Who I Am

After 20 years of working in private practice, I have now retired from client work and am focusing on providing consultation for EMDR therapists. My Master’s degree is from the College of Family and Consumer Studies at the University of Guelph. I also have a Master’s-level diploma from the Vancouver Art Therapy Institute, am a registered art therapist and a past president of the BC Art Therapy Association. Certified by EMDRIA (the EMDR International Association), and an EMDRIA-approved consultant and Credit Provider, I have been an active participant on the professional EMDR discussion list since 1998. My experience includes work in sexual abuse programs in Nanaimo and Vancouver, as well as at a mental health centre and an alcohol and drug program.

In specializing in working with adults with histories of abuse and neglect, I became especially interested in attachment and the effects of early deficits. Developing a Secure Self is an approach I have created for working with clients with childhood histories of neglect, emotional abuse, and attachment issues. Imaginal Nurturing, its major component, utilizes guided imagery to directly address these issues which cannot be resolved simply by reprocessing trauma. Imaginal Nurturing is now being used in many countries around the world. As an EMDRIA credit provider, I offer a distance training program in this attachment-based, ego-state approach to working with adults.

In my personal life, I live in a sanctuary I have created on a Gulf Island on the west coast of Canada where I indulge my passions for piano, quilting, and birds.