ABOUT ME
Hi - I'm Michelle (she/her). I am a settler of Irish/Scottish/English descent. I was born and raised in Toronto and have also lived in Montreal and Vancouver. I am very fortunate and grateful to live and practice for the past 15 years as an uninvited guest on the traditional and unceded territory of the Snuneymuxw First Nation in Nanaimo, BC.
I did my Master's in Counselling Psychology through Adler University in Vancouver, graduating in 2003. Like many therapists, I was drawn to this field through my own experiences of feeling stuck in patterns that weren't working, and my own experiences of healing. I am deeply invested in continuing to learn and grow so that I can be effective for my clients. I have experience supporting children, youth and adults with issues of anxiety, trauma, depression, grief and life transitions.
Here are some of the threads that inform how I see people and the challenges we may face in life:
We have human minds that try to keep us safe but can be limiting, often scanning for what might go wrong instead of imagining what could go right.
We inhabit human bodies with sensitive and complex nervous systems, beautifully designed for survival.
We are born into family systems where we develop patterns of connection, protection and stories about ourselves and how to feel safe or find belonging.
We may have had overwhelming or difficult experiences that have put our mind and body into a kind of “protective mode” that once helped us survive but may now hold us back from fully living.
We experience the pain of loss and the ache of change.
We are also shaped by the larger systems we live within—systems that can include oppression, cultural messages, and societal expectations. These forces can deeply influence how safe we feel, what we believe about ourselves, and the options we see as available to us.
And… we have great capacities for awareness, connection, resilience, and growth. I have had the privilege of witnessing this over and over in my work.
In therapy, I hold space for the full complexity of your experience—how your mind, body, relationships, and context all interact. Together, we may cultivate awareness and choice, so that old protective strategies can make room for more freedom and connection.
I tailor my approach to suit the needs of each client. Contact me for a free 20 min phone or virtual consultation to find out if we are a good fit to work together.
EDUCATION and tRAINING
EDUCATION
Adler University, Vancouver, BC campus Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology 2003
York University, Toronto, Ontario Bachelor of Arts, majoring in English 1992
ADVANCED TRAINING and CERTIFICATES
- Facilitator for Bringing the Body into Practice training, 2023 to present
- 2 year BBP Somatic Attachment Certificate, Victoria, BC - completed Oct 2021
- Bringing the Body into Practice Somatic Attachment Advanced Practice - completed Nov 2022
- U of T: Foundations of Cybercounselling with Lawrence Murphy (online) Sept 2020
- Mindful Self-Compassion 2-day Core Skills training with Kristen Neff and Christopher Germer, Vancouver, BC April 2019
- Emotion Focused Family Therapy (EFFT), completed introductory training Feb 2019.
- Connect Parent program, Certified Parent Group Leader June 2018.
- San’yas Indigenous Cultural Safety Training - Core July 2016, Advanced March 2017
- Trauma-Focused CBT (TF-CBT) Certificate, completed March 2015
- Recognizing and Responding to Suicide Risk (RRSR), June 3 & 4, 2014
- Interpersonal Therapy for Adolescents (IPT-A) Certificate, completed Nov 2010
- CBT for Anxiety Certificate, completed March 2008
- Aboriginal Cultural Sensitivity Training, Tsawwassen, BC – 5 day intensive training, Sept 2007
Ongoing professional development also includes various workshops, conferences and online trainings. Topics include: Play Therapy (detailed list available by request), Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation (Generation Q conference), Trauma Informed Practice, Non-Violent Crisis Intervention, Threat Assessment, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, Motivational Interviewing.
A designation of the BC Clinical Counsellors Association. Member in good standing since 2004.
