Compassionate Counselling Through Your Big Life Transitions
Let’s be honest, adulthood can feel like a rollercoaster. It’s messy, complicated, and during times like pregnancy, early parenthood, or perimenopause, it can feel especially overwhelming. You might find yourself wondering where you fit in all of it.
As your counsellor, I’ll meet you where you are at and take the time to really get to know you. Its important that our work together feels supportive, meaningful, and guided by what matters to you.
Your story matters - every part of it
and it helps me understand how to best support you. And we can meet in whatever way feels most comfortable for you: online or in-person at my Burnaby office.
Perinatal Support: Pregnancy and Postpartum
The journey from pregnancy to postpartum is truly life-changing. It’s a season of deep transformation - physically, emotionally, and in every part of who you are. There’s even a word for this process: matrescence - the transition we move through in pregnancy, birth, and beyond.
It can bring moments of joy and connection, but it can also feel overwhelming, confusing, and at times, lonely. Often, there’s a gap between what we imagined this time would be like and how it actually feels. As a mother myself, and someone who has the privilege of supporting other moms, I know how much it matters to have gentle, compassionate care along the way.
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If you’d like to connect for counselling during pregnancy or postpartum, here are some of the challenges I can support with:
Support During Pregnancy
Anxiety about pregnancy, birth, or becoming a parent
Fertility challenges and the emotional toll
Pregnancy after loss or previous trauma
Processing complicated or ambivalent feelings
Body changes and identity shifts
Relationship changes with partner
Preparing emotionally for parenthood
Managing intrusive thoughts or fears about pregnancy/birth
Postpartum Counselling:
Postpartum anxiety, depression, rage, or mood changes
Struggles with identity ("who am I anymore?")
Relationship struggles with partner
Feeling isolated, misunderstood, or alone
Guilt and shame around struggling
Birth trauma or difficult birth experiences
Grief and loss (of self, relationship, expectations, or pregnancy/infant loss)
Setting boundaries with family and friends
Navigating conflicting advice and pressure
Struggles with Intrusive thoughts
Counselling for Parents
You know the kind of parent you want to be - but showing up that way every day isn’t easy. We all work so hard to get it “right”, and with so much advice and messaging coming from every direction, it’s no wonder parenting can feel overwhelming.
Through counselling, I help parents name these pressures, understand what feels especially hard for them, and find a sense of steadiness and self-compassion in the midst of it all.
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If you’re seeking counselling support to help you navigate the ups and downs of parenthood, here are some of the challenges I can help with:
Identity shifts ("who am I beyond being a parent?")
Feeling like you're failing or not enough
Managing difficult emotions (anxiety, overwhelm, rage, guilt)
Boundary-setting with children, partners, extended family
Your own childhood experiences resurfacing
Relationship challenges with partner, co-parent, family, friends
Feeling isolated or misunderstood
Finding yourself again while fully immersed in parenting
Navigating Your Menopause Transition
Perimenopause and Menopause mark a significant and deeply personal season of change. It can stir shifts in mood, energy, and identity, leaving many women feeling uncertain, unseen, or disconnected from themselves. In counselling, we can explore what this transition means for you - making space for the emotions, questions, and growth it brings.
Just like other seasons of life, such as pregnancy or early parenthood, this too is a time of transformation where support, understanding, and self-compassion can make all the difference.
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Here are some examples of what we can address in counselling to support with peri/menopause:
Identity shifts, loss of sense of self, and questioning purpose ("who am I now?")
Feeling misunderstood, dismissed, or invisible (by healthcare providers, partners, society)
Mood changes, or feelings of anxiety and irritability
Body changes and shifting relationship to self
Relationship challenges (with partners, adult children, aging parents)
Grief for what's ending, uncertainty about what's next
Managing multiple life transitions happening simultaneously (empty nest, aging parents, career shifts)
Self-compassion through the physical and emotional changes
Additional Areas of Support
During times of transition, it’s common to notice shifts in our mental health - sometimes amplifying what was already there or bringing new ones to the surface. While supporting folks through the perinatal and peri/menopause stages, issues that also may overlap and that we can address together include:
Anxiety, stress, and burnout
Depression and low mood
Trauma
Grief and Loss
Session Fees
Individual Counselling Session (50 minutes):
$175
Sessions are available in-person in Burnaby or virtually throughout BC
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Before committing to counselling, we can have a brief, no-pressure phone consult to discuss what you're looking for and to see if we're a good fit.
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Payment is due at the end of session, and can be made by either e-transfer or credit card.
I provide receipts that can be submitted to extended health insurance plans. Many plans cover Registered Clinical Counsellors under mental health benefits.
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Clients will be charged the full session fee for any missed sessions or sessions cancelled with less than 48 hours notice.
Thank you for your understanding of this policy.
I know starting counselling can feel overwhelming. To put your mind at ease, here's what you can expect when we work together:
Book a Free 15-Minute Consult:
We can start with a brief, no-pressure consult call. We will talk about what’s led you to reach out for counselling, and I can share a bit about me and how I work. If it feels like a good fit for you, we can schedule your 50 minute initial session, virtual or in-person, through the JaneApp.
First Session - Understanding your Story:
Our initial session is a chance for us to connect and take some time to talk about what’s brought you here. We’ll explore what you’d like to work on and start shaping a plan that fits your needs. Your story matters - hearing it helps me understand how to best support you moving forward.
Ongoing Sessions - The Work:
As our work together progresses, we begin to gently dig deeper and explore the roots of who you are - making sense of your experiences and the connections between them. Through this process, we can start to understand where certain emotional responses stem from and how they influence your thoughts and behaviours. Together, we’ll notice and reflect on the changes and shifts that emerge over the course of counselling, fostering greater self-awareness and growth.
Flexibility and Evolution:
Counselling is a flexible process that naturally evolves over time. As you start to notice shifts, feel more grounded, and grow in confidence with the awareness and tools you’ve developed, you may find that sessions don’t need to happen as often. We can always talk together about what feels right for you and what level of support is most helpful. The pace of our work, how we work, and what we focus on can all change and adapt to you, your needs, and the different seasons of your life.
Where To Start
We can start with a free 15-minute phone consultation: a chance for us to have a chat about what’s brought you to counselling, and for me to share a little about how I work.
It’s an opportunity for us to see if it feels like a good fit - no pressure, just a space to explore what feels right for you
The seasons of life can be hard to navigate. Support is here for you.