With over 25 years of experience as a Psychotherapist and Jungian Analyst, I have expertise in helping individuals with:

As a Jungian Analyst and Certified Sandplay Therapist, I offer a unique opportunity for individuals seeking help. Analysis is a talking therapy in which one expresses thoughts and emotions, while Sandpaly involves the individual in a non-verbal, creative approach to healing. Problematic behaviours tend to be repeated when an individual has a “blind spot”, or too narrow an attitude about life. Jungian Analysis and Sandplay Therapy help to uncover the “blind spots”, leading to increased conscious awareness, self-understanding and a change in one’s attitude and behaviour. Some individuals find it easier to express their thoughts and feelings verbally while others find a non-verbal or symbolic approach is the most effective. They have the choice to work in the mode that suites them. The individuals I work with may choose to do only Jungian Analysis or Sandplay or use a combination of both.

I believe that Healing and Personality Development occurs when the Body, Mind and Spiritual levels are all involved. I have had a long-standing interest in the work of Carl Jung and his approach to Psychoanalysis. It is one of the few therapeutic modes that address both the Psychological and Spiritual aspects of the individual. I use Sandplay Therapy in my practice because the process activates one’s Creativity and engages all three levels: Body, Mind and Spirit. As a Registered Nurse and now as a Jungian Analyst, I have continually witnessed the interrelatedness between one’s physical condition and their psychological state if mind. They equally impact on each other and both need to be considered in the healing process.

In 1995, I had the opportunity to study at the C.G. Jung Institute in Zurich, Switzerland. I chose to attend the Zurich Institute because it was an International School. The Students, as well as the Analytical and Sandplay Instructors were from Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, North and South America, with Western and Eastern Religious backgrounds. As a Diploma Candidate, I worked with analysands (clients) from Europe, Asia and North America. I understand the human psyche from a multicultural perspective and I appreciate the diversity with which individuals and cultural groups experience and express psychological, physical and spiritual issues.

I completed my Psychoanalytic Training in 1999. I am a registered member of the International Association for Analytical Psychology (IAAP) and the Association of Graduate Analytical Psychologists (AGAP). I currently serve as the President of the Western Canadian Association of Jungian Analysts, an IAAP Society that I co-founded in 2000.

As a Certified Sandplay Therapist, I hold memberships with the International Society for Sandplay Therapy and the Canadian Association for Sandplay Therapy.

I am a Registered Clinical Counsellor with the British Columbia Association of Clinical Counsellors and a Registered Nurse with the College of Registered Nurses of British Columbia.

Background: Professional Training and Experience (1975-1999)

• Masters of Arts Degree in Counselling Psychology. I entered the field of Psychology where I held clinical and administrative positions.
• Founder and Administrator of an Employee Assistance Program for the College of Registered Nurses of British Columbia.
• Co-ordinator of the Adolescent Out-Patient Treatment Program with the Alberta Drug and Alcohol Commission.
  
• 1989 began Private Practice and carried out psychotherapy with adults and adolescents struggling with eating disorders, sexual abuse and trauma issues, drug and alcohol dependence and depression.
  
• Professional Career began in Nursing following the completion of a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (1975). Following nine years of practice as a Registered Nurse in the roles of Nursing Instructor (Pediatric Nursing), Community Health Nurse and Acute Care Nurse in Canada and Oslo, Norway, I decided to enter the field of psychology and extend my focus of healing to include the psychological, spiritual, and physical levels.
  

Psychoanalytic Training in Zurich (1995-1999)

In 1995, I moved to Zurich to live and study full time at the C.G. Jung Institute. The course of studies that I completed included an in-depth study of Jung’s Analytical Psychology and his Collected Works, the works of Sigmund Freud and Alfred Adler, Dream Interpretation, Developmental Psychology, Psychopathology, Psychiatry, Ethnology, Mythology, Comparative Religions, Fairytale Interpretation and Therapeutic Art Interpretation. The program also required the fulfillment of a clinical internship, successful completion of two sets of formal exams and a written dissertation. Emphasis was placed on one’s personal Psychoanalysis and Personal Growth. A minimum of 350 hours of Psychoanalysis was required.

In my dissertation, “The Dynamic Nature of Aloneness”, I explored the fundamental issues of loneliness and solitude that all individuals encounter in life. Most of us long to be quiet and still and yet we resist spending time alone. Solitude is essential in order to come to know oneself. It is in our time alone that we experience our True Essence. Being Alone is integral to spiritual growth and inner understanding. Individuals are often very surprised by what consciously arises and how much they learn about themselves when time is spent alone in self-reflection. Jungian Analysis offers the individual an opportunity to deeply explore their personal experience of Aloneness in all of its dimensions.

The Choice to Practice in Victoria, British Columbia

Nature and the environment are very important to me. I chose to live in Victoria because it allows me to easily access the beautiful forests and the ocean, settings that I find rejuvenating. I am an avid hiker, cyclist and kayaker. I also practice yoga and meditation.

Although Victoria is my permanent home, travel and learning about the diverse cultures of the world are of great interest to me. I have traveled extensively and I have lived and worked in Norway, Australia, France and Switzerland.