My counselling focus is to support adults who are experiencing grief and or have been effected by trauma.
My name is Amy. My journey to becoming a grief and trauma therapist is long rooted (25+ years) in many lived experiences with personal and professional losses. In 2008, I founded Recreational Respite a national organization that uniquely supports the disability and neurodiverse community, those who face mental health struggles and other vulnerable individuals. The goal of the work is to support those facing barriers to participation by collaboratively finding ways to reduce the isolation that often accompanies these experiences. Using diverse strategies and approaches, including self discovery through recreation and activity with an emphasis on building social supports, is often helpful to build a strong sense of self. This experience has contributed to my deep understanding, interventions and innovative approaches used in counselling with the compassion for navigating the emotions of grief, the experience of ‘othering’ and the complex relational challenges within families, while emphasizing a non-pathologizing practice. My approach in counselling emphasizes integration of various theories and interventions based on an individual’s strengths, experience and resources.
These interventions can include (but are not limited to); attachment-informed, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) to process traumatic experiences, interpersonal therapy, internal family systems (IFS), cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT), cognitive processing therapy (CPT), emotionally focused therapy (EFT), existential therapy, mindfulness practice and narrative therapy.
A strong focus is on solution focused and strengths-based therapies that are offered with compassion, are culturally sensitive and are socially just. I am trauma-informed in my counselling approach and trained to support those with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and or those who have had other traumatic experiences. My education includes a Bachelor of Arts in Disability Studies with honours and distinction from the Toronto Metropolitan University, and a Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology with Yorkville University. I am a Registered Psychotherapist (qualifying) with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO) and a professional practice member of the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA). I value the opportunity to collaborate with clients in the therapeutic process, working in a non-judgemental manner, that ensures acceptance, safety, and trust.
Trauma in the disability community is often experienced as being ‘othered’. As well as social barriers that have led to masking, participatory opportunities that have been limited and or the lack of accessibility of appropriate interdependent supports.
Many individuals are also navigating complex systems or relational challenges within family and care dynamics.
As a passionate advocate for disability rights and throughout my role as Founder of Recreational Respite (est.2008), my approach has always been to create a non-pathologizing, safe and non-judgemental space for any individual. My deep understanding of the neurodiverse community, barriers, navigating challenges of an individuals experience in life and or complex relational challenges within families, has contributed to the development of a neuroaffirming practice.
Neurodiversity is simply, a different way in which we experience the world, with neurological differences. How then, the brain might respond or function differently. Therefore, those experiences and interactions can be quite diverse. Neurodiversity includes autism, ADHD, sensory processing issues, cPTSD or anxiety. A medical diagnosis is not required.
Ages 18+
Counselling support in trauma experiences and grief includes helping to understand an individual’s experience with grief and loss, due to a major life change or transition, a disability, chronic or long-term illness, disease or traumatic loss by death.
Trauma often causes intense grief experiences for an individual who might feel stuck in the grief process and or feels unable to adapt to life after a loss or traumatic event. Personal experiences of grief and loss are uniquely individual and should be supported as such. Trauma-informed care in counselling considers the impact that trauma has had on an individual’s wellbeing and their ability to cope. Grief counselling may focus on re-establishing emotional regulation, reduce trauma symptoms, build skills and strategies to cope and process losses associated with the grief.
Also offering support for those in caregiving roles, frontline healthcare workers or first responders who have chronic and cumulative stressors, empathic distress, compassion fatigue and burnout, all while trying to manage vicarious trauma.
Individual, couples and or family sessions are available virtually across Ontario. Ages 18+
Grief and loss are experienced by the death, dying, a life changing diagnosis, chronic illness or disease, a major life transition or change.
Grief and loss feel isolating and often tangled in pain and confusion. Grief is a natural response to losing someone or something that is important to us. For the grieving individual, family or community, it can be hard to find emotional regulation and meaning from a loss. Grief can also be amplified with persistent barriers that contribute to feelings of isolation, loss of a sense of role and or purpose and feeling emotionally stuck, in our lives.
Families can often experience grief and loss in an individual or collective way. A loss, death or dying event, a complicated diagnosis and or a major transition or change that has caused grief, can create isolation that contributes to unique grief struggles for both the individual and or their family. Counselling can include a focus on trauma, anxiety and depression to help each member of the family support one another during this challenging time. Building coping strategies and emotional and social supports, reducing isolation, and improving communication are some of the goals in counselling sessions. Ages 18+
Equine assisted therapy is a type of counselling approach that supports an individual and involves the presence and interaction with horses.
I have joined the mental health team at PRANCE Therapeutic Equestrian Centre in Port Elgin, Ontario bringing both my clinical experience in private practice and specialized training with equine and certification from EAGALA, to provide an in person, evidence-based model of counselling to the community. Complimenting the variety of equine therapeutic programs PRANCE offers, equine assisted therapy is now recognized and supported by most major insurance companies, providing a unique alternative form of counselling as it incorporates horses experientially for healing, personal growth, development and learning. It is a collaborative team approach involving a mental health professional, equine specialist and horses.
All ages.
For more information and or to schedule with me, please contact the Equine Facilitated Wellness Program (EFW):
[email protected]
519-832-2522
Walking while talking offers individuals’ opportunities to be in nature and movement.
Movement can contribute to both presence and awareness of physical sensations and somatic experiences and can provide release from physical tensions that might help break up feelings of being stuck. Offered only in Port Elgin and Southampton Ontario and between April-June and September-December (weather permitting). I bring the same therapeutic values and approaches that I would in virtual space, to the outdoors. We may walk 1-2km with opportunities to stop and rest. This is not an exercise session.
Before you decide if walk and talk counselling is a good fit for you, I do suggest that we build rapport and trust, in virtual session(s) first before choosing whether walk and talk counselling could be an effective option for you. Ages 18+
Insurance and benefits coverage under psychotherapy.
Ontario Autism Program, Core Clinical Services can be used for therapy supports.
Video Resources
Videos and other audio resources can sometimes offer a common and often comforting voice with a shared message about the human experience of grief
If you are in immediate crisis, please call 911, or call or text 988 for the suicide crisis hotline, available 24/7.
