photo by Michaela Baer
Making space for all parts of you
I strongly believe that we contain multitudes, and that we hold within us constellations of different parts of us that make up who we are and how we move through the world.
Sometimes, though, we may have been asked, required, or forced to squish, hide, contort, or silence some of those parts. This may be because they do not fit common expectations about how “we are supposed to be”, especially if we do not fit normative expectations around gender, sexuality, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, neurotype, class, ability, and/or citizenship.
Other parts of us may have taken on the jobs of protecting us in the best ways they know how. However, those parts may be feeling tired and may be craving a desire for being in your life in more aligned and affirming ways.
Together, we can be curious to explore your different parts, the roles they play in your life, and how those came to be. We can also hold compassion for them all, befriending them, and inviting them into different ways of being.
art by Frizzkid; photo by Michaela Baer
Trauma-Informed
I have worked with people who have experienced and/or continue to experience ongoing trauma, oppression, and harm, including experiences of sexual assault, childhood abuse, death and loss, queerphobia, homophobia, transphobia, colonization, racism, ableism, classism, and xenophobia.
I believe we all find ways of holding onto ourselves, and coping through in the wake of these experiences.
In our work together in counselling, we can explore the ways that you have been and are impacted by oppression and trauma. We can also explore the ways you have found to survive and continue on through those experiences.
I believe we are resilient and that we hold immense capacities for healing, growth, and transformation. In counselling, we can work together to build space for (re)discovering your strengths, your innate power, and your inner wisdom that may have been dampened by experiences of oppression and trauma.
Collaborative
I see my role in the counselling relationship as being alongside you in this part of your life’s journey, moving at the pace and in the directions that feel right for you. My hope is that, together, we can create compassionate and brave spaces for you to be able to get to know yourself and your world more.
In my part of the counselling relationship, I strive to be warm, genuine, and open. I also believe an important part of being collaborative is being authentic and transparent, and remembering that we are two humans building a counselling relationship together.
photo by Michaela Baer
My Counselling approaches are informed by:
Internal Family Systems
Trauma-Informed Practice
Anti-oppressive Theory and Practice
Collaborative approaches
Feminist theories
Queer theories
Anti-racist theories