THERAPY PRACTICE
I work as part of a group practice at the Vancouver Couple and Family Institute and provide emotionally-focused therapy to individuals and couples. Individuals are supported through a wide range of life transitions and mental health challenges, including those related to relationships, parenting, peri-/menopause, and aging. In couples therapy, I create a safe and supportive space where partners can work through relational injuries and betrayal, improve communication, and strengthen their connection and intimacy. You can view my clinic profile and areas of practice here.
How I work with individuals and couples
Emotionally-focused therapy (EFT) is one of only three evidence-based therapies to treat couples in distress, according to the American Psychological Association. EFT is based on decades of cross-cultural research on adult attachment.
It focuses on how people experience the relationship with their partner and aims at changing negative patterns in relationships in order to feel more secure with each other.
In addition to my university training as a psychologist, I am extensively trained in Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) for both individuals and couples with additional training to treat couples who have experienced infidelity or are struggling with sex and intimacy. I have completed additional training in evidence-based approaches such as Gottman Method Couples Therapy (Levels 1-2), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), and mindfulness practices.
As your therapist, I will guide you to go into your emotional experience as a couple. You will learn to understand and organize your feelings about yourself and your partner and learn new ways of interacting with each other. Couples who complete EFT often feel safer and more secure with each other. This does not mean that they never fight but they usually recover faster and are able to reconnect with each other after a fight. They might also experience an increase in intimacy and overall mental and physical health.
Hold Me Tight® Workshops
Together with my colleagues at the VCFI, I co-facilitate Hold Me Tight® Workshops for couples.
These workshops are a science-based psychoeducational experience for couples, based on the revolutionary work of Dr. Sue Johnson. Grounded in over 30 years of psychological research on adult attachment, Hold me Tight® can improve relationship satisfaction by enhancing connection and communication. Through lectures and guided exercises, couples will learn about the patterns that they are stuck in and experiment with new ways of connecting.
LGBTQ+ Affirming
Both in my work as a university professor and as a clinical counsellor, I am committed to creating a safe and inclusive space for people of all ages, races, ethnicities, religions, genders, sexual orientations, identities and any aspect of social location that affords a greater or lesser privilege or a greater or lesser experience of marginalization and oppression.
I feel responsible for interrupting harm and continuous violence towards the lands that we live on, the Indigenous peoples, and towards our own mind and body.
My therapy practice is deeply informed by my extensive scientific background in brain processes that shape how we think, feel, and behave. This perspective enhances my ability to help clients make sense of their experiences and supports a compassionate, evidence-informed approach to healing and change—even when challenges are long-standing or recurring.