Qualifications

With over 20 years of counselling experience, I hold a Doctoral degree and Masters degree, specializing in counselling psychology, both from the University of Alberta. This is one of the very few doctoral programs in Canada that is accredited by the Canadian Psychology Association.

Counselling psychology is a specialization within the profession of psychology that focuses on the treatment of mental health concerns and promotion of personal and interpersonal functioning. Psychologists are a regulated profession under the College of Alberta Psychologists and Health Professions Act to ensure the highest standards of ethical and safe practice in providing counselling, therapy, psychotherapy, and other psychological services. Psychologists who fulfill PhD requirements are able to use the term "Doctor". Psychologists with the designation of Doctor have attained many more years of education and training than those without this title.

I especially enjoy working with couples in relationship and marriage counselling and this is an area of focus in my practice. I am one of the few Certified Gottman Therapists across Canada. Having the designation of a fully certified Gottman Therapist means completion of all the required levels (1, 2, 3) of the extensive training program and clinical supervision from the Gottman institute. I also have additional training in treating affairs, trauma, and couples addiction recovery. My training has been from Drs. John and Julie Gottman, and I use this approach in counselling. They are one of the world's leading marriage and relationship experts and are recognized as one of the Top Ten Most Influential Therapists of the past quarter century. Highly respected and sought out internationally, they have been in a variety of media appearances. It is the most extensively researched approach of why relationships succeed or fail.

Throughout my training and career I have provided counselling services across multiple settings. I have served as a university instructor teaching psychology and I enjoyed supervising graduate students in counselling psychology. I maintain a collaborative practice connecting with other professionals to address the needs of the community in the service of mental health. I also have the pleasure of serving as the Editor-in-Chief for the Psychologists' Association of Alberta provincial newsletter - Psymposium.

In addition to my education and experience I have advanced training in Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) from the world-renowned Dr. David Burns, M.D.