Deep Insights for Actionable Change
Have you previously tried men’s therapy but never discovered the roots or origins of your issues, found your progress to plateau quickly, or were not able to gain anything from it? Do you have an understanding of your challenges but find yourself struggling to achieve deep, lasting changes in your feelings, thoughts, and behaviours? If so, you’re not alone, and you’ve come to the right place.
Specialized Therapy for Men
Counselling for men requires a specific set of knowledge, skills, and expertise – this is where my personal and professional experiences interact to support you best. Chances are you have made strides in self-awareness but still find it difficult to break free from long-standing patterns. You are tired of talking in circles about your issues and are ready to tackle your problems head-on to make real headway. My practice is dedicated to helping you move beyond awareness to achieve real, transformative change.
How Iron Tree Counselling can help you
Deeply Explore Emotional Struggles
We’ll go beyond surface-level issues to uncover, experience, and address the root causes of your struggles. Therapies like EFT and EMDR really help speed this process along.
Learn Practical Strategies
You’ll gain effective tools and techniques to manage and overcome your challenges outside of counselling sessions so you can feel more equipped to support yourself on your own.
In-Session Practice for Real-World Results
We’ll practice, in-session, experiencing your emotions, thoughts, and behaviours in new ways so it’s easier to begin consciously and tangibly addressing your concerns outside of session right away.
Improve Emotional Intelligence
Think of me as your emotional coach, I help you understand your emotions: what to do with them, how to regulate them, how to use them like tools for personal growth, and when relevant, how to communicate them.
Experience Lasting Change and Growth
Together, we’ll build your emotional resilience and foster personal growth, ensuring the changes we make are lasting and impactful.
Turn Your Intentions into Achievements
I will check in regularly and, when necessary, challenge you on your commitment to achieving your goals – helping you stay accountable to your self. I’ll support you in eliminating any obstacles that hold you back from following through on these goals and the values that underlie them.
Specialties
- Traumas: Healing from past wounds that continue to affect your present.
- Issues with Self-Esteem: Building a stronger, more positive sense of self.
- Feeling Lost or Stuck in Old Patterns: Breaking free from cycles that hold you back.
- Emotional Connection and Intimacy: Learning how to emotionally connect with your partner to increase intimacy.
Who You Are:
You’re driven to make real, lasting changes in your life. Perhaps you:
- Actively seek self-awareness and deeper insights.
- Find it challenging to break old habits or shift recurring patterns.
- Have looked for profound, long-lasting transformation in therapy before, but haven’t quite found it.
Take the Next Step
Transformation is possible, and it starts with a single step. I invite you to book a free consultation to discuss your needs and how we can work together to achieve the deep and lasting change you’re seeking. During this consultation, we’ll explore the problems you want to fix in your life and determine the best approach to help you move forward.
This is the definition of bravery: not being afraid of yourself
– Chögyam Trungpa
Individual Counselling
I provide online counselling for men struggling with a wide range of challenges. These include anxiety, depression, chronic guilt, low self-esteem, difficulty understanding emotions, trauma, and anger management, as well as support for life transitions, introversion, experiences as highly sensitive persons (HSP), and other neurodivergences such as ADHD and ASD.
Beyond these broader areas, a particular focus and specialization of my practice is supporting men with issues specifically related to male identity, understanding and communicating emotions effectively, and navigating relationship struggles.
It’s often the case that men in the following industries seek my support: construction, IT, business and sales, healthcare workers, medical professionals, and those in academia or higher education.
Couples Counselling
I facilitate the expression of emotional experiences between adult partners, with a focus on attachment, to foster deeper connections in couples counselling. Indeed, partnerships, whether romantic or friendly, are integral to our functioning in life. This is because humans are social beings, and our brains are literally wired to ensure connection and relationships with others no matter what the cost – feeling isolated, lonely, and/or rejected is as threatening to us as is the threat of death or physical starvation.
Thus, I support partners in improving their communication, emotionally attuning to one another, and developing trust and respect for one another. And while it can be scary and vulnerable for partners to commit to working through their relationship issues, it is also an extremely rewarding endeavour for any couple to undertake, and the results can be long-lasting.
