Holistic Mental Health
Does any of this sound like you?
You’re feeling anxious or overwhelmed.
You have physical symptoms that you think might be stress related.
You’ve noticed yourself relying on coping strategies to keep the overwhelm at bay such as netflix, alcohol, scrolling social media. Things that keep you from being present in your body and keep you away from uncomfortable feelings.
You’re tired but on edge. Things feel “too much.”
The amount of effort it takes to manage your feelings is exhausting.
You’re ready to do some deep work and get to the root of how you’re feeling. To make real changes instead of just finding new ways to cope.
You’ve tried counselling before and it helped a bit, but not as much as you hoped or maybe you just couldn’t find a counsellor who was the right fit.
If you relate to any of those, you’re in the right place.
A holistic approach to mental health
Over the past 8 years I’ve developed a unique approach to supporting my clients emotional health. I combine my understanding of Traditional Chinese Medicine and contemporary counselling techniques to treat the emotions through BOTH the mind and the body.
In order for deep changes to occur, either mentally or physically, we need to be in a relaxed state and to feel safe. This is because our bodies evolved to survive, not to achieve optimal health and happiness. If we have any sense of threat, our bodies will always revert to what is familiar, because it it safe. Even if what is familiar is pain, anxiety and stress. This is why it’s so effective to work with both the body and mind simultaneously. When we regulate the nervous system and turn off the body’s alarm bells, we can make big shifts in both habitual thoughts and feelings and physical symptoms.
To work with the body I use acupuncture. To work with thoughts and beliefs, I use Gabor Mate’s Compassionate Inquiry method. Compassionate Inquiry is a method of talk therapy that is somatic (body-based) and trauma informed. Drawing on both polyvagal theory and the latest research in interpersonal neurobiology as well as centuries old mindfulness traditions it provides a way to access some of our deepest held beliefs and heal core wounds.
“The purpose of Compassionate Inquiry is to drill down to the core stories people tell themselves – to get them to see what story they are telling themselves unconsciously; what those beliefs are, where they came from; and guide them to the possibility of letting go of those stories, or letting go of the hold those stories have on them … That’s what Compassionate Inquiry is.”
- Dr. Gabor Mate
Book a free 30 minute discovery session.
Discovery sessions can be online or in person.
Managing Emotions VS. Healing them
Counselling approaches such as CBT can be a tool to manage anxiety and overwhelming feelings. There's nothing wrong with that. Tools for managing our feelings are great to have. However, if you find that you’re spending your whole life just trying to manage things, or the effort it’s taking to manage them is exhausting, it might be time to heal those feelings rather than manage them. And that healing takes place in the body as much as in the mind.
There is a saying in Traditional Chinese Medicine: “ Where thoughts go, qi flows.” This means that our thoughts guide the movement of our qi (and vice versa). Therefore by adjusting our qi, we can influence our thoughts and feelings. By working with both our thoughts and our qi at the same time, we can make profound and lasting changes to both our physical and mental health.
“I have been seeing Stephanie for over a year for both acupuncture and Compassionate Inquiry and she is nothing short of incredible. I have had experience with many counsellors over the years and have never found a more therapeutically skilled, interpersonally attuned, and deeply compassionate practitioner than Stephanie. As a Registered Clinical Counsellor myself, I have a great appreciation for Stephanie's ability to gently encourages self-exploration and emotional awareness while creating a truly safe and non-judgmental space for inner growth. Her incredible skillsets as a practitioner have allowed me to move beyond 'coping' to a path of deep personal transformation and healing. I cannot recommend her enough.”
-C.S.
You can choose how we work together
Sometimes my clients just need some acupuncture and a chance to relax and feel some relief. Other times they need to drill down into a core belief that is causing pain. Sometimes combining both talking and acupuncture is what’s needed to create a feeling of safety and peace.
I offer sessions in Compassionate Inquiry on its own or combined with acupuncture or acupuncture on its own. Together we’ll create a treatment plan that’s right for you.
Ready to book your appointment?
Online booking is available for all new and returning clients.