about me

My curiosity has always led me to question how we all live, from the inside out. The very creative and adaptive ways we learn to survive has fascinated and inspired me from my very early beginnings. My love of nature, my need for beauty, and my fascination with our inner lives have led me towards working with people, making art and spending time with animals and in the natural world. These are the landscapes of my life.

After receiving a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature from McGill University in 1991, I worked for several years in Toronto’s group homes, and supportive housing programs inhabited by people with chronic mental health struggles, profound histories of abuse and trauma, addiction, and chronic illnesses including HIV/AIDS. I understand how structural violence, economic pressures, stigma and discrimination actively and profoundly affect mental health and choke opportunities for growth and change. I carry this knowledge with me both personally and professionally. My years of working in these contexts moved me towards the relational world of therapy which creates a small personal opening for health and transformation. To learn more I pursued a Master’s degree in Counselling Psychology from OISE/University of Toronto, and my learning has continued over the years with workshops and various trainings in: trauma treatment, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, Emotionally Focused Therapy for Couples,  Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, EMDR and Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Intimacy from the Inside Out (IFIO) among other therapy modalities and approaches.

I still feel drawn by our shared human courage, creativity and resilience in the face of terrible terrifying struggle. I remain humbled and honored by the trust people place in sharing their innermost selves with me as we work together to create change within the walls of therapy and out in the world.