Anxiety:

Having had my own experiences with anxiety I’m aware of how much it can bring your life to a halt. I’ve turned down opportunities, pulled out of social plans last minute, and was left with the idea that I would never be free from it.

Our anxiety is supposed to protect us, to give us pause to think through a situation. It’s okay to be anxious, the problem forms when it feels like it’s controlling our lives.

Working with anxiety involves looking at what scares us, what is holding us back and how to slowly overcome that. It won’t happen all at once as it is usually rooted in a core thought like “I am not capable of doing this.”

It may also involve looking at the physical symptoms of anxiety which can vary from person to person. If we can ease the physical symptoms, we can ease the anxiety and vice versa.

LGBTQIA+ Community

I think it can be really hard to choose a counsellor. The question often asked is: “Will they accept me?” Those within the LGBTQIA+ community are also faced with the question: “Will they accept my gender identity / sexuality?”

I want you to know that I will never try to ‘cure you’ (as there is nothing to cure), you don’t have to ‘justify’ your identity to me, and I will not try to psychoanalyze your identity. Come as you are and you will be accepted.

You may want to come to counselling because of something related to your identity (eg questioning, difficulties around coming out, etc) or it could be unrelated (eg anxiety, bereavement, etc). You don't even need to come out to me if you don't want to. Just know that when/if you are ready to, I will not treat you any differently then I would my cis straight clients.

Chronic Pain

Chronic pain is pain you’ve had for over 3 months. It can come from a variety of illnesses, or from an injury that’s taking a long time to recover. It can also have a huge impact on your daily life and mental health. It can prevent you from making plans for the future as you fear the next flare up, or it can leave you with feelings of hopelessness as you wonder if the pain will ever stop.

Counselling alone will not ‘cure’ your chronic pain, but it may help allevaite stress, give you a place to vent your frustrations, and give you motivation to make whatever lifestyle changes are needed to ease your pain.

Stress alone does not cause pain, but it can trigger it or worsen it. Counselling can give you a place to talk about the difficulties you’re experiencing. Somatic Therapy also works with the body, so we can try out a few exercises that might help in your day-to-day.

Having chronic pain can often go unrecognised and can be quite isolating. Depending on the source, there may not be a known cure, but with counselling and a team of health professionals it can be made liveable.

Others:

If you’re going through my website and want to work with me but don’t fall under the categories above, I encourage you to still reach out! I work with a variety of issues, the above is just what I have a strong interest in. We can have our Initial Session and I’d still be happy to work with you. If I feel that you need specialist help that I can’t provide, I’ll do my best to refer you to an agency that would be a better fit for you!