We are pleased to provide a complimentary 30-minute consultation as an initial step towards engaging with our therapy services. It is important to clarify that this consultation differs from a typical therapy session.

The primary objective of offering this consultation is to present you with the opportunity to acquire comprehensive information about what to anticipate from this initial interaction and potential future sessions should you choose to proceed. This consultation serves as a platform for both you and your counsellor to develop a deeper understanding of your therapeutic objectives and set clear expectations for the journey ahead.

We look forward to the opportunity of potentially guiding you through a process towards personal growth and well-being.

Engaging in individual therapy can lead to profound and lasting changes across various facets of your life. Whether your journey involves addressing a specific issue or grappling with a multitude of concerns, our approach involves formulating customized treatment plans to optimize therapeutic outcomes.

Individual therapy can yield several significant benefits, including:
-- Enhancement of your communication skills
-- Regulation of emotions in a constructive manner
-- Augmentation of self-confidence
-- Improvement of problem-solving capabilities

Above all, it grants you the opportunity to cultivate self-awareness, enriching your life with a deeper sense of meaning and purpose.
In our collaborative journey, we will explore and make meaning of your emotions, beliefs, and how you respond the world and those around you, while also processing impactful or challenging memories. We will identify facets of your life you wish to transform, fostering an enriched understanding of yourself and others. With the establishment of personal goals, we will work together towards the desired changes.

These transformative shifts can be achieved through our individual therapy sessions.

We look forward to accompanying you on this journey of self-discovery, healing, and growth.

Relationship counselling is not exclusively meant for couples experiencing conflict or those who have reached a breaking point in their partnership. Relationship therapy can significantly benefit partners through various stages of their relationship, during life transitions, and can even serve as a preventative measure.

We extend our supportive services to diverse relationship dynamics, including same-sex couples, bi-racial couples, couples contemplating an open relationship structure, polyamorous relationships, partners experiencing disparities in their desires for intimacy, and those seeking parenting support.

Engaging with partners who are managing conflict or disagreements is an integral part of our practice. Conflict in any relationship is inevitable and expected, it’s when repair becomes challenging that relationships breakdown. At the heart of these issues, we often find emotional disconnection. The sense of loneliness can be challenging, but feeling isolated within a relationship can lead to profound distress. Human beings are innately wired for connection from birth, and one of our fundamental needs is the desire to both love and be loved. The less secure we feel in our relationships, the more emotionally unbalanced we may become. In moments when we feel isolated, our bodies instinctively revert to fight, flight, or freeze modes, reacting to our perceptions of unfolding events. Unless partners can make sense of these situations, they risk falling deeper into a negative cycle, feeling increasingly stuck.

By utilizing a range of therapeutic models, including Emotionally Focused Therapy, Compassionate Inquiry, and Mindfulness, couples can identify their patterns and develop a deeper understanding of the factors perpetuating their cycle. By slowing things down, developing a sense of safety, and enhancing our awareness of the process, we uncover the vulnerability and unmet needs that truly lies at the core of these issues. Through insight and compassion, partners can address their challenges, shift from a blame mindset, and recognize greater opportunities for repair and connection.

We are here to accompany you on this journey towards healing and deeper connection.

More often than not, therapeutic approaches towards individuals impacted with trauma and/or addiction tend to primarily focus on managing problematic behaviour and processing trauma on a superficial level. However, with current research indicating a historical high in addiction and mental health, it's clear that a paradigm shift in our treatment approach is needed.

We offer an individualized approach, which might deviate from the conventional understanding of therapy. This includes integrating a humanistic aspect into our work and developing a healing process that aligns with your core beliefs, ultimately aiding you in deepening your connections with yourself and others through conscious awareness.

When working together to develop a treatment plan some of the things we explore can include, but not limited to: your history of using substances, frequency of use, what you are using, the benefits gained from using, and ultimately the intention is to get to the core root of your addiction, which is often a solution to a deeper problem. We may discuss any prior treatment, other conditions/symptoms that may be present, and work towards expanding your support system. As you get more comfortable we shift towards understanding the pain behind the addiction as we delve deeper into your attachment and trauma history.

