Treatment

My therapeutic approach has been influenced by many years of working with people with health challenges, as well as the personal adversities that I myself have faced. In general, I take an existential/humanistic approach. This means that, rather than trying to find a “cure” or “quick fix”, I see suffering as a natural part of the human journey. Sometimes we can work with this on our own, and at other times we need more support to navigate the stormy seas of life. My approach is also informed by attachment theory, which means that the quality of therapeutic relationship is central in healing. Major medical illness and trauma can be deeply destabilizing experiences. A strong therapeutic relationship can help us begin to develop internal resources of strength and resilience to navigate the chaos of life - and even dance with it.

Ultimately, I am interested in helping people make meaning and find purpose and growth living through chronic illness, injury, and trauma. I believe that we are all on a journey toward wholeness and healing. It will be my privilege to be a part of your journey.

As a registered psychologist, I use evidence-based interventions to help people like you work with both short and long-term challenges to their health. This might include individual or group psychotherapy, as well as cognitive rehabilitation (e.g., training or coping strategies for memory or attention difficulties). I provide treatment services to any adults across the lifespan, from young to older adults. I have training in a number of specific intervention modalities - including cognitive-behavior therapy, psychodynamic psychotherapy, and interpersonal therapy - and ultimately tailor my approach to the client’s needs.

I have a particular expertise in mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs). For more than 15 years I have been involved in providing MBIs for individuals with neurological disorders, anxiety, depression, trauma, and chronic pain. MBIs have also been a major focus of my research, including persons with chronic post-concussive syndrome, subjective cognitive decline (SCD) in older adulthood, and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. My manualized protocol providing mindfulness training to older adults with SCD was released by Oxford University Press in summer 2021. I appreciate the holistic approach of MBIs. The practice of mindfulness provides support to mood and thinking abilities (particularly attention), while the other elements of therapy promote acceptance, non-judgment, and loving-kindness toward oneself.  

I also have a major interest in the intersection of trauma and medical illness, and I frequently use eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy in this work. Aside from the standard EMDR approach, I am also trained in attachment-focused EMDR, EMDR for chronic illness and complex trauma, and early-intervention EMDR (RTEP/GTEP) for persons who have very recently been exposed to a traumatic event. In 2021 I will be leading a pilot clinical trial examining the impact of EMDR-RTEP for persons who have recently sustained a concussion.

Finally, my background in clinical neuropsychology affords me a unique lens to treatment, where I often try to engage the “whole brain” in therapy. Talk therapy can be very useful, but is mainly limited to our left hemisphere, “language-brain”. I often find it is very helpful in supplementing our work through “right-brain” approaches. This might include enhancing body awareness (e.g., through mindfulness), gentle movement, and therapeutic/expressive arts. Nonverbal, creative expression is often an important resource in building strengths and resilience and making meaning of adversity. Coming to make friends with, and even love, our bodies can also be an important part of the journey of healing for persons with medical illness and trauma.

How does treatment work, and who can benefit?

When people experience a medical illness or injury, it often changes their perception of themselves and the meaning of their life. This can cause stress, anxiety, and depression, amongst other reactions. Psychotherapy can help you to navigate to your “new normal”, accept and appreciate who you are, and consider a plan to move forward with the life you desire. People might come to see me seeking support for a variety of issues, including:

• Depression and anxiety after a brain injury or stroke

• Chronic pain (e.g., whiplash) after a car accident

• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or other traumatic reactions to repeat medical procedures, PTSD following COVID-19, or the emergence of early life trauma (e.g., abuse) in response to recent medical diagnosis

• Anxiety and avoidance behaviors around our physical body due to illness and injury

• Social anxiety (e.g., fear of socializing) because of problems in thinking abilities or motor disability (e.g., Parkinson's disease)

• Grief and loss associated with chronic illness and injury

• Caregiver distress associated with caring for a loved one with cognitive difficulties, such as brain injury or dementia

Several decades of research and clinical experience now indicate that people can benefit from cognitive rehabilitation after illness or injury. Sometimes this involves interventions to actually improve your thinking abilities – this is known as restitution. Other times, direct improvement is more difficult, but we can learn to adapt to difficulties – this is known as compensation. Research on neuroplasticity demonstrates that people can experience changes in the structure and function of their brain after these interventions, as well as improvements in their daily life. Emerging research - including some of my own research - indicates that these changes can happen even into older adulthood. In other words, you “can teach an old dog new tricks”! People might come to see me for cognitive rehabilitation with issues such as: 

• Problems with arousal and attention after concussion

• Difficulties with time-management, organization, and problem-solving due to ADHD or other disorders affecting executive functions

• Untreated trauma making it difficult to organize your thoughts and make effective plans and decisions

• Concerns about memory in older adulthood

I am a strong believer in a holistic approach to health and wellness, which might include any or all of psychological and social supports, good nutrition, adequate exercise, regular self-care, spiritual and cultural practices, and medications, where appropriate. The benefit of psychological interventions is that you are an active participant in the healing process. This can help you feel empowered to gain mastery in your life, rather than feeling as though you have to passively rely on only medications to help you feel better.  

The flipside, however, is that psychological interventions only have a chance to work if you put the time and effort in. This means that you have to want to participate in treatment and are willing to go out of your comfort zone. Sometimes it is the case that clients might benefit from treatment, but the timing is not right for them. Before deciding to pursue treatment, it may be useful to ask yourself if you are ready to make a change in life, if you have the right support to do it, and you are willing to do the work.