Take the First Step Towards Personal Growth
Book your session or free 20-minute consult today!
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many sessions do I need to attend to feel better?
The reasons men come to counselling are different depending on each individual’s problem to solve or goal to reach. Generally, people see positive results between 8 and 12 sessions.
How frequently should I have a session?
This depends mostly on your desires from counselling as well as other factors (i.e., financial ability, scheduling availability, etc.). However, it is suggested to start with more frequent sessions for the first 3-5 sessions. One session per week or every two weeks is often enough to gain traction in progress, for us to develop a trusting and comfortable relationship, and to start making changes.
Are there in-person sessions available?
As of now, sessions are currently only provided remotely. Thus, video and telephone sessions are the available options.
How long are the sessions?
The sessions are typically 50 minutes long. It is possible to book 80-minute sessions, however, this depends on what you are looking for and if this is necessary for your problems and goals.
Are the sessions covered by insurance?
I am a Certified Canadian Counsellors (CCC) and Registered Clinical Counsellors (RCC). Most extended health plans cover either one or both of these counsellor designations. It is always best to check before beginning counselling to make sure you are covered if this is a need of yours as each insurance plan is different.
Is there homework?
Homework is discussed in sessions if you desire this type of activity. Homework can help to expedite your progress and support you in making changes in your life outside of session. This depends on everyone and can look quite different depending on the problems and goals of each client. There is never an obligation to complete tasks out of session. If you would like tasks to complete outside of sessions, we can collaborate regarding this to determine tasks to complete in relation to your given problems/goals.
Will I get diagnosed with a disorder?
Counsellors in BC do not have the ability to diagnose as this is typically regarded as a function of Psychologists, Psychiatrists, and Medical Doctors. However, if you already have a medical diagnosis, I can support you with the best evidence-based treatments for your diagnosis and support you through decreasing the negative impacts of the symptoms you experience. Generally speaking, I perceive clients through a holistic lens with ever changing abilities and qualities and therefore tend to think of clients less in terms of diagnoses, and more in terms of “How is this person struggling in their life and how can they start to feel better about themselves overall?” I support you in understanding yourself as a whole person who has the capacity to grow and change into who you want to be. Focusing exclusively on diagnoses tends to hinder my ability to provide the best overall care to you.
What can I expect from my first time in counselling?
If this is your first time in counselling, congratulations! Recognizing the need for support and taking this step is significant, and it’s understandable if initiating it felt challenging—many people feel that way.
The first session is a bit different from future ones. Here’s a general idea of what to expect:
- A Welcoming Start: I, your counsellor, will aim to create a comfortable and non-judgmental space for you.
- Getting to Know Each Other: The main goal is for you and I to start getting to know one another. I will invite you to share what brought you to counselling and what you hope to gain. It will be like a continuation of our free consultation.
- Information Gathering:
- You: You’ll have the chance to talk about your reasons for seeking counselling. You only need to share what you feel comfortable with, especially in this first meeting.
- Counsellor: I will ask questions about your current concerns, perhaps some relevant background or history, and your goals for therapy. I will also discuss confidentiality (which is crucial and means what you say stays private, with some legal exceptions I will explain).
- It’s a Two-Way Street: This is also your opportunity to see if it feels like a good fit for you. Don’t hesitate to ask questions about my experience, approach, or anything else that’s on your mind about the process.
- No Pressure: You don’t need to have all the answers or tell your entire life story. It’s okay to be nervous, unsure, or to take your time. I completely understand this – it’s a natural part of the process of developing our professional relationship.
- Next Steps: Towards the end of the session, you might discuss if you feel like it’s a good fit to work together. If so, you might schedule your next appointment and perhaps briefly discuss what future sessions might focus on.
Overall, the first session is about establishing a connection, understanding your needs, discussing how counselling can help, and ensuring you feel safe and understood. It’s the beginning of a collaborative process.
If you would like a PDF handout with a more detailed description/information about what to expect when starting counselling, click here. Alternatively, there is a video version of this document here.
