Emotion-focused therapy was the modality I was first drawn to in my graduate training, and informed my initial post-graduate training choices. Some of the main trainings I completed are:

EFT for Couples Therapy Externship, Vancouver Couples and Family Institute

Intro to Emotionally Focused Therapy with Couples, Vancouver Couples and Family Institute

Emotion Focused Therapy for Individuals, Level I and II, Vancouver Couples and Family Institute

I find my foundation in emotion-focused therapy supports my deeper work in the somatic attachment realm.

I completed a two-year intensive somatic attachment psychotherapy training program with Lisa Mortimore (PhD) and Stacy Adam Jensen (MEd) in 2023, and joined their training team as a facilitator in 2024. This modality is described as the “reparation of early attachment injuries through a framework that weaves together: attachment theory, trauma studies, affect regulation, interpersonal neurobiology, interpersonal/relational psychoanalytic practice, somatic psychotherapy, and deepening connections to the sentient world” (https://bringingthebody.ca/)

I also trained with Stacy Adam Jensen on Chronic Shame in Clinical Practice in 2024, deepening my capacity for working with disassociation, dysregulation, and dysfunctional relationships to self- and others.

I resonate with the concept that we develop protective ‘parts’ within ourselves in response to traumatic or wounding experiences. Sometimes, these protective parts are the source of experiences we no longer want to have. In reading a series of books, manuals, and taking some workshop-style trainings on Internal Family Systems, I have found ways to integrate the language of parts into my practice, and can weave it into our work where it feels resonant.

Notable workshops I’ve taken through the IFSCA are:

Polyvagal IFS: Exploring the Relational Intelligence Model (Francois Le Doze)

What IFS Therapists Should Know About Trauma (Janine Fischer)

Firefighters & Addiction (Bob Falconer)

Resourcing From Source - Bringing More Self to your Life and Work (Loch Kelly)

IFIO-informed EFT Workshop (Liz Phillips)

IFS/IFIO Treatment Methods for Sexual Trauma in Couples (Dr. Nancy Wonder, PhD)

My first job as a therapist was with a sex therapy clinic (2020-2023), where I was able to learn from in-service programming, workshops, my colleagues and plentiful online resources - I also completed three significant trainings during that time:

Intensive Sex Therapy Training Program, University of Guelph

Sex Therapy Certificate, The Buehler Institute

The Sexually Competent Therapist, Allura Sex Therapy Centre

I have also completed a Sexual Attitude Reassessment training, meeting all of the course requirements for AASECT certification - I chose to not pursue sex therapy specifically, but my chapter in the sex therapy world and the training/education I received during this time has allowed me to work with clients more deeply re: intimacy, desire, pleasure, consent, boundaries, sexual dysfunction and pain, and with folks exploring kink/fetish/BDSM and non-monogamy.

I started seeing couples during my practicum internship at The Adler Centre. I went on to train with the Vancouver Couples and Family Institute between 2020 - 2022 (see: emotion-focused therapy), which laid the foundation for my relationship work. My sex therapy training also included significant training on working with couples, particularly with desire discrepancy, expanding intimacy, and sexual communication. I also weave in IFIO (Intimacy from the Inside Out), supported by my learnings in the world of Internal Family Systems, which prioritizes vulnerability in the dyad dynamic.

My work with dyads (partners, friends, siblings etc) focuses on deepening your shared understanding of each other, safely communicating from more honest & vulnerable places, and allowing space to name hurt & harm in order to facilitate movement towards repair. 

“The Weight of Oppression” - Dawn Serra, Tend & Cultivate Counselling

“Introduction to Psychedellics” - Numinus

San’yas Indigenous Cultural Safety Program

“Trauma Informed Clinical Strategies for Equity, Inclusivity, and Client Empowerment” - PESI

“Being a Therapist in 2024: Carving out a space to pause in a rapidly changing world” - Conference, Edge of the Couch