I am a social worker and psychotherapist with over 23 years of experience supporting children, adolescents, adults, and families through trauma, interpersonal violence, and complex family relationships. From the beginning of my career, I knew I wanted to practice as a social worker who understands people within the context of their families, histories, relationships, and environments. That lens continues to shape my work today.
I began my career in the violence against women sector and later moved into specialized work with children, youth, and families affected by sexual abuse. Over time, I developed extensive expertise in both assessment and treatment related to sexual harming behaviours, working with adolescents who have engaged in harmful sexual behaviour, children and youth who have been harmed, and families navigating the pain, confusion, and rupture that can follow disclosure. My practice has since evolved into a particular specialization in intrafamilial sexual abuse, especially sibling sexual abuse, including work with both families in the midst of these experiences and adults living with the long-term effects of sibling sexual abuse.
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In my work with adults, I also support those who are exploring how early complex childhood experiences continue to shape their relationships, sense of self, coping patterns, and emotional lives in the present. I work with adult children and parents who are trying to make sense of complicated family dynamics, offering a space grounded in clarity, compassion, and deeper understanding. I also work with first responders and professionals who are experiencing burnout and vicarious trauma.
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I love helping people understand how their brains and bodies work in relationship to their environments and life experiences, especially as this relates to stress, trauma, anxiety, and depression. I believe that making sense of these patterns can create greater self-understanding, reduce shame, and open the door to meaningful change.
 
I have worked extensively in children’s mental health and not-for-profit settings, including leadership roles within specialized children’s mental health treatment centres, school boards, live-in treatment settings, and community-based services for youth and adults. In addition to my clinical work, I provide training, consultation, and clinical supervision to professionals, teams, and organizations across Canada and internationally. I am especially passionate about helping others deepen their skills in the areas of trauma, sexual violence, harmful sexual behaviour, and relational, trauma-informed practice. I also support foster homes, live-in treatment settings, and other milieu environments in developing more thoughtful, regulating, and relationship-based approaches to care. I also work with first responders and professionals who are experiencing burnout, chronic stress, and vicarious trauma.
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For the past 17 years, I have been developing training curriculum for mental health professionals in my areas of specialization and have led training institutes focused on building clinical knowledge, confidence, and capacity in these niche areas. Supporting professionals and organizations to grow their skill and specialization is a meaningful part of my work. You can learn more about my training, and consultation work through The Clinical Collective at www.theclinicalcollective.ca.
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I hold a Bachelor of Social Work from Toronto Metropolitan University and a Master of Social Work from the University of Toronto. I hold professional affiliations with the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers, the Ontario Association of Social Workers, the Canadian Association of Social Workers, the New Brunswick Association of Social Workers, and the Association for the Treatment and Prevention of Sexual Abuse.
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My approach is anti-oppressive, trauma-informed, relational, and eclectic. I am certified in the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics and the Neurosequential Model of Reflection and Supervision, and have additional training in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Schema Therapy, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Dialectical Behavioural Therapy, Emotion Focused Family Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Emotion Focused Therapy, sensory processing, and Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy, among other modalities.
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I prefer to see clients in person at my Georgetown, Ontario office (or at Shady Hills Farm near Hamilton, Ontario where I see people interested in Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy), as I value the depth of connection and presence that in-person therapy can offer. At the same time, I also have the capacity to provide virtual therapy to clients in Ontario, New Brunswick, and Nunavut, Canada.
 
At the heart of my work is a deep respect for people’s resilience and a belief that healing happens in safe, attuned, and meaningful relationships. I am committed to helping clients and families find greater clarity, connection, responsibility, and hope, even in the midst of painful and complex circumstances.