About Me
I completed my Master of Counselling degree at City University, where I developed a person-centred approach to working with clients—each client’s specific goals, needs, and experiences remain central to the therapeutic process. Additionally, I have completed the training for becoming a Certified Dance Movement Therapist (DMT) through the National Centre for Dance Therapy in Montreal. I am currently accruing the final hours of clinical supervision required to complete this credential.
In addition to this formal training, I bring to my counselling over a decade of therapeutic work with individuals and groups. For example, I’ve worked in schools as a developmental aid, teaching emotional regulation, and facilitating play therapy. I have also worked with children and their families during after school care, supporting parents to aid in the healthy development of their children. I have worked with various artist groups and communities, facilitating creative group process using Dance Movement Therapy and authentic movement principles.
The human body is not an instrument to be used, but a realm of one’s being to be experienced.
Thomas Hanna
Finally, my work as a therapist is deeply informed by my own experiences of trauma and healing. The most pivotal of these took place when I was hit by a car while riding my bicycle. The physical trauma and severe concussion debilitated me for years following. During this time, I lived in fear—I felt meek and afraid both physically and emotionally. It was challenging to communicate, and I often felt confused. I felt stuck inside my body, while simultaneously completely disconnected from it. Long after my body was no longer in physical danger, my mind continued to feel in danger, the hallmark of trauma.
During my own healing process from this trauma, I was introduced to gentle forms of dance as a means of regaining connection with my body. In this way, dance—something I had loved since I was a child—became a platform for me to process and re-develop my mind/body connection. During this process, I learned in a deeply embodied way that in order to heal from trauma the mind and body both must heal, not just from the physical wounds, but from the trauma experience held in the body. These are lessons I have learned again and again throughout my training as a therapist. The profound healing I experienced during my own recovery, as I worked with a Dance Movement Therapist, set in motion the journey to become one myself.
My discovery of Dance Movement Therapy has allowed me to turn my greatest passion in life, dance, into a gift I can share with others. Through movement we can connect with our bodies, heal from traumas, embrace our autonomy, freedom, and sense of joy. These are the gifts I hope to bring my clients, helping them heal and become their most authentic versions of themselves as they journey through their lives.