In person and online counselling in New Westminster
Intersectional feminism discusses how patriarchal society oppresses women and minorities and creates a divisive society for everyone.
We live in a world that is unjust, and the weight of this affects us in our day-to-day lives. Counselling can be a place to explore the emotions around this reality and come up with strategies to take care of ourselves in the world.
EMDR is a counselling technique which differs from traditional talk therapy. While tapping (or focusing on eye movements, but I prefer tapping) individuals are asked to focus on an uncomfortable or disturbing memory or feeling. Usually, what people pick is something that they have been “stuck” on. A memory or event they cannot stop thinking about.
In very basic terms, while focusing on tapping people can desensitize themselves to the disturbing event and move through it. The goal is to process this event, so it is not so distressing and replace the negative thoughts or beliefs it brings up with a more positive belief.
Internal Family Systems (IFS) is a way of viewing our internal experience as a system of different parts. Most of us have felt at one time or another that a part of us is fighting against another part. Sometimes this comes up in times of transition or when we have a big decision to make.
IFS explains that we have different parts that are hurt, proactive, and reactive. These parts of us want what’s best for us and want to protect us but sometimes they work in overdrive or react in ways we wish they would not.
Through IFS we can learn to communicate and honour all the different parts of ourselves and better understand ourselves and what works best for us.
Narrative therapy explores our personal stories and how we understand ourselves and our communities. Narrative therapy emphasizes our strengths and asks us to examine our ideas of what we “should do” or “should be”. Language is part of how we understand ourselves and the world around us and examining how we speak about ourselves and communities can help us make small changes which can lead to bigger changes.
Most of us have noticed we speak to ourselves in much harsher ways than we would ever speak to a friend. Practising self-compassion helps release us from negative thought cycles and feelings of unworthiness. Even if it feels silly, being compassionate to ourselves and our choices and even our mistakes can help our mental health. We are all just human after all.
Queer theory challenges societal norms and provides critique to thinking about sexuality and gender in a binary way.
In a counselling space, queer theory can provide a framework look outside normative relationship structures, values, and expectations.
It can help us understand our lives do not have to look the way others or ourselves assumed they would. We can change and grow in surprising ways over the course of our lifetime. This can be scary but also exciting.
Trauma informed practices...
Trauma informed practices emphasize safety & security. While counselling can sometimes mean focusing on uncomfortable memories and feelings, we do not want to become overwhelmingly dysregulated in session. Trauma informed practices create a steady process towards insight & healing.
I have some helpful handouts on this here.
