Why I may appeal to you as a Counsellor
Having deconstructed from a formal theological system which once was the ordering principle of my life, and being in the process of reconstructing a spirit-led and guided life while also in connection with ancient wisdom, psychological and biological understanding, and energetic attention...
I may appeal to those looking to return to themselves after lives lived embroiled in systems that have told them how and who to be instead of pressing into who they are from the inside.
As a mom who tried for too long to do too many things at once, and suffered greatly in my health journey because of it, I may appeal to women who are trying to find balance and recognize it is a life or death choice!
As a traveler, I may appeal to multicultural and diverse people due to my deep work with implicit bias. I bring a unique multicultural awareness that is inclusive in areas such as race, faith, gender, sexuality, and systems.
As a partner and believer in relationship health based on verbal and nonverbal communication, I may appeal to couples who want to refresh their relationships.
I am unique because I am multifaceted and use my experiences and my open-heartedness to guide my connections with others. I can work with a variety of issues with a variety of techniques but my ultimate desire is to help people find balance and healing in their lives and relationships through a unique and customized therapy co-created by their inner wisdom and mine.
Have any questions about working together?
GET TO KNOW CARLIE
You will share so much with me, so I will take a moment to tell my story, so you know who you’re sharing with!
I am a wife, a mom, a traveler, and a citizen of this beautiful world! Most importantly, I am a lover of people. It is this that has brought me to my current location in the Dominican Republic, along with my life-long goal of helping people find the balance, and healing, in their lives they so crave.
“You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.”
John Kabat-Zinn
I was born in Ontario, Canada, however, I have considered myself a citizen of the world for a long time. The beauty of cultures so different from my own has called me out of Canada over and over again. My travels have taken me to East Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, the UK and Europe, and now to the Caribbean. Each of these places has been home for extended periods.
Through these adventures I have removed the parts of me that no longer fit and integrated new parts that aligned with the "me" I found in those experiences. In doing so I have developed into my own quilted version of being a human. I'm always searching, finding, learning, integrating, shedding, and realizing. One of my favourite sentiments is that there is no one right way to live. However, when a way is wrong it is deeply felt and made manifest through many channels until we finally stop and pay attention. Do we get stuck? Yes. Are realization and change scary? For sure. Is it worth it? Every time.
My current worldview has expanded greatly as I have expanded from my simple origins. It is much broader, multi-cultured, multifaceted, and aware of the infinite that exists within us all. Geographical, racial, language, and sexual barriers that are of this physical and finite realm are not of the other and this influences me to see the spirit, the light, within all beings that sit across from me. We travel together - in this life and beyond - experiencing, learning, loving, creating, collaborating, sharing, and growing. I am interested in being a lifelong learner that has the blessing of also teaching from time to time. I am interested in being a co-creator of a better story for this world and stronger and more open humanity with you.
My interests and hobbies include traveling, reading, yoga, muay thai, cooking and eating plant-based wonders, and exploring. My ultimate interest has always been in people. I loved studying drama, history, theology, sociology, and psychology growing up. I loved reading books that transported me to other times and other lands. I love to watch people interact with themselves and others.
My education is both formal and informal. In my life in Canada and in my travels, which formed much of my education, I connected with people as a friend, mentor, youth leader and specialist, educator, counselor, women's journey group facilitator, drama teacher, and more. Formally I hold a Bachelor of Theology specializing in adolescent development and counselling from Vanguard College (Edmonton, AB), and a Master’s of Counselling Psychology from Yorkville University (Fredericton, NB).
My love of travel, people, and psychology has brought me to the place I am now: working in private practice while living on a beautiful island, hoping to integrate body, mind, and spirit in a fusion of classic psychotherapy with a bottom-up approach that considers nervous-system-informed practices such as yoga, movement, and breath work.
I use a trauma-informed lens to ensure the safety of my clients as I invite and encourage depth of practice as we co-create the counselling experience. My journey included my own traumas, my own failings, my own therapy, and ultimately my own healing that continues to teach me as I grow and serve others. We are always a work in progress!
I have been married to my soulmate for over a decade of adventures traveling and taking on the world and mental health (both ours and others)! Through him, I learned and embraced the art of Muay Thai (Thai boxing) and the beautiful mindset it invites which we are co-working on integrating into a counselling offering in the future for individuals and couples.
We also have two children who brought with them into my life an extension of grace and love I never knew existed until I knew them. The grace and love I can hold toward humanity now are increased infinitely because of the understanding I've gained as a mother. I also know all about never sleeping and needing, more than ever, self-compassion and BALANCE!