What are your professional credentials?

I hold a Masters of Arts degree in Counselling Psychology and am a member of both the British Columbia Association of Clinical Counsellors (#2360) and the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (#1225).

What goes on in the first appointment?

Our first meeting is a chance for you to tell me something about yourself and what has prompted you to seek help. It also provides an opportunity to find out more about how I work, ask questions, and for us to get a sense of whether we could work together. If at the initial appointment we decide to continue meeting, we would also discuss fees and scheduling.

What kinds of problems do you deal with?

Have a look at my Areas of Practice Web Page for a list. I find that underlying most problems there are about four basic questions that people grapple with: how to be oneself, how to love and get along comfortably with people, how to enjoy life and how to be self-aware. Working on problems in one area can facilitate change in all four.

What is the difference between counselling, therapy and psychotherapy?

On my web site, I use the terms therapy and psychotherapy interchangeably. Elsewhere, you may find that the word therapy is used after a descriptor, such as psychodynamic therapy or group therapy.

There isn’t a hard line between counselling and psychotherapy. Generally, psychotherapy involves more in-depth work for longer-standing problems.

What is a therapeutic alliance and why is it important?

A therapeutic alliance between you and me would be the basis for our work together. I define it as a type of relationship in which I would do my best to attune myself to you and understand your concerns so that you would feel taken seriously, and safe enough, to express your authentic thoughts and feelings. I would be for you. A lot has been written about the link between a strong therapeutic alliance and positive results in therapy, and this is common sense: we are en-couraged to stop, and to face our problems, when there is someone standing in solidarity with us.

How often would we meet?

Especially in the beginning, people tend to come once per week or once every two weeks. After that it depends upon the stage and nature of the work and your own rhythm. Some people prefer to work intensively for awhile, stop, and return to do more work later on.  Others make ‘stand-alone’ appointments from time to time when there is an issue they would like to discuss with someone outside their personal circle.  Factors affecting frequency may include finances, daycare, your work schedule and willingness to engage in the process of therapy.

How long does counselling or psychotherapy take?

The short answer is that it takes as long as it takes, and generally it would be you who decides when we’re done. Length of time will vary from person to person and can depend on factors such as the types of problems to be worked on and how recent or longstanding they are, frequency of sessions, finances, other external circumstances and commitment to the work. Generally, the more longstanding the problem, the more time a person may need in order to feel that they are ‘out of the woods’.