MY THERAPEUTIC APPROACH
Vancouver Counsellor
Hi, I’m Monica.
I’m so glad you’re here.
Taking the first step is often the scariest one. By getting this far, you have already started your journey.
When you walk into your therapy session with me, you can expect to be met with warmth and empathy. Know that it is natural to feel nervous if this is your first time trying therapy, and anytime you start seeing a new therapist. We will work together to shake out the nervous jitters and create a space built on safety and trust.
While I work in many areas of mental health, my specialities are in trauma & complex trauma (including sexual assault, childhood abuse and neglect, traumatic grief), depression, suicide ideation, relationship issues, and wealth related challenges.
I approach therapy through the lens of Internal Family Systems (IFS), Trauma Informed Stabilization Treatment (TIST), and Attachment Theory (Emotionally Focused Therapy; EFT).
This means that I view people as having many different “parts” that have been shaped through life experiences such as important relationships, significant life events, and trauma. Many times, people are coming into therapy because parts that developed to protect them might be keeping them in patterns that no longer serve them. Protective responses like emotional numbing and hypervigilence make a whole lot more sense through this lens. This approach can help us make sense of parts of you that feel “stuck” in patterns.
Together, we will meet those parts of you with compassion, understand their roles, and gently work towards change that feels more aligned with who you want to be.
As your counsellor, my role is to be your guide and companion on this journey of healing, self-discovery, and growth. I will support you in better understanding yourself, gently challenge you when appropriate, and sit with you through both the painful and hopeful moments.
If you are curious to learn more or get a sense of what therapy with me would be like, I invite you to reach out for a free 20-minute consultation before booking our first session.
And if I’m not the right fit? That’s completely ok! Research tells us the relationship with our therapist is one of the strongest predictors of success in therapy. I’ve built a strong network of wonderful clinicians and am happy to make a referral.
Looking to learn more about me and my professional background? Click here.