Do you have PTSD or trauma symptoms?

Traumatic experiences can cause our nervous system to act like we are experiencing the harm and hurt of the past in the present.

EMDR therapy and Focusing-orienting therapy offer ways to respond to trauma symptoms with compassion to ease present day symptoms and reactions.

My goal is to help you feel more confident, grounded and aligned with what you value.

Do you loose your cool, shut down or avoid communicating and conflict?

Do you feel uncomfortable saying ‘no’ or expressing your feelings? Do you get overwhelmed by your own and other people’s feelings?

Our nervous system has patterned responses to attachment and relationships from past experiences.

Find new options for more compassionate connection with yourself and others by exploring, expanding and shifting your attachment responses.

Do you long to feel less anxious and/or depressed?

Bring listening and compassion to stress responses by paying attention to what your body knows and the parts of you that feel unheard, stuck, sad, angry and frustrated.

Recognize and process past experiences that are linked to present day nervous system activation and emotional dysregulation.

Be held with warmth and find out what it’s like to feel more ease, self-compassion and meaning.

“Neuroscience research shows that the only way we can change the way we feel is by becoming aware of our inner experience and learning to befriend what is going inside ourselves.”

Bessel van der Kolk, The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma

Good to meet you

I am an EMDR and Focusing-oriented therapist with a somatic and attachment focus informed by parts work. Together we will move towards and shift what is painful and hard to manage with compassion. I bring warmth and non-judgemental support to people living with and through grief and loss, shame, isolation and emptiness, relationship struggles, oppression, trauma symptoms, anxiety, depression, chronic health conditions and issues related to their identities (sexual, gender, cultural, ability, class and more).

I am a white, queer, cisgender settler living in Vancouver, BC (the unceded, ancestral, and traditional territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. I continue to learn about and work towards anti-oppressive practices as a counsellor. I acknowledge the social context of people’s challenges and the knowledge and strengths that come from their lived experiences.

Client Testimonial

'Stephanie is a genuinely kind, welcoming, open minded and grounded counsellor. She was invaluable to me getting through a rough period in my life. She is so easy to connect with and always has meaningful insights and suggestions, as well as creating a safe space for clients. Highly recommended, especially for queer and/or trans folks who can have a hard time finding safe spaces in counselling.'

'Stephanie was the light I needed to help me reach out of a dark and difficult time dealing with post traumatic stress and chronic illness. Every appointment was like chatting with a friend; easy to let my walls down and open to gentle guidance. I truly would not have been able to overcome my difficulties without Stephanie's advocacy for my well being and the faith she has in me as a person. Stephanie has certainly found her calling in helping others to be the best version of themselves, and I will be forever grateful for her help.'

'Stephanie coached me through some tough, complex parenting challenges so that I could be a better support to myself, and to and for my teenagers. She’s a very skilled therapist: kind, compassionate and perceptive. She listens with a kind of rare intelligence and then offers useful and specific feedback. I felt like I could trust Stephanie with whatever came up which was everything to me.'