Email: lara@lavendercounselling.com

Life is an interesting journey. We go through many different stages, meet many different people, and find ourselves sometimes enduring complicated transitions. Perhaps you are considering if counselling would be a supportive choice for you at this stage in your life.

Perhaps you are feeling alone, wondering where meaningful connections have gone? Perhaps you feel misunderstood, does anyone truly see you for who you are? You may wish to better understand how you relate to yourself and how you show up in relationships with others. At times in our lives emotions feel unpredictable and there is a longing to feel grounded and centered. At other times it’s as if our emotions have disappeared, and in their place is a numb, dull, or painful grey.

My role is to hold space for you just as you are. I will invite you to counselling with warmth, compassion, and empathy. My intention is to provide comfort, support and acceptance as we work collaboratively at a pace that feels right for you. Fundamentally, I believe all humans are worthy of supportive relationships, healing, and growth. My hope is that we will undo aloneness together, as we explore a deeper understanding of the things that make you human; the nervous system, your emotions, thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

My journey to counselling began in my work as a teacher. During my time teaching high school it was not uncommon to find a line-up of students outside my door waiting to discuss their challenges. This journey continued through the birth of my own two children and the business I created to support new parents and infants postpartum. In this work I saw a huge need for parents to find safe spaces to create meaningful connections as life shifted in sometimes unpredictable and scary ways. The Masters in Counselling Psychology program felt like the right fit for me, and at this time I am near completion of my internship at Lavender Counselling to finish my degree.

My approach to counselling is integrative. I primarily practice through a person-centered and attachment-informed lens. I will utilize skills and interventions from within EFT (Emotion-Focused Therapy), and AEDP (Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy) including experiential processing, and mindfulness meditation. I believe that you are the most authentic source of knowledge we have to work with in the counselling space, and it is my hope that we can work together with this knowledge to make meaning, accomplish goals, and find healing. In our work together you can expect to explore what is going on for you presently, as well as what has happened in the past that may be contributing to today’s challenges.

It is important to me that I share a brief overview of a few of the intersectional identities I hold in hopes of helping you find a counsellor who is the right fit for you. I identify as a person of mixed-race. I am cisgender, and hold a special place in my heart for members of the Queer community. I welcome trans identifying folks and their families. I see beauty in the diverse people I work with and would love to learn more about your identities and the communities you are a part of. In my spare time I enjoy cycling, crafting with my hands, spending time in nature, and spending time with my family.