Counselling, Teaching, and Practice Experience
I currently operate a private counselling practice in the downtown Victoria area that I started in 2007. Since 2009, I have been a Sessional Instructor with the School of Child and Youth Care at the University of Victoria where I have taught Family Practice theory and counselling courses, the Substance Use Prevention and Treatment course, and Individual Counselling courses. As of the summer of 2016, I also teach the Psychology of Human Development and Sexuality at City University.
Up until the beginning of 2012 much of my work was in the non-profit sector where I accumulated varied work experiences since 1994. Beginning in 2004, I worked as a Youth and Family Counsellor with children, youth and families on the Peninsula for a community agency. In this position I helped families with challenges such as separation and divorce, blended-family reorganization, life cycle transitions, parenting difficulties, anxiety and depression, grief and loss, youth and family substance use, and self-injury. Other past work experience includes working in residential programs with different "high risk" populations including youth detoxing from substances, pregnant and parenting young mothers, and youth in care of the government.
On several occasions I have been invited to give presentations on respectful ways of working with clients, as well as an introduction to Structural Family Therapy to mental health and addiction employees of the Vancouver Island Health Authority. I have also presented the workshop "Respectful Ways of Working With Families" at the 2008 Child and Youth Care Conference and to front-line social service workers for the South Island Training Initiative (SITI) in 2008.
Up until the beginning of 2012 much of my work was in the non-profit sector where I accumulated varied work experiences since 1994. Beginning in 2004, I worked as a Youth and Family Counsellor with children, youth and families on the Peninsula for a community agency. In this position I helped families with challenges such as separation and divorce, blended-family reorganization, life cycle transitions, parenting difficulties, anxiety and depression, grief and loss, youth and family substance use, and self-injury. Other past work experience includes working in residential programs with different "high risk" populations including youth detoxing from substances, pregnant and parenting young mothers, and youth in care of the government.
On several occasions I have been invited to give presentations on respectful ways of working with clients, as well as an introduction to Structural Family Therapy to mental health and addiction employees of the Vancouver Island Health Authority. I have also presented the workshop "Respectful Ways of Working With Families" at the 2008 Child and Youth Care Conference and to front-line social service workers for the South Island Training Initiative (SITI) in 2008.
Counselling Internships
During my Master's training, I completed my first internship as a Family Therapist counselling families with youth who have concerns related to substance use and mental health. For my second internship, I focused my skill development in the practice area of couples counselling.
Practicums
I have counselled children, youth and families in a school-based setting, done street outreach with women and youth exploited in sexualized ways (also known as prostitution), and co-facilitated life skills groups with young adults in a career exploration program.