Frequently Asked Questions
What happens when we meet?
I offer a free 30-minute virtual consultation that will allow us to meet and chat a little about what you are looking for. You can also ask more questions about me and my training, approach, and experience. Finding the right person for you is vital for the therapy to be effective and I will understand if, at the end of our initial consultation, you feel I am not that person. If this is the case I am happy to recommend other practitioners in the area.
If we then decide to work together, we will meet for an initial consultation that will last 50 minutes. This is an opportunity for us to meet and to discuss in a little more depth the support you are seeking. We will explore what is going on for you now as well as looking at your past and childhood so that we both start to understand how you got to this point in your life. Sometimes a second session may be needed to get a fuller picture and for us to create an appropriate therapeutic plan together.
A similar process happens for those seeking clinical consultation.
How long does therapy take?
This depends on what issue or issues you are seeking to work on. Short-term work can be very helpful for dealing with a specific issue or a current crisis. Longer-term work enables you to work with more deeply rooted issues or to explore issues more slowly and freely without the pressure of time.
Sessions typically last 50 minutes, and will start and end on time. We will meet on a regular day and at a regular time as agreed at the end of our initial consultation.
I normally see people once or twice a week for therapy, although am willing to look at other options that may suit you better.
Clinical consultation may be offered on a different basis to meet your needs.
Where is your practice based?
I am based on the west coast of Canada. My practice is offered exclusively online via a secure and confidential video platform. Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, I was sceptical about the efficacy of virtual therapy, but, since 2020, have come to appreciate that it is just as effective as in-person options, and it can also offer more freedom (in terms of the logistics of scheduling sessions) and safety (in that you are likely going to be joining the session from your own home or a place where you feel comfortable)
What is 'trauma'?
Trauma is a highly subjective and personal experience. It can be a single distressing event, or an ongoing experience of abuse or neglect. It may also be something that you witness rather than experience directly, and this can be just as traumatizing. Whatever the causes, the results can include ongoing feelings of being unsafe in the world, emotional dysregulation, exhaustion, confusion, sadness, anxiety, agitation, numbness, dissociation, confusion, hyperarousal, and depression, as well as numerous physical symptoms.
What is Somatic Psychotherapy?
This is a form of healing where we pay particular attention to what is happening in your body on sensory, physiological, postural and movement levels through mindfulness and gentle curiosity and enquiry. Stressful and traumatic experiences can often cause us to lose our sense of embodiment and working with the body mindfully can often be an essential aspect of healing.
If you are looking for someone who offers somtic psychotherapy in person and/or who offers a touch-based practice, please let me know and I can connect you with a highly experienced and trusted colleague in North Vancouver.
What is Nature-Based Therapy?
Nature-Based Therapy is a form of experiential psychotherapy that encourages participants to explore and experience their place in the natural world with the support of their therapist. Nature-based themes can be explored indoors through stories, creative arts, natural materials, and imagination, and outdoors through direct experience.
What are eating disorders?
Children, teenagers, and adults of all ages can develop issues around food, exercise, and compensatory behaviours for many reasons. Typical behaviours include:
- Constant dieting, restricting food intake, or eating only certain foods (eating 'clean')
- Binge eating
- Compulsive over-eating
- Self-induced vomiting
- Abuse of laxatives, diuretics or appetite suppressants
- Compulsive over-exercising
- An enduring pre-occupation with appearance, weight and shape
Self-harming behaviours such as cutting or burning
An eating disorder is a serious psychological and medical condition that progressively worsens over time. With this in mind I will work with you at a pace you can manage to not only change your thinking and behaviours around food, your body and exercising, but also find healthier ways to manage underlying difficulties with thoughts, feelings, or issues from the past. I will also encourage you to work with a registered dietician and a medical doctor to ensure that all aspects of your recovery are professionally supported. Eating disorders affect not only the individual concerned but also those around them, so we may also need to discuss family therapy so that parents, siblings, partners and trusted friends can be included in your recovery.
Please note that I do not endorse dieting and am happy to explain why dieting is not an effective strategy from both psychological and physiological perspectives
What counts as an addiction?
Addictions broadly fall into two categories:
- Substance addictions (use of alcohol, drugs, prescription medications, etc)
- Process addictions (compulsively engaging in sex, pornography, co-dependent relationships, gambling, social media, video gaming, exercising, etc)
Either way, addictions develop as a way of managing difficult thoughts and/or feelings or unbearable past experiences, so recovery involves dealing with both the addictive behaviours as well as the underlying issues. Addictions also affect those closest to us so we may also need to look at some family therapy sessions to include your parents, siblings or partner in your recovery.
What are your fees?
As of 2025, my fees are:
- Individual therapy (50 minutes) $180
- Individual clinical consultation (60 minutes) $200
- Group clinical consultation (2 hours) $400 (divided among 3-4 participants)
Is it confidential?
Yes. I will explain exactly what this means during the initial consultation.
Do you hold professional insurance?
Yes, I carry full professional liability insurance.