Sara’s Profile
Sara believes that clients are ultimately the authors of their own lives and carry with them an inherent wisdom. However, life is not always kind and we can experience difficult situations or hardships such as conflictual or distant relationships, grief and loss, trauma, stressful families or workplaces. Sometimes we are not able to understand or manage the fallout from these situations. Turning to a counsellor can be helpful, as well as validating and comforting.
How it works …
While working with Sara, clients will find someone whose purpose and passion is to provide a safe and supportive environment and who will be on the client’s side: helping them make sense of their unique situation and assisting them in dealing with their problem effectively.
Sara’s approach is to help individuals and couples build their relational skills by expanding upon successful strategies they are already using, looking at old ones that may not be working anymore, adding new skills to their repertoire and increasing their understanding of how the past is informing the present.
Initially, Sara works with each individual or couple to identify what kind of life/relationship they want to have. Collaboratively they build the roadmap of how they will get there. Immediately clients build an understanding of how they are currently organizing their thoughts, beliefs and behaviours and then identify ones which may be getting in their way.
Clients can then truly understand their responses and open up to the creation of new ways of relating, thinking and behaving. Sara’s sessions include exercises and practice so clients can explore and rehearse new responses and integrate new behaviour. This process allow clients to develop a range of options which they can take with them to the world outside her office.
Whether you see Sara together or on your own, she believes it only takes one person to change the dynamics of any relationship.
Sara has had success with
clients presenting with:
- marital disappointment, conflict and betrayals
- workplace issues/burnout
- communication problems
- stress
- anxiety
- depression
- trauma
- low self-esteem
- life transitions
- grief and loss
Background and Experience:
Sara has been working in helping professions for much of her professional life – as an advocate for women in the BC Ministry of Labour’s Women office, BC Disability Services and Purpose Youth Services. These experiences led her to pursue graduate training.
After completing her graduate training in Counselling, Sara worked for different agencies and treated clients who presented with a range of issues including mental health, challenges; relational conflict; trauma and addictions. In 2010, Sara opened her private practice and while working currently as the Director of Counselling Skills Training at VCC (2001-2012).
At VCC’s Counselling Skills and Addiction Training Programs, Sara taught and clinically supervised counselling students. As Director of the program, she was also responsible for developing curriculum, managing faculty, and securing partnerships with industry and government. Sara won a number of awards for her success in building and managing this program.
Since leaving VCC, Sara has focused exclusively on her private practice (counselling and consulting).
In her private practice, Sara’s focus is helping clients develop healthy relationships. Ultimately, her goal is for her clients to live authentically; experience more aliveness and feel integrated and connected.
Sara’s work is informed by the study of the brain and brain systems (neuroscience); attachment theory and cognitive behavioural methodologies.
Sara has studied numerous trauma informed counselling methods including Internal Family Systems, Sensiomotor (Body Informed) Psychotherapy and EMDR.
She has trained in many relationship (couples) modalities including Relational Life Therapy, Developmental Model, Emotionally Focused Therapy, Imago. Sara also draws from the work of Esther Perel, John Gottman, Stan Takin and David Snarch.
Sara consistently updates her skills and knowledge by ongoing professional development.
Married since 1979, Sara and her partner have 2 adult children.
Masters of Education – Counselling Psychology
University of British Columbia
Registered Clinical Counsellors Association (#1259)
Member since 1998
Certification: Relational Life Therapy (Terry Real)
Certification (in process): Internal Family Systems – Level 2 completed
Certification – Sensiomotor (Body Informed) Psychotherapy Training Level 1+2
Certification – Imago Relationship Training (Advanced Level Clinician)
Certification – EMDR – Level 1+2
Certification – Gestalt Training
Certificate in Cognitive –Behavioural Intensive Training (David Burns)
Completion: – Discernment Counselling Training
Completion: Developmental Model Training (Ellen Bader and Pete Pearson)
Completion: – Emotionally Focused Couples Training
Completion: – Critical Incident Response Training