Therapy Values

I am continuously working towards fostering a therapy practice that is:

Anti-Oppressive & Justice Oriented

My therapy practice is political. This means that:

• Collective liberation and the belief that our freedom and healing are all intertwined are at the heart of my practice.

• I do not believe that therapy is a substitute for structural change.

• It is deeply important to me that our sessions make room to question how systems of oppression impact health and well-being, including how our society privileges certain intersectional identities and lived experiences over others.   

I also acknowledge how the mental health industry is inherently oppressive and upholds power structures. I work within this system and I am constantly negotiating what it means to operate ethically within it while questioning and resisting it. 

Collaborative & Client-Centred

Your agency and consent are important to me. You are the expert in your own experiences and I trust that you know yourself and your needs best. You get to decide what ‘mental health’ means to you and together we’ll adapt each session to meet your needs as they evolve.

Community-Focused

Healing is not solely an individual’s responsibility; interdependence, community, connection, and collective care are important antidotes to suffering and aloneness.

Neurodiversity-Affirming

I view the variations in how our brains work to be an aspect of biodiversity. What is defined as ‘normal’ is socially constructed; one set of traits is not inherently better than any other.  

I view ‘diagnoses’ as (optional) labels that may be helpful for understanding our identities, traits, and needs. Identity labels may also explain the ways we are viewed and treated by society and offer a means to connect us to communities with shared lived experiences. 

I also don’t define people based on ‘symptoms’. I am much more interested in understanding your lived experiences, challenges, needs, and how you express yourself.

Non-Pathologizing

I aim to create a space where you can receive care for your needs. I don’t label your experiences or personality traits as ‘wrong’ or ‘disordered’ and in need of ‘fixing’.

I hold compassion and empathy for the things that you have been through. Our bodies, minds, and spirits respond rationally and reasonably based on what we have learned and experienced.

I am committed to growing and these values are likely to change over time. Adapted from Dr. Jennifer Mullan in her book Decolonizing Therapy, “I have no doubt that [these values] will be incomplete… as is the nature of decolonial work—always evolving and outgrowing.”