Whatever they are, our stories—and the ways we tell them—can make a difference.
Seeking a counsellor can be a daunting undertaking. Sometimes, it’s welcome to know what a prospective counsellor is familiar with, what ethics and values they align with (both in and external to therapeutic practice), and what their therapeutic approach or ethos is.
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I live and work on unceded and stolen land in so-called “Canada”. In 2020, my spouse and I moved from where I was born on Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Watuth unceded traditional territories to Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc, Secwépemcúl’ecw and Nłeʔkepmx Tmíxʷ (Nlaka’pamux) land. I currently live in a multi-generational matriarchal house with my spouse and family-in-law.
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I am a white settler with English, Scottish, and unknown ancestry. I am queer (of dyke experience) and do not have strong allegiances to gender. I hold multiple mostly-invisible disabilities, chronic illnesses, and neurodivergences.
My ethics and politics are in opposition to clinical professionalism and institutionalism. I value integrity and connections to each other and to the land.
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I tend to match the tone and pace of whomever I am speaking with, to the best of my ability. I tend to be expressive, informal, low-filtered, and appreciate metaphors, non-malicious sarcasm and morbid humour, references to books, shows, movies, comics, and most modalities of storytelling.
What shapes my work?
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My approach is closely aligned with and informed by Narrative Therapy, because narrative practice encourages counsellors and community members to:
Center respect, dignity, collaboration, and consent;
Understand and honour that problems are separate from people;
Recognize and account for the broader social and cultural contexts in which problems might arise and be sustained;
Refuse to partake in blaming people for problems they are in relationship with and/or experiencing;
Center each person as an expert in their own life;
Recognize and honour that each person has particular skills, values, practices, and abilities that can help renegotiate their relationship with the problems in their lives;
Recognize that the role of the counsellor is to offer their particular values, skills, and practices in collaboration with (and service to) the client in the re-negotiating and re-storying process in ways that are most valuable to the client;
Respect storytelling rights (i.e., what is the story being told? Who gets to tell the story and with what authority? Whom might this story benefit and to what end?)
My approach is also closely aligned with and informed by abolition work, anti-capitalist work, and resistance to and rejection of the colonial state, which dovetails nicely with much of Narrative practice.
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Some of the more salient lived experiences that influence my relationships and work include (but are not limited to):
Nuts-and-bolts pedagogy (learning and teaching based on critical thinking, not aligned with institutional ideas of education);
Experience in and near disordered eating, neurodivergence, genderfuckery, service provision, writing, gender based violence, growing food and flowers, re-writing individualism, community work towards dismantling the colonial project, construction (theory and carpentry), dance, and other creative and domestic arts;
Working alongside and being in relationship with people of refugee experience, people who transition socially and medically within and across genders, and people who align with collectivist cultures.
Queerness
Curiosity, fluidity, and creativity in navigating and challenging the status quo and social norms.
Aligned with nonmonogamy, kink/BDSM, and sex work
Stories and Metaphors
I draw a lot of lessons and references from books, movies, and other storytelling platforms - let’s chat about this!
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EDUCATION
Masters of Narrative Therapy and Community Work
University of Melbourne (The Dulwich Centre)Foundations of Narrative Therapy
Vancouver School of Narrative TherapyB.A. English & Linguistics
Simon Fraser UniversitySpeech Science Certificate
Simon Fraser UniversityTeaching English as a Second [Additional] Language Certificate
Simon Fraser UniversityCERTIFICATION
Awaiting Registered Therapeutic Counsellor Certification (ETA pending)
Association of Cooperative Counselling Therapists of Canada -
Co-Founder, Narrative Practitioner
Groundfire Counselling & Community WorkFounder, Narrative Practitioner
Stone Fruit Therapeutic Counselling & FacilitationEmployment Facilitator; Learning & Development
Open Door Group (WorkBC Delivery Partner), Douglas CollegePracticum Counselling Therapist
Expressive Wellness / Collective HealingEAL Settlement Language Instructor
SUCCESS Immigration and Settlement
There is no single right way for conversations to go. There is no single right way to heal or learn or grow or thrive. There is no way for you to fail at counselling/therapy/healing.