I began my journey as a Marriage and Family Therapist over 24 years ago. Working in private practice since 2005, I bring years of experience and genuine supportive care to empower my clients as they move towards improved well being. I support a diverse range of clients which includes individual, couples, and family dynamics. Often in life, we can get stuck on our journey, the unexpected happens, and we need somebody we can trust to guide us along our path. I deeply respect and value my client’s life stories and use my skills to navigate the tools and frameworks that will best suit their unique needs.

I work with a diverse population including various cultures, belief systems, gender identity, and sexual orientation. This includes the 2SLGBTQA+ community.

Couples work may focus on many areas such as communication, conflict resolution, mindfulness, life adjustments, intimacy concerns (both non-sexual and sexual), expectations, boundaries, infertility, substance use/abuse, betrayals/affairs, and separation/divorce. This can include a variety of relationship dynamics (monogamy, ethical non-monogamy, polyamory). Therapy often focuses on shifting away from assumptions and unhealthy communication patterns to create connection and an understanding of needs.

Family therapy may focus on family stressors in general, parenting, the impact of separation/divorce on the family system/children/adolescents, co-operative parenting in blended families, family conflict and communication, general adolescent problems, sibling problems, substance use/abuse, and grief/loss.

Some areas of individual work may include navigating anxiety, depression, various mental health struggles, life transitions/adjustments, stress management, grief/loss, estrangement, singlehood, gender identity, sexual orientation, and mindfulness.

With an integrative systemic lens, I favour frameworks and/or tools from Family Systems Therapy, Structural Family Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Mindfulness Based CBT, Solution Focused Therapy, EFT, Sex Therapy and Gottman tools.

I earned my Bachelor of Science with Honours in Psychology from Saint Mary’s University in 1999. I then obtained a Master’s of Science in Marriage and Family Therapy(from an AAMFT approved program) at The University of New Hampshire in 2002. I hold Professional Clinical Membership with The American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT.org), The American Family Therapy Academy (AFTA.org), and The Canadian Association for Couple and Family Therapy (CACFT.ca). With a high regard for ethics and standards I have worked in a variety of settings such as outpatient community mental health, hospital and home based family mental health, and have instructed court mandated seminars on the impact of separation/divorce on children and adolescents. I also have taught several courses at Saint Mary’s University (Department of Psychology) and Dalhousie University (Department of Social Work).

I am committed to an approach whereby individual growth and development is best understood and promoted within the context of family and community relationships.