My Background and Clinical Experience

I completed a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from McGill University in Montreal, and a B.Sc.H. in Psychology from Queen's University in Kingston. As part of my training, I completed a number of clinical internships at a variety of hospitals, including the Chedoke Child and Family Centre in Hamilton, the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario in Ottawa, the Montreal Children's Hospital, and the Douglas Mental Health Institute in Montreal. I learned effective, evidence-based therapeutic skills for helping clients address a wide variety of mental health, learning, attention, behavioral and medical issues.

After obtaining a license to work as a Psychologist from the College of Psychologists of Ontario, I provided psychological assessment and therapy sevices for children, adolescents, families and groups through two different school boards (UGDSB in Guelph-Wellington and OCDSB in Ottawa), CMHA in Guelph (when it was called Trellis Mental Health and Developmental Services) and private practice.

I also completed comprehensive training in hypnotherapy through the Association of Registered Clinical Hypnotherapists (ARCH Canada), the National Guild of Hypnotists (NGH US), the Banyan Hypnosis Center and the Canadian Institute of Hypnotism. 

My Professional Story

I discovered very early that my true professional passion is helping people conquer their obstacles and watching them stride confidently toward a more satisfying life. To borrow new age lingo, I derive deep satisfaction in watching people move toward the best versions of themselves.

My earliest work focused on helping children, adolescents and families largely because of my own impatience! Child and adolescent clients made positive changes so rapidly; it was inspiring to see the speed at which they bounded forward and surpassed their goals.

The traditional psychotherapy techniques available to me at the time of my early training didn't seem to result in that kind of rapid, effective progress for adults. My adult clients were working hard to think about their lives, identify problems and implement solutions that made sense. They often reported feeling frustrated with themselves, telling me "I already know what I need to do - I just can't do it."

I noticed that when these clients knew great strategies but were unable to use them when it counted, it was pretty rotten for their self-confidence. So how could I help adult clients make changes as quickly and permanently as younger clients?

Over 10 years ago, I started learning about hypnotherapy. This collection of perspectives and strategies provided the techniques I needed to help adult clients achieve their goals effectively and permanently. To my great delight, when I used those strategies with adult clients they reported feeling great boosts of confidence and energy while achieving their goals. They also reported feeling calmer and more excited about their lives. Eureka! Now I had an effective way to help clients of all ages!

Other Things About Me

I am an incessant reader and fearless mental adventurer - I love collaborating with my clients to create new strategies specifically for them.

When away from the office, I can often be found walking trails or singing pop music with a choir. And a few times a year, I schedule a day off to take my birds to shows.