Therapy and Counselling Services in Victoria BC

• Anxiety/Panic/Phobias
• Posttraumatic Stress
• Depression/Mood disturbance
• Grief and Loss
• Acute crises
• Work place stress/Performance anxiety
• Adjusting to change/Life transitions
• Lack of confidence/Low self-esteem
• Conflict resolution skills/Anger management
• Relationship dilemmas/Marital problems
• Communication problems
• Life purpose and meaning/Inner guidance
• Obsessive compulsive problems
• Adoption issues
• Separation planning to help kids cope
• Blended family issues
• Unresolved family-of-origin issues
• Sexual abuse
• Stress-related physical symptoms
• Chronic pain
• Performance enhancement

My approach in therapy is non-pathologizing, empowering, and collaborative. This means I view my clients as having a problem rather than being this problem and I look for solutions within them. This may mean finding the roots of the problem, the place where your own growth potential got stuck. It may mean we expand your perceptions and skills so that you can manage problems in the way you'd like. I draw on many different therapy modalities (see green box at right) but generally my approach would be described as psychodynamic, experiential, and collaborative. If, on the other hand, you just want some advice, we can do that too. Your input and preferences are as important as my opinions. See below under consultation.

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Clinical Screening Assessment
I will usually do a clinical screening assessment to clarify a diagnosis for someone seeking therapy. Most often this means we'll work through a 20 minute symptom inventory in the second appointment, or I'll give you a longer inventory to complete at home. The purpose is not to label or pathologize you but to find out how severe your difficulties are so I can more accurately estimate how long therapy will take. I also want to make sure I have not overlooked something important. The fees are minimal since I only bill for the time it takes me to score and analyze the results. I will always give you feedback about the results. We can then talk about the different kinds of therapy found to be effective for that particular problem. Some clients know what kind of therapy they want, others like to try several methods.

Consultation
This is usually short-term work in which I give you the best advice I have to help you deal with a common stressor, such as bereavement, separation, empty nest, blended family, workplace stress. Consultation often merges with skill building therapy such as assertiveness training. It's a practical form of therapy that aims to expand your knowledge and skills. Clients typically leave my office with typed summaries of new skills.

Examples:

• I've never learned how to express a disagreement properly.

• How can I prepare my kids for our upcoming marital separation?

• My spouse died a year ago. I feel bad about liking/loving someone else.

• My life doesn't have much meaning now that my kids have gone.

• I need my job but I have the boss from hell.

Diagnosis Dictionary
If you would like to learn more, Psychology Today has a useful diagnosis dictionary that lists symptoms, causes, and treatments for an extensive list of problems.