Warm, knowledgable, & grounded support you can rely on

Abby is a Registered Clinical Counsellor with BCACC (#22311).

They completed a Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology from Adler University in Vancouver, BC. Their practicum was at a halfway house, supporting previously incarcerated folks with substance use and addictions. Abby also completed a thesis exploring the integration of yoga into mental health services and its cultural considerations.

  • Types of therapy techniques we might use include:

    Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for things like anxiety, mindfulness, and values

    Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for things like building awareness of thought patterns and thinking traps

    Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) for building distress tolerance and emotional regulation

    Emotions-Focused Therapy for a deeper exploration of emotional needs and feelings

    Feminist Therapy for understanding our intersectionality and analyzing how our world and the systems we live in affect our identity, privilege, oppression, and beliefs

    Gottman Method for techniques used in relationship counselling

    Somatic Experiencing for exploring how we physiologically experience and store emotions and trauma in our body

    Mind-Body Connection for mindfulness, regulation, and healing

    Yoga for releasing and regulating through movement, breath, and philosophy

  • I work with folks of all backgrounds and experiences. Nothing is too big or too small to bring to the therapy room. Some common reasons folks see me for therapy are:

    Abuse
    Anger
    Anxiety & Panic Attacks
    Boundary Setting
    Chronic Illness
    Coping Skills
    Domestic Abuse
    Emotional Regulation
    Formerly Incarcerated Folks
    Gender Exploration
    Queer, 2SLGBTQIA+ Folks & Questioning
    Relationship Issues (partners, co-parents, familial, friendships, etc.)
    Self-Esteem
    Stress
    Substance Use
    Trauma, PTSD, Complex-PTSD

    • Registered Clinical Counsellor - BC Association of Clinical Counsellors

    • Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology - Adler University

    • Bachelor of Arts in Psychology - University of Guelph

    • Bachelor of Arts in International Development: Political Economy and Administrative Change - University of Guelph

    • Gottman Method Couples Therapy: Level 1

    • Solution-Focused Therapy Skills Certificate - Crisis & Trauma Resource Institute

    • Indigenous Canada Certificate - University of Alberta

    • Applied Suicide and Intervention Skills Training - LifeWorks

    • Trauma and Violence Informed Care Training - CMHA

    • Sexual Violence Tier 2 Training - University of Guelph

    • 200 Hour Yoga Certificate & on-going study

  • My therapy practice always includes true trauma-informed and anti-oppressive care.

    How do I do this?

    1. By ensuring that I seek up-to-date, evidence-based, community-level, and lived experience information and perspectives on best practices for trauma care, cultural humility, meaningful Indigenous reconciliation and decolonization practices, neurodivergence, the gender/sexuality spectrum, and more.

    2. Mindful inclusion of community support and awareness of the importance of community involvement in mental health care.

    3. Individualized counselling that considers and celebrates your unique identities, communities, experiences, and perspectives.

    4. Continual informed consent and respect for your autonomy over your own journey. This includes safety planning that considers your unique identities and experiences, is mindful of oppressive and harmful systems, especially for queer and BIPOC folk, and works with you to create safety.

    5. Actively rejecting oppressive systems through outreach and protest. Actively rejecting homophobia, racism, transphobia, colonization, Islamophobia, sexism, ableism, anti-semitism, xenophobia, etc.

    6. Donating to communities and causes fighting for equity, liberation, decolonization, land protection, and more.

I believe healing comes from the mind, body, heart, soul, and community. I practice both talk therapy and somatic therapies that turn to our body for intuition and wisdom. My approach also considers your environmental factors - the systems you live in and how they affect you.

Abby is from Ontario and completed two Bachelor degrees at the University of Guelph. She thinks fondly of her time there and says her most meaningful and memorable moments were spent with the mental health groups she was part of and supporting her peers. Her own healing journeys were propelled by therapy, yoga, and community, and this is what she hopes to offer her own clients.

When Abby isn’t in the therapy room, you can find them outside in nature, playing soccer or beach volleyball, listening to music, tapping into her Italian roots cooking homemade pasta, and spending time with friends and family.

I understand that some folks find therapy daunting, or are even resistant to the idea of therapy. I have worked with humans of all different backgrounds, ages, and perspectives at different places in their journey, whether new to therapy or well-acquainted. I’m happy to meet you wherever you’re at, and my hope is that you’ll feel supported and empowered.

Let’s start your therapy journey together

from the ground up