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How I Work

Therapy doesn’t only happen in a chair.

Different people reach insight through different doors. These are the approaches I draw on. We’ll find the one that fits how you actually process things.

How I Work

My approach
to therapy is:

Explore My Services

Meet Michelle  ·  1 min

Ways We Can Work

Therapy doesn't only happen in a chair.

Different people reach insight through different doors. These are the approaches I draw on. We'll find the one that fits how you actually process things.

Outdoors · Burlington

What is Walk & Talk Therapy?

Walk & Talk, or outdoor therapy, refers to psychotherapy sessions that take place outside of the therapy office and involve walking or sitting in an outdoor location, such as a nature trail or public green space.

For many people the change of setting changes the conversation. Moving side by side eases the intensity of sitting face to face, gentle movement can settle an anxious body, and being outdoors often makes difficult things easier to say out loud.

  • Held on local trails and green space around Burlington/Hamilton
  • Same length and fee as an in-office session
  • Weather dependent, so we agree on an indoor or virtual backup
  • Privacy is discussed and planned before we begin

Trauma Processing

What is EMDR Therapy?

EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, a structured therapy used to help the brain finish processing memories that got stuck. While you bring a distressing memory to mind, you follow a back-and-forth movement with your eyes, or use gentle taps or tones.

That bilateral stimulation appears to help the nervous system file the memory as something that happened rather than something still happening. The memory doesn't disappear. It stops carrying the same charge.

  • Follows an eight-phase protocol at a pace you set
  • You don't have to describe the event in detail to work on it
  • Recognized by the World Health Organization to help PTSD
  • Often used alongside talk therapy, not instead of it

Creative Process

What is Expressive Arts Therapy?

Expressive Arts uses creative processes such as drawing, painting, collage, movement, music, writing and story as a way into feelings that words haven't been able to reach yet. The making itself is the therapy, not a warm-up to the real conversation.

You do not need to be artistic. Nothing gets judged, graded or displayed. As a certified Expressive Arts Practitioner, my role is to stay curious with you about what surfaced and what it might be telling us.

  • Helpful when talking feels blocked, circular or exhausting
  • Works well for trauma, grief and identity work
  • Suits teens and adults who process visually or physically
  • Can be woven into a regular session or used throughout

Shared Experience

What is Group Therapy?

Group therapy brings together a small number of people working through similar experiences, guided by a therapist. You're not presenting to the room. You're participating in it, at whatever level feels manageable that week.

What group offers that individual work cannot is other people. Hearing your own experience described by someone else does something that reassurance from a therapist cannot, and relationships in the room become a safe place to practice.

  • Small closed groups so trust can build over time
  • Confidentiality agreed by every member before starting
  • Typically more affordable than individual sessions
  • Can run alongside your own one-to-one work

Areas of Focus

What we can work through together.

Wherever you're starting from, you don't have to sort it out alone.

Anxiety & Fears
Depression
Stress
OCD
Postpartum Depression
Anger Management
Thinking Disorders
ADHD
Partnerships & Marriage
Separation/Divorce
Infidelity/Betrayal
Parenting/Family Conflict
Communication Issues
Friendships
Forgiveness
Social Isolation
Trauma & PTSD
Abuse (Domestic, Sexual, Emotional, Physical)
Loss or Grief
Addictions & Substance Use
Self Esteem/Self-Work
Values/Goals
Cross Cultural Issues
Spirituality
Christian Counselling
LGBTQ+ Issues
Child or Adolescent Issues
Life Transitions

Not sure which approach fits?

That’s normal, and it’s not something you need to work out on your own. We can talk it through on a free consultation.

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