New Connections Counselling Services

I provide counselling and psychotherapy to adults living anywhere in Ontario via teletherapy or in-person for those living in the Niagara area. My treatment specialties include depression, anxiety, PTSD, relationship issues, substance use/addictions and grief/loss and HIV/AIDS. For over 20 years, I have provided  mental health services to members of LGBT2SQ communities, including 10 years providing support to people living with HIV/AIDS. I am well-versed with a range of mental health issues affecting members of LGBT2SQ communities, including disclosure, stigma, discrimination, health equity, transition, substance use and positive sexuality.

At New Connections (NC), you are at the centre of your recovery. You are the expert on your life. I work with you to mobilize the natural healing force that already resides within your mind-body system. Moreover, I believe that the meaning and importance of your mental health cannot be defined simply by a diagnosis or a set of symptoms. I provide counselling services that foster critical dialogue and facilitate an exploration of your mental health in all its dimensions: cultural, social, physical, sexual, emotional and spiritual. This involves developing the self-knowledge, resources and abilities that foster adaptive ways of relating to yourself and others. Making new connections is essential to increasing your resilience, your capacity to bend and flow: a step-by-step path that leads to creating positive change through self-awareness, self-acceptance and self-determination. I am here to share your journey toward equanimity, balance and peace of mind.

How you are uniquely connected (or not) to yourself, others and your communities is fundamentally important to my approach. I employ a range of therapeutic practices and principles to create an approach that facilitates health-restoring connections in your life. I fit the therapy around you rather than trying to fit you into the therapy. I help to identify counselling goals that are relevant and useful to you with respect to moving forward in your life. Through a dialogic, client-centred process, I explore the meanings and impacts of your mental health experiences, including past, present and future challenges. Deepening your understanding of your mental health is an essential first step in creating positive personal change.