, and restoration over time.

this work is gentle, paced, and collaborative, and i always view you as the expert of your own lived experience.