“If you have come here to help me you are wasting your time, but if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together”
- Lilla Watson
I am a multi-racial queer femme and a settler on the lands on which I currently live. My father is Black from Trinidad and my mother’s family is from Sapmi (northern Scandinavia). I am actively working to address how I am complicit in the continued colonization of Indigenous Peoples on Turtle Island.
My peoples’ own experiences of colonialism elsewhere in the world provide a path to empathy, and instil a sense of solidarity with and responsibility to the Indigenous Peoples here. I offer my skills and knowledge as tools to support Indigenous self-determinism and well-being. When they are free we will all be free (Combahee River Collective).
As a person with lived experience of the mental health system, I know how services meant to help us also sometimes cause harm. From living in rural communities I’ve seen how inaccessible resources can be, and that there are significant differences between rural and urban life that contribute to mental health. While studying clinical psychology, I learned how power imbalances are present in our psychological theories and practices.
Equity and justice in mental health means questioning and changing how we provide care. Consultation + program development/evaluation moves us closer to services that are effective, accessible, trauma-and-violence informed, culturally safe, proactive as well as reactive, and meet the needs of community members as they see them. Clinical consultation + supervision, and training + workshops build on community strengths, address burnout, and teach specialized skills, reducing reliance on fly-in-fly-out practitioners. Focusing on assessments loosens bottlenecks in accessing services and funding. Single-session and short-term therapy meet critical mental health needs in ways that are timely and effective.
I am always learning, and I believe this is one part of how we turn the tides of mental health care: by prioritizing accessible, sustainable, and ethical practice.
Turning the tides.
A relational approach.
The ocean is what connects me to many of the communities I’ve lived and worked in: Haida Gwaii, Aotearoa, Iqaluit, and Lək̓ʷəŋən/Songhees, Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ, and Tla-o-qui-aht territories. While I was born on the prairies due to generations of displacement, my ancestors are ocean people from the beaches of Trinidad and the forested coast of Sapmi (northern Scandinavia). The ocean connects me to my family, our ancestral lands and to the communities I work with.
I believe in building relationships, collaboration, and coming from a place of humility and deep respect for the people I work with and their lands. I am not an expert but a resource, and I learn a lot from the clients and communities I work with. My goal is to develop lasting relationships with the communities I form contracts with, although I recognize that a one-time service is sometimes a necessity.
When working with organizations, in order to nurture relationships and gain a better understanding of your community and lands, I strongly prefer in person or hybrid service provision. That being said, I know this is not always possible and I can be flexible to meet your needs.
Life promotion.
“Life begins and ends with the ocean… Salt water provides life here through each tide. The ocean is bountiful and spiritual in its creation and the benefits are magnificent for all who rely on its natural beauty and soothing nature.” - Council of the Haida Nation
In the coastal communities I’m connected to through my work and also my ancestors, the ocean is life and we live by the tides. The ocean is a source of sustenance, calm, creation and transformation, and we adapt to it’s natural rhythms. This land-based knowledge and focus on life promotion is often missing from mental health services.
Too often in mental health and psychology we focus on deficits, which can be used to pathologize people, reinforce stereotypes, and limit agency. While it is important to address harm, mental health narratives need to shift from ones of damage to ones that promote life and desire (Eve Tuck).
While working together to process pain and hardship, we can also move towards meaning, well-being, survivance and self-determinism.
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Client-centred.
You are the expert on your own life and your community, not me. I'm a resource for guidance and support.
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Integrative.
I integrate a variety of methodologies and interventions to provide personalized care.
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Trauma-and-violence informed.
I consider the impacts of individual and institutional violence on people and communities.
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Culturally safe.
I acknowledge and address cultural differences and power imbalances to ensure clients feel valued and understood.
Rates
Most services can be offered either online or in-person (depending on location). These services are for both individual clients and organizations. When hired by organizations, in order to nurture relationship building and develop a better understanding of your community and lands, I strongly prefer in-person or hybrid formats. At the same time, I understand that due to a variety of limitations this may not always be possible and I can be flexible to meet your needs. Travel fees may* apply (see FAQ for more info).
Consultation + Program Development
Consultation services provide guidance and support tailored to help you build capacity, address challenges, and foster sustainable growth. I can help you to identify areas and pathways for improvement, and/or assist you in creating and structuring new programs, and/or assist you in creating and structuring new programs.
1 hour | starting at $235 | More Info | Get started
Assessment
Psychological assessments can be used to guide treatment and other supports, obtain access to funding, allocate resources, and provide mental health diagnoses. I also provide forensic risk assessments.
1 hour | starting at $235 | More Info | Get started
Clinical Consultation + Supervision
Clinical consultation and supervision may focus on guiding treatment planning, developing skills, considering psychological concerns and diagnoses, formulating case conceptualizations, and debriefing.
1 hour | starting at $235 | More Info | Get started
Psychotherapy + Crisis Response
In order to prioritize critical mental health needs when working with organizations, I typically offer single-session or short-term (4-10 session) therapy. I also provide crisis response, sexual assault and suicide counselling. Long-term therapy is offered on a limited basis.
1 hour | starting at $235 | More Info | Get started
Training + Workshops
I offer training and workshops on a number of topics that can be fine-tuned to your specific needs, context or questions. This can be combined with Clinical Consultation to receive relevant case specific guidance.
1 hour | starting at $235 | More Info | Get started
Research
Research is a powerful tool for developing knowledge about a given topic or issue, and the ways in which we conduct research should always be guided the needs and values of the communities it affects.
1 hour | starting at $235 | More Info | Get started
Get started with Turning Tides, today.
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