Registered Vancouver Psychologist #1672

Are you successful, but part of your life drags you down?

I typically consult with adults and older adolescents who are successful in many ways, but feel unsatisfied with some aspect of their life. They choose to participate in therapy because they want to feel better, cope more effectively, improve their relationships and their overall quality of life. While the circumstances that lead someone to make an appointment varies, there are a number of symptoms that many people identify with, including:

• Feeling too much anxiety

• Symptoms of depression, which can be experienced as low mood, lack of energy, feeling stuck, or a sense that “something’s not working”,

• Feeling bad about yourself, even though others might be surprised to hear that.

• Relationships are frustrating and disappointing. Some struggle with the striking a balance between feeling distant and lonely, versus feelings overly dependent and fearful of abandonment. A common complaint is the feeling that relationships feel more conflictual than they should, and feeling misunderstood by those close to you.

• Feeling caught in past traumatic or upsetting experiences

• Struggling with ineffective coping. Common forms include using food, alcohol, excessive working, worry and avoidance. Often, people feel badly about their coping, but find it hard to change.

Services

Therapy helps people change.  Therapy helps you feel better. It works by identifying and working through what’s in the way of you feeling satisfied and effective.  People have different reasons for coming for therapy, and accordingly the focus and approach varies as well. Areas of focus often include:

• Learning to be more effective in difficult relationships

• Resolving conflicted feelings, such as not being able to feel satisfaction or joy, even when things are going well. For others, feeling shame or fear when healthy assertion would be appropriate.

• Working through past traumatic experiences and increasing your current sense of safety and calm.

• Challenging negative self talk that get in the way of a sense of worth

• Grieving loses

• Developing new ways of coping

Therapy works.  After participating in therapy, people often describe feeling calmer, happier, and better at coping. People also often feel better about themselves and more satisfied with their relationships. Decades of extensive and rigorous clinical research shows that psychotherapy works, and overall the benefits are demonstrably large. As a client, you can improve the likelihood of having a good outcome by finding a well trained professional, and one that you trust and feel safe with.

About Me

I am a registered Vancouver Psychologist with more than 10 years of clinical training and experience. I completed my PhD in Clinical Psychology at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, and completed an American Psychological Association accredited internship at Vanderbilt University. I have worked and trained in the assessment and treatment of adolescents and adults in a variety of settings including outpatient clinics, hospital treatment programs, and correctional institutions. 

Why choose me as your Psychologist?

• I’m compassionate, non-judgmental, and people feel safe talking with me.

• I’m well trained and I’m committed to the work I do. I have a PhD in Clinical Psychology. The benefit for you is that my clinical and academic background, doctoral research (i.e., evaluating psychotherapy treatment), professional work experience, and ongoing continued education, helps me accurately assess the problem, and effectively work with you to make things better.  I focus on integrating what we know from empirical research in psychology and translating it into practice.

• I’m a Registered Psychologist based out of Vancouver, BC (#1672). As a member of College of Psychologists of British Columbia, the regulatory body for psychologists means that you can be assured of my professional training and the ongoing high quality of the care that I offer.

Location

Suite 300 601 West Broadway Vancouver, BC 

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Fees

I charge $170 per 50-minute session.

In some cases Extended Health Benefit plans cover psychological treatment by a registered psychologists and you may be eligible to submit your receipts for reimbursement. I accept Visa, MasterCard, Debit, cheque, and cash.

FAQ

Do I need a referral to make an appointment?

No. Appointments can be made by calling 604-219-0381.

Are treatment sessions confidential?

Information shared in therapy will not be communicated to others except in certain exceptional circumstances. Some of these include:

if a person presents an imminent danger to self or others the law require that steps be taken to prevent such harm;

if a child is in need of protection a report must be filed with the appropriate agency or authority;

if a vulnerable adult is abused or neglected a report may be filed with the appropriate government agency;

if a court orders the disclosure of records.

How long is the waitlist for an appointment?

An initial appointment can usually be scheduled within 2 weeks, though this time varies. 

Please contact me for more information about availability of appointments.

What are your hours?

My first appointment time is 10 am, and last appointment is 6 pm. In some special situations I see individuals outside of these appointment times.

Contact

If you would like to talk more about how we might work together, please call me at 604-219-0381 or leave a message below and I will get back to you as soon as I can.