Anti-oppressive, trauma-informed, non-pathologizing, decolonizing and feminist thinking, LGBTQIA2S+ BIPOC trans affirming

Hi, I’m Tara. What are your hopes and dreams for counselling? Perhaps you are here seeking change, to find your preferred self, to figure out how to do things differently, in refusal of something, dealing with the messiness of life, or longing to live your best life! In conversation, we will begin to hear what you won't stand for anymore, what you want more of in your day, and why you long for that change.

Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.

— Oscar Wilde

Counselling is about the whole you, because problems do not exist alone, but always within the greater context of life.

I work alongside you to know your own voice and values, because when you have clarity about what you want, it can become easier to create and live by those intentions in genuine ways. By asking questions of the problem, it can shift and even start to lose its power; we can do that together in non-pathologizing ways. The problem is the problem - you are not the problem!

And remember that whatever it is that you're up against, you possess strengths, resiliencies, skills and responses that have gotten you to where you’re at today and we'll notice those too!

If you want to share your story and be joined in it, if you want it to be witnessed in ways that let you know you’re heard, and if you long for a counselling experience with interactional dialogue then let’s have that kind of conversation.

Curiosity

My approach is non-pathologizing and guided by questions to lead to different ways of thinking about the problem.

The questions I ask in session are to generate thinking and experience for you.

We will adventure on a journey of discovery about what gets in the way of the hopes you have for yourself.

Helpful Shadows

We will explore and appreciate those shadows and the information they offer about what you value in your life.

We can tend to feel the most separated from what we want for ourselves when up against injustices or oppression. Issues do not exist alone, but always within context.

There are gentle ways to process, guided by what is most therapeutically helpful.

Sunshine

We’ll be sure to include some beneficial sunshine in our talks by noticing and highlighting your resilience, responses and skills.

Why? Because sometimes the hardest parts of life can try to overpower the good stuff.

And we will not underestimate the positive therapeutic effects of shining light on the shadows, to see where that light emanates from...so you can let more of it in!

Narrative Conversations

…can be a helpful source of unbiased support through challenging times, and can help with:

  • Understanding emotions

  • Problem-solving

  • Finding motivation

  • The voice of perfection

  • Suffering under 'the shoulds’

  • Changing patterns

  • Self-discovery

  • Procrastination

  • Seeking healing

  • The voice of guilt

  • Loneliness

  • Discrimination

  • Trauma

  • Improving or navigating relationships

  • Negotiating boundaries

  • Grief and loss

  • Life transitions

  • Finding self-compassion

  • Wondering what's normal & more

Why Narrative Therapy

I started my practice in immersive training, and workshops with David Epston – who co-originated Narrative therapy along with Michael White – and I have witnessed Narrative practices elicit change in the lives of those who consult with me: through realizations, relief, inspirations, & new intentions going forward.

Narrative highlights your expert knowledge about your own life, and is guided by how we make meaning of our lives through the stories we tell. But no storyteller skills are needed!

Everything you talk about, and how you experience the moments of your day, offers us information about how you prefer to live your life.

You may ask, why are stories important at all when this problem is troubling to me? Why highlight my voice as expert, I want your help figuring this out! And those are really good thoughts. I will be right there with you, in collaborative ways! We will aim to equalize the power dynamics that can exist with consulting a professional, by ensuring that we attend to what you already know.

Within our daily experiences, some moments can feel overpowering and obstruct the view of what you value… Like how that one same old story gets told and hangs on - like about being ‘the sensitive one’… (see what I mean?). Overpowering forces are sneaky and come along within political, social and cultural contexts, in acts of discrimination, in power and privilege dynamics, but in subtleties too (such as in societal norms) that we may not ever have named as ‘political.’ They can require you to perform in ways that do not align with what you want for yourself, and this can lead to righteous reasons to feel stressed, depressed, and unsatisfied.

There’s lots of theory behind Narrative therapy, but the experience of it is like having a conversation wherein we question the problem together.

Well that’s a bit about my approach and my practice...

How about you - what are the moments that make up who you are? Perhaps you find yourself here, ready for change…

To Book a No-Fee Consultation

Connect with me via the form here, or email me at tara@narrativetherapist.ca

Video, Voice (Ontario and Alberta)

In-person available in Calgary

Session fee is $180 for 55 minutes, and my professional designation MSW RSW is commonly covered by health insurance benefit plans.

Bring all that you've been up against and we'll be full of curiosity about what has been getting in the way of the kind of day you actually want to have. I offer an attentive, purposeful and collaborative session centred around your unique experiences, and never one-size-fits-all.

About me

I am a Registered Social Worker with a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) and a Master of Social Work (MSW) in Clinical Specialization. I am licensed with the Alberta College of Social Workers (ACSW) and with the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers (OCSWSSW). Prior to my clinical practice, I have a decade of experience in the field of social work in supportive counselling, assessment, case management, and outreach.

I come from a wholistic place of understanding that everything in our lives is linked and we are highly influenced by our environment, and thus the society, culture, places, politics, and relationships we are surrounded with and involved in have real-life impacts. My practice is non-judgemental and I will meet you where you’re at every step of the way, because only you know yourself best. I am forever striving for ethical practice, and that means thoughtful, competent, culturally sensitive, compassionate practice.

These are helpful stances from which to approach therapy because they serve to highlight your expert voice, noticing and using the skills you already possess, and being ever mindful of the powers at play within your environment.

With respect and in decolonizing practices of social justice and as part of Canadian settler society I acknowledge First Nations peoples’ territory and ancestral connection to the land that I live and practice on and borrow from Mohkinstsis, Treaty 7 Territory and Metis Region 3.