You set the pace, you own what feels good and what may not be working for you. Choice is a core tenant of my work. It is important that at every moment you feel as though you have choice: choice to continue, choice to pause, choice to switch gears altogether. It is your healing journey, I am simply along for the ride helping with directions, bringing emotional sustenance, and ensuring that the tank is full.

Rant, cry, swear. Lay down the sward of “I know I shouldn't think of it that way” or “I have no right to be angry”. You’re allowed to move through whatever comes up without being "should’ed" all over. You’re allowed to swear with such vigor and rapidity that my hair visibly blows back as you speak.

There isn’t a thought or experience you could bring forward that would not be held with compassion or understanding. Sessions are your space to freely express, knowing you are deeply and thoroughly held in safety. I take fostering and maintaining safety in the therapeutic relationship immensely serious, as it is the core of my person-centred therapeutic process. It is and always will be the foundation on which Allora Counselling sessions are built.

I work heavily with externalization. It provides client's space between themselves and internal parts that are imposing on their relationship with their external reality. Think: the inner critic, anger, sadness...We go so far as to name, visualize, and personify the relevant part(s). For example, does your internal voice feel like a never-satisfied Karen? Does it feel like a Regina George? A George Costansa? Whatever feels true to you is worked with and incorporated.

Humour provides us space to reflect on the ironies and existential absurdities of life. It allows us to mine emotional Bitcoin out of our darkest moments. I firmly believe that laughter is medicine, not the Barkley’s kind. It’s the strawberry and banana penicillin you get when you’re a kid: pure deliciousness found in the most troubling times.

Don’t let the humour of my writing disarm you from the core of my work: I studied and practiced diligently to ensure that I am equipped to be of the highest service to my clients. Having achieved academic excellence throughout my studies (from my previous bachelors of arts to my counselling diploma) you can rest assured that I have spent extensive time with my nose to the grindstone honing my passion for fulfilling the role of an informed mental healthcare professional. To date, I maintain my learnings through extensive research, continued education, and formal supervision. Maintaining and growing my skillset in the name of my clients is a permanent and ever-present focus in my practice.