Counselling and Therapy
My Approach
I am an integrative therapist meaning I draw from different therapeutic models adapting my approach to best meet your needs. This includes elements of humanistic, existential, psychodynamic and cognitive behavioural therapy.
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I take a polyvagal informed approach, meaning I incorporate creating an awareness of how trauma, our early life experience and relationships with our caregivers shapes our developing nervous system impacting how we experience ourselves, others and the world. If our nervous system is chronically dysregulated, we may be living predominately from a nervous system state of survival (fight or flight, freeze or shutdown) impacting our mental and physical health. Using this approach, I will guide you in mapping your nervous system states, understanding your triggers and help you develop resources and tools for self-regulation. I intend to help you feel more empowered by befriending and understanding your nervous system and help you shape it towards safety and connection.
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The current medical system does not take into consideration the interconnectedness of the different parts of the mind-body system. An example of this is taking only a cognitive approach towards chronic anxiety or only a physical approach for chronic tension in the body and for some people it may help, however if the root cause is deeper, it will not make much difference.
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If the root cause of our symptoms stems from nervous system dysregulation and unresolved trauma it is necessary to take a bottom-up (body to brain) and top-down (brain to body) approach. In the bottom-up approach we work with the body to develop interoceptive awareness increasing our ability to sense accurately, understand and feel our bodily signals, sensations and emotions and use somatic tools and resources to develop regulation and rewire our stress responses. In the top-down approach we explore thought patterns, beliefs systems and one's internal narrative that may be contributing to and causing dysregulation and develop new ways of thinking. This unique holistic approach is key in rewiring the nervous system towards regulation and in increasing one’s capacity for self-healing. Click here to learn more about nervous system regulation in my beginners guide.
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Areas of expertise
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General anxiety, social anxiety and panic attacks
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Hypervigilance and feeling on edge
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Restlessness and irritability
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Emotional overwhelm
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Increased sensitivity to other people’s emotions and your environment
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People pleasing to the detriment of yourself
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Low self-esteem and low self-worth
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Struggle with self-criticism and self-blame
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Depression and feeling hopeless
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Dissociation and feeling numb
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Addictions and addictive behaviours
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Chronic dysregulation increases the likelihood of illness and influences the functions in the body such as the immune, digestive, endocrine, muscular skeletal and cardiac systems and can contribute to the below symptoms:
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Chronic pain, aches, muscle tension and tension headaches
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TMJ, tense jaw and teeth clenching/grinding
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Digestive issues such as IBS, pain, constipation, bloating and diarrhoea
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Autoimmune issues such as arthritis and psoriasis
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Chronic Inflammation
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Chronic fatigue and burn out
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Sleep disturbances and insomnia
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Racing heart and heart palpitations
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Shallow chest breathing
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Increased startle reflex
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Unexplained health problems