My Practice
What you can expect when working with me: my outlook, areas of practice, and qualifications
I am a Registered Clinical Counsellor, Registered Craniosacral Therapist, and lifelong learner.
I work with individual adults (19+) to facilitate lasting positive change.
My clients often describe me as calm, grounded, safe, and compassionate. Throughout my life, I have been drawn to the work of supporting others in turning towards their experience. I believe that when we turn away from the reality of what is showing up in our lives, it causes us to suffer. While offering compassion to the parts that turned away from unbearably painful circumstances, I help my clients make friends again with the rawness and beauty of their felt experiences - to become intimate again with the texture of their lives.
The root of the word ‘healing’ means ‘to make whole’. I believe that for each of us, doing healing work is part of our life purpose.
Healing means remembering that we are a part of the greater whole, coming back into right relationship with ourselves and the beings around us.
Disconnection from the fullness of our experience can come in many forms. Some of the issues that clients come to me for help with are:
Unresolved family of origin issues
Insecure attachment (anxious, avoidant or disorganized)
Disproportionate stress responses and chronic stress
Anxiety and panic attacks
Dissociation and difficulty accessing emotions
Issues with self-worth, self-confidence and self-compassion
Feeling lost, alienated from intuition, or misaligned with life purpose
My approach as a counsellor is informed by embodiment and somatics, mindfulness, and attachment theory.
My work as a craniosacral therapist is often helpful for clients who do not resonate with the talk therapy format, who prefer to process information somatically, or who would like to develop their embodied sensitivity.
Whichever format our work together takes, we will touch into the deeper currents underlying the everyday events and experiences that may be causing you distress. You will be invited to fully inhabit your life, to say ‘yes’ to both pleasurable and painful experiences, and in so doing, to discover a space of freedom and choice that did not seem possible before.
People who work with me often notice feeling lighter after our sessions. They feel more tuned into themselves, more aware of the big-picture patterns of their experiences, and more inspired as they continue forward on their path.
Read on about my personal journey here.
If this approach resonates with you, you can find out more about ways of working with me by visiting my Services page:
Professional Qualifications
M.A. in Counselling Psychology (Honours), Yorkville University, Fredericton, NB
Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy practitioner training, Body Intelligence, Vernon, BC
B.A. in Philosophy (Honours), McGill University, Montreal, QC
Ashtanga Yoga 200-hour Teacher Training, Sattva Yoga Shala, Montreal, QC
Reiki I, Ramya Memmi, Montreal, QC
Additional Trainings
Somatic Experiencing® Professional Training (in progress)
Year 1 in Traditional Chinese Medicine, Kootenay Columbia College, Nelson, BC
Hakomi Mindful Somatic Psychotherapy: An Experiential Introduction with Deah Baird
Internal Family Systems Therapy with Frank Anderson
IFS Immersion: Integrating Internal Family Systems (IFS) Across Clinical Applications with Frank Anderson
Intensive Mindfulness Training with Richard Sears
“I have received profound sessions of both cranio & council with Vanessa that have led me to great depths of realization on my personal healing journey. I am grateful and would highly recommend others to Vanessa.”