Counselling Individuals, Youth, and Families

H.D. Thoreau once wrote, “It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see”.

No matter how secure or well-adjusted we may be, we all at one point or another need attention listen to - to be seen and to be heard and/or assistance with resolving challenges, help setting priorities and clarity with goals setting.

Being listened to has multiple purposes, such as conveying information and nourishing our sense of individual or collective worth. Therapeutic listening goes a step further; it bears witness to another’s experience. In this process of listening and sharing our experiences, we also coauthor our story. Further, our experience is recognized and validated and we have the foundation for changing what needs to be changed or to improving what needs to be improved.

Defining the goals of your counselling and/or choosing a therapeutic modality is your right and your choice. Thus, the goals established in our dialogue and during our collaborative interactions will help you stay focused on what is important to you.

As a clinical counsellor I can help you in addressing many situations that cause emotional stress, including, but not limited to:

• anxieties

• depression

• stress

• anger management

• panic and obsessive/compulsive behaviors

• family and relationship issues

• psych education

• substance abuse and other addictions

• sexual abuse

• violence in relationship (domestic violence)

• weight issues-relationship with food

• career change and job stress

• work-place bullying

• conflict resolution

• communication skills/assertiveness

• gender and sexuality issues

• social and emotional difficulties related to disability and illness

• feeling of isolation and lack of belonging to your living/social environment

• attachment issues

• adopting to life transitions

• grief and loss

• other mental and emotional problems and disorders

I have significant experience in working with children and youth dealing with a variety of anxieties, historical and current traumatic experiences such as abuse (physical, emotional, sexual) and bullying in schools. The children I work with exhibit overall challenging behaviours that isolated them from their peers, families and academic and social environments. When working with children, in more cases than not, including family members in the counselling process is a preferable and often necessary step for the completion of treatment. However, if youth chose not to include their family members in the therapeutic process, their wish will be respected. Also, parent-teen conflicts, violence in young people’s relationships, suicidal ideations and an overall sense of inadequacy, the feeling of not belonging to their environment and consequent social isolation are areas where my experience, creativity, sensitivity, nurturance and skill set may be of great help. My ongoing inspiration and love for my work comes from my commitment to the well-being of children and adolescents (youth). I take pride in their achievements, celebrating with their families, and I assist them in connecting with their power within, the power that connects us all. 

The goal of working with families (family therapy) is to bring parents and children together and assist them in transforming their interactions and helping them to reconnect. At times, we are all stuck, and our vision becomes clouded with the inability to see the roles we play or our own participation in the problem. We are often unaware of how our own patterns, those that once worked very well, are no longer serving us well. In fact, they are preventing us from enjoying life and sharing our gifts of life with the people we love the most.

My experience in working families includes but it is not limited to:

• separations (parent-child separation due to variety of reason such as divorce, work or army service over sees, older siblings leaving home etc.)

• parental alienation

• violence in the home

• parental or a child’s addictions

• multigenerational family conflict

• family transitions; children leaving home, sudden illness, multiple moves

• family trauma

• loss of a family member

• social discrimination

• parenting exceptional children

• blended family parenting difficulties

• balancing work, personal needs and parenting responsibilities

• parenting children with significant medical and/or emotional needs

• parenting under the stress of settlement in a new society

For more detailed information, please refer to the Question and Answers (Q & A) section.

Groups and workshops listed below are scheduled based on interest and are not limited to the subjects below. Workshops are usually held at local schools or community centers in early Spring and Fall while Group Therapy is held at one of my practice locations. Workshops are free of charge, though donations of non-perishable food or cheques directed to the Vancouver Food Bank are welcome.

There is a charge for Group Therapy, and it will depend on the size of the group. In addition, people expressing interest in individual/child/family counselling and/or making a referral after either one of the below mentioned events will receive 30% discounted rates. Examples of group therapy include:

• Parenting Under the Stress of Settlement

• Positive Parenting Across Cultures

• Anxiety and Parental Expectations

For scheduling and other questions, please contact me directly.