Processing trauma is a journey where time serves as an ally. Realizing your capacity for healing and transforming trauma is a process that unfolds over time, and we emphasize moving at a pace that is comfortable for you. More often than not there may be slips along the way, but our focus is to shift away from the cycle of shame and blame that you may be accustomed to.

Rather than focusing on the addictive behaviour itself, which often masks a deeper-rooted issue, our work aims to understand the function of the addiction or substance use. In other words, we explore what the chemical or behavioural addiction provides for you. Our therapy seeks to help you regulate emotions and address concerns that may include people-pleasing behaviours, avoidance, feelings of unworthiness, fear of abandonment related to rejection or judgment, managing shame, guilt, the pain of isolation, feelings of anxiety, and lack of purpose.

Once we understand the purpose your addiction serves, we can delve deeper into understanding the root cause, often linked to childhood experiences and a need to escape or avoid pain. Our perspective on recovery extends beyond simply overcoming addiction; we focus on recovery in its literal sense - to recover something lost. In cases of trauma and addiction, which often lead to disconnection from self, recovery is focused on reconnecting to our true self and healing the internal pain that perpetuates cycles of addiction and self-destructive behaviour.

Our approach ultimately hinges on your needs and your sense of what is best for you. It's completely fine if you're uncertain. We work collaboratively to develop innovative strategies, blending various interventions and supports to help you reach your goals. While the healing journey takes time and varies for each individual, recovery and transformation are genuinely possible. Most importantly we want you to know that regardless of how you show up in session, you will always be accepted.

Early intervention programs for children and youth have been proven to significantly enhance various aspects of their development, including academic performance, behaviour, coping with challenging behaviours, building confidence, resilience, along with having a profound impact on educational progression and attainment.

When dealing with concerns that affect early symptom detection and treatment of mental illness, we often utilize a risk and protective factors framework. We believe that early intervention serves as a preventative measure, to address concerns early before they progress. This aids in preventing unbearable stress, curbing the emergence of severe symptoms, and reducing the risk of future issues in employment, family dynamics, academic performance, relationships issues, and substance use that could potentially arise if symptoms or problematic behaviours are left unaddressed.

As part of our Child & Youth Counselling program, and with your consent, we may collaborate with other stakeholders such as family members, educators, and healthcare professionals. This multi-disciplinary approach is aimed at providing the best possible outcomes and supporting you in achieving your goals. Though this is encouraged we work collaboratively with children and youth and empower them to have a voice in determining the type of treatment they need and want. With your approval, we may also equip your primary caregivers with the necessary resources to support you effectively.

The Couples Co-Counselling Program is a unique program designed to support couples impacted by substance use, alcohol consumption, and behavioural addictions, that are present in the relationship. The program is offered in partnership with Abbey Lane Counselling with the intention of providing collaborative care that involves two counsellors working together to offer both individual sessions, along with couples’ counselling facilitated by both individual counsellors.

We use a relational approach to healing that addresses three different but overlapping areas: trauma experienced by the person with the addictive behaviour/substance use, trauma experienced by the partner, and the impact of substance on the relationship.

Throughout our individual work we focus on relationship to self, which involves attuning to our nervous system patterns. Our nervous system patterns are defense mechanisms and ways in which we have learned to cope. We become aware of our nervous system patterns through a deep exploration into self, connecting to our body, learning to identify moments or situations where our defences are activated (awareness), we develop an understanding of the origin of your responses/concerns (functionality), which often stem from childhood or challenging life experiences. This alone can help couples improve their relationships and prepares each partner to begin a process of intensive couple counselling involving both counsellors and the couple.

When working with addiction / substance use, we focus on strengthening bonds and building connections in supporting people through their healing journey. This program is designed to shift away from traditional interventions that focus purely on behavioural changes that do not necessarily address the deeper-rooted issues. After all, we are wired for connection, and our need for attachment and authenticity are two basic needs for survival that are often overlooked.