Counselling: I charge $200 for 55 minutes for individual adults, children, and teens and $210 for 55 minutes for couples and families. The Psychological Association of Alberta currently recommends Registered Psychologists charge $220 per session for individuals, couples, and families in 2023.
At the end of our meeting, I will give you a receipt with my license number on it for reimbursement from your benefit plan. Counselling fees are wholly or partially covered by most health insurance plans.
Couple’s Counselling Retreats: I charge $1999 for 10 hour and $2998.50 for 15 hour retreats.
Coaching: I charge $200 for 55 minutes for individual coaching sessions.
Please contact me in regards to group coaching.
Solution-Focused Therapy
“The answers you get depend upon the questions you ask.” ~ Thomas Kuhn
Solution-focused therapy does what its name implies—it focuses on solutions rather than problems. Focusing on solutions helps people move on with their lives and feel better versus focusing on identifying dysfunction, deficits, and weaknesses as other kinds of therapy often do. Because of the emphasis on solutions, people often find they have to spend less time in counselling than in more traditional kinds of therapy.Solution-focused therapy helps people figure out what they want to have in their lives instead of the problem, helps people feel hopeful and motivated to continuing making changes, and helps people build on success.It’s much more than just thinking positively. Problems don’t happen 24/7 even when the problem is something very serious. There are times when the problem seems less severe. I help you figure out what’s happening when the problem isn’t around or is less intense and assist you in making more of that happen. I collaborate with you to find other things to do that may be helpful. Because these small successes come from you, it’s easier to implement versus learning a whole new bunch of steps imposed by someone else. That means there’s no one “right way” to move beyond troubles because different solutions work for different people.
Solution-focused therapy is about finding solutions to your troubles that work for you in a meaningful and rich way. It’s about appreciating and building on your competence, and doing some things differently. It’s about creating a vivid picture of what you want in your life, figuring out what you need to do in order to get it, and supporting you in making the changes you want to make. People who have experienced solution-focused therapy often feel more hopeful and motivated to continue building on what works.
“We are continually faced by great opportunities brilliantly disguised as insoluble problems.”
~ Mark Twain
“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Professional Background
Current:
Working in the helping profession for over 20 years
Registered Psychologist
Past:
Assistant professor in Child Assessment (ability and achievement tests)
Family Counsellor in a Community Mental Health Clinic
Master’s of Arts in Counselling Psychology
Family School Liaison Worker
Child Welfare Worker
Family Youth Counsellor in a Group Home
Bachelor of Science in Family Studies
Professional highlights:
Supervised Master of Psychology Student practicums
Supervised Master’s in Psychology students completing ability and achievement assessments (psycho-educational assessments)
Supervised and chaired the Bow Valley Prevention and Early Intervention Drug and Alcohol Program
Created the Banff Mentoring Program as well as trained mentors and supervised them
Chaired the Society Against Family Violence Committee
Created and supervised a number of programs including the Banff Elementary School Peer Support Program
Facilitated parent, teacher and community workshops regarding topics such as discipline, child abuse, body image, and bullying
Facilitated children’s psycho-educational groups regarding social skills, bullying, divorce, and organizational skills
Member of the Rural North Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation Diversity Committee
Professional Development:
Professional development has always been important to me. Beyond my undergraduate and graduate degrees, I’ve continued my professional journey to continually improve my skills and expand my service offering. Some highlights include:
General:
Improving Treatment through Proper Diagnosis
Best Practices in Record Keeping and Informed Consent
Couple’s and Family Therapy
Gottman Couple’s Therapy Training Levels 1, 2, and 3
Mental health interventions with Separated and Divorcing Families
Trauma Training
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR)
Critical Incident Stress Management Certificate
Sensorimotor psychotherapy level 1
Trauma and PTSD in First Responder Populations
Treating Trauma Master Series
Gender identity and Sexual Orientation:
Working with Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Trans-identified People Training
Same Sex Domestic Violence Training
Hynotherapy
Basic introduction to clinical hypnosis
Hypnosis for trauma therapy
Hypnosis and Depression
Advanced skills in Ericksonian hypnotherapy
Play Therapy:
Foundations of Play Therapy
Treatment of Trauma with Children using Play Therapy
Psycho-educational Assessment:
Behavioral Assessment Scale for Children-2 training
Advanced WISC-IV Interpretation training
Wescler Intelligence Scale for Children-IV (WISC-IV) training
Best Practices in Assessment Training
Life and Executive Coaching:
The Art and Science of Business and Life Coaching Program (accredited program with the International Coaches Federation)
Professional Memberships
Licensed through the College of Alberta Psychologists
Member of the Psychological Association of Alberta
Member of the Canadian Federation of Clinical Hypnosis
Past Member of the Rocky Mountain Brief Therapy Institute
