Cognitive goals.
Behavioral strategies.
Effective therapy solutions to create a life worth living well.
ABOUT ME
The complexities of stress are fascinating; this I learned first-hand as a journalist in my earlier life, experiencing high levels of it every day (and usually not effectively).
Later I returned to school to study stress in an academic context; fMRI data provides the field of psychology with a new understanding of neurological processes that have quite changed how we think of the 'fight or flight' (stress) response. This provides new ways of thinking about and managing thoughts, emotions and behaviors.
As a Registered Psychologist I now work on helping people manage life's bumps, understanding our thoughts and feelings at at a higher level, and decreasing 'in the moment' impulses that usually make things worse.
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Life will throw all sorts of stressors our way, and how we accept, forgive, reframe and re-calibrate can increase our quality of life, whatever our circumstances.
We all deserve to live our best life and, with some well-honed skills, this is an achievable goal.
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~ Karin
We all deserve to live our best life and, with some well-honed skills, this is an achievable goal.
MY APPROACH
Creating a peaceful, meaningful, productive life worth living...
Integrating empirically-tested therapy approaches can effectively and efficiently pull all the pieces together, helping clients achieve their goals. But one size does not fit all, and sometimes a combination of therapies works best. For this reason, I am trained in a number of therapies that may work wholly for you, or may be part of a journey that uses a few different tools. We will work together to determine the most appropriate and efficient treatment plan for you.
I am trained in several different therapies:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
and
CBT-I (for Insomnia)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is the gold standard for challenging and changing thinking patterns. Whether treating mental health diagnoses or creating new 'peak performance' behaviours, CBT is a tried and true process for creating new neural pathways. CBT-I (for insomnia) is a sub-specialty of CBT, specifically designed for getting you some zzzzzzzzzs.
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy
(DBT)
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy may be a better fit for anyone experiencing high emotional dysregulation and is especially effective with diagnoses of BPD, OCD, PTSD, PMDD, Anger Management, Addictions, or anyone who would like to just develop better in-the-moment coping and resiliency skills overall. Treatment is by individual sessions or in a psycho-educational group (virtual) setting (see below for registration details).
Couples Counselling
and
Pre-Marital Program
John and Julie Gottman have been North America's pre-eminent couples therapists for decades, conducting research and creating tried and true methods for effective relationship therapy. This is the method I have been trained in to help create positive communication, repair damage, and move to more loving, meaningful relationships. Testing and weekly exercises are included in this process that can help you work towards a 'peak-performance' relationship that can stand the test of time. Pre-marital counselling is a process whereby you can think about important issues and questions to ask yourself and your partner - before you enter into a lifetime commitment. Being prepared and knowing what may lie ahead can help to avoid difficulties in the future, cope ahead for inevitable stressors, and celebrate the benchmarks that cement a healthy relationship. Materials and questionnaires provided weekly.
Trauma Therapies
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprogramming (EMDR)
Exposure with Response Prevention (ERP)
Guided Autobiography (GAB)
Treating PTSD and other trauma, whether it comes from a single event or as a result of the accumulation of events stemming from childhood and beyond, can be done in many ways. Prolonged Exposure -identifying the trauma and facing it 'every which way from Sunday' until it no longer gives you a response - can help provide context, reframing, maybe even forgiveness until you can finally put it behind you. EMDR is a method of exposure that can also be used to unearth and process deep-seated issues, done somatically through bilateral stimulation (lights, touch, sounds). EMDR has been empirically shown to help us face events buried deeply within our sub-conscious, replacing negative messages with neutral or positive ones. Guided Biography is a narrative process whereby you are helped tell your own story, recounting and contextualizing events through the chapters that have made up your life thus far. Developed at the University of Southern California by one of the North America's leading gerontologists, GAB has ben shown to decrease depression and increase hopefulness about the future, creating the book of your life along the way.
INDIVIDUAL/COUPLES SESSIONS
Please note that I am currently working virtually-only via health-care approved Zoom, Jane-App or Doxy. I am registered with the psychology boards of Alberta, Ontario and Nova Scotia (which means I can see clients virtually from all Maritime provinces). Letters, reports and assessments are billed at the hourly rate.
Individual 50 minute sessions: $225
Couples 50 minute sessions: $240
Military Members, RCMP Welcome
Billing is direct to VAC, CAF
This may include spouses and children of military members as well.
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) Group Skills
Next Group starts April 30, 2025
DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) teaches coping and resiliency skills through modules that include mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotional regulation and effective communication. Using what we know about the biology of the brain (and the fight or flight response), we can learn to identify triggers, body responses and the urges that create behaviour that can be destructive to ourselves and others. DBT Skills allow us to deconstruct how we think, learning ways to know and manage ourselves on another, more productive level.
DBT was designed for people who have mood or personality disorders but has shown to be an effective therapy for many types of ‘high emotional dysregulation’ including anger management, ADHD, OCD, acute stress, anxiety, or depression, post-partum depression, pre-menstrual dysmorphic disorder, pain management, addictions, or major life transitions. These are take-away skills you will have for life.
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The $1200 price for the group (billed in $100 weekly increments) includes 12 X 90-minute online sessions, an online manual, and weekly PowerPoint presentations, complete with even more resources to help you expand your practice of the exercises. This psycho-educational small group is online only (via the healthcare-protected business Zoom platform). If you can’t make the session, make-up audio recordings (up to 4 during the 12-week group) are available.
Participants must complete one individual session (individual sessions are $220), not included in the price of the group before the group starts. Receipts are issued under ‘psychological services’ after each attended session. if you have benefits or Blue Cross that cover psychological services, these receipts are generally accepted, but please check with your insurer if that is important.
12-week groups are ongoing. These are held online and have bi-monthly start dates. Please note that one individual session is required before group to assess for suitability and readiness to participate.
$1200 / 12 weeks X 90 mins
CONTACT
We don't have to be whipped around by our emotions, we can control our in-the-moment behaviours, moderate our responses (whether we lash out, or reach for unhealthy instant gratification self-soothe habits), and develop better ways to communicate the intensity of big emotions.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Please contact me by email or by text for an intake package.
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Please note that I am registered in Alberta, Ontario and Nova Scotia (and may see people online in all Atlantic provinces).
Registered receipts are available and may be reimbursed depending on your coverage: please check with your insurance provider.
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ON 902-809-7792
AB 403-619-1503
NS, NB, PE and NFLD/Labrador 902-809-7792
FAX: 613-691-7729