For as long as I can remember, I've been fascinated by the mind-body connection: the many ways that our thinking, moods, and behavior influence our physical health, and on the other hand, the impact of chronic medical conditions on our mental health and psychological well being.
My professional training enabled me to develop true expertise in this area. I obtained a PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Vermont, where I researched the psychological impact of cancer on patients and their families and worked directly with those affected by cancer. I then completed a clinical internship and post-doctoral fellowship at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine, where I received additional specialized training in health psychology, with a focus on providing psychology services within primary care clinics and the management of chronic pain. Throughout my training, I worked closely and collaboratively with physicians and other health-care providers and learned how to be a team player in integrated health-care settings.
After completing my post-doctoral training, I accepted a position at the World Health Organization's headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. In this setting, I was able to apply my expertise at the global level. I worked as part of a mental health policy and service development team, and then led WHO's initiative on improving health care for chronic conditions, with a particular focus on promoting new models of integrated, comprehensive, and patient-centered care. Later, I was a senior adviser for chronic diseases and health promotion. I returned from Geneva to Seattle in 2008, and I continued to be actively engaged with WHO on various projects throughout the next decade.
As much as I loved my global public health work, I very much missed interacting directly with patients. It is for that reason that I decided to return to clinical practice. My current clinical practice is centered around helping clients with:
- Chronic Pain
- Health Behaviour Change
- Adjustment to Illness/Injury
- Grief and Loss
- Sleep Disorders
- Professional Stress and Resilience
My therapeutic approach is evidence-based and practical, and drawn from cognitive-behavioural and behavioural approaches, as well as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), and mindfulness-based approaches. My recent intensive training includes Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT) and Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy (EAET), both approaches grounded in contemporary neuroscience and shown to help reverse chronic pain and other persistent physical symptoms.
I strive to create a supportive, non-judgmental environment where clients feel safe to learn, grow, and make meaningful change. I offer in-person sessions at our Cordova Bay clinic, and virtual appointments throughout British Columbia and Washington State.