A short story

Why Did I Become a Psychologist?

I'm often asked this question and therefore I'll share a bit about myself. My professional journey has taken me from the body-exercise sciences (Kinesiology), to the body-rehabilitation sciences (Physical Therapy), to a career as a Firefighter, and finally through to the mind-body healing sciences as a Psychologist.

The main catalyst for this journey into psychology begain when I experienced the cumulative effects of life stress while working as a Physical Therapist and before my career as a Firefighter. My inability to deal with my life stressors led me to a dark period of my life where I was diagnosis with a major depressive disorder (MDD) and a generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) with severe panic attacks. Although I had much training in the body sciences, I had very little training in the area of psychology. During this humbling time of self-discovery I learned how this life event was a time for personal growth, to show me what I needed to work on in areas of acceptance and forgiveness. It also opened my eyes to the over prescription of medications to numb the problem, instead of embarking on a journey of self-discovery to find the source of the problem.

Over the next ten years worked for the Calgary Fire Department (CFD), which further opened my eyes further to see how people suffer (first responders included) from cumulative stress.

About me...

My Career as a Firefighter

During my career as a Firefighter I experienced working on the High Angle Rescue team, I trained as a Fire Safety Codes Officer and Fire Investigator, and I spend the majority of my career helping people in the downtown core. During this time I struggled with significant spinal injuries, post-concussion syndrome, major hip and shoulder surgeries, and an unexpected diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis (MS). With most allopathic doctors forecasting a future of disabilies and fear, I took matters into my own hands and decided to change careers again to train as a psychologist.

My journey has repeatedly taught me how the power of the mind (our beliefs and perceptions) can heal far more than what our current medical-model suggests is possible. Many specialists rooted in the older biochemical sciences are simply uninformed and base their opinions within an outdated science that suggest we only have a biochemical/physical system. If the mind/body/spirit systems are not work in harmony together, a person will often feel dis-ease. Cumulative dis-ease often manifests in the body as disease.

My Counselling Approach

The way I counsel client’s and use "psychological interventions" has changed over the years and is unique when compared to other psychologists and counsellors.

In my first five years of practice I became trained in advanced areas of psychotherapy for PTSD, anxiety, depression, phobias, and more. I was trained in and commonly used therapies including EMDR, Hypnotherapy, EFT, ACT, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, Hypnotherapy, Mindfulness & Meditation, and more. Over the years I have found the most effective approach is to help my clients create their own "toolbox" of skills that can be used practically. My approach will teach you techniques to calibrate and balance the Mind, Body, and Spiritual systems. This is done through individual sessions and with strategic group courses that are "skills-based" and not a "talk-therapy" approach. An example of a skills-based group course is that of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) that is 2-hours per week for 8-weeks in total. MBCT trains a person to have better control over the sympathetic nervous system (our fight, flight, or freeze system) and to activate the rest/digest parasympathetic nervous system. This is similar to training the body through proper exercise, but instead we are training the mind.

Our work together will focus on you embarking on a journey of self-discovery to find the hidden treasures within your life, while learning to balance the areas of mind, body, and spirit. I consider this to be a journey of spiritual evolution for my clients, and my goal is to empower you on your journey by understanding how these three systems work and by creating a toolbox of life-long skills for self-management.

Together we will explore these three systems and tune them like an instrument, with the instrument being you!