Midwifery-Led
Counselling
Welcome,
As a registered midwife and registered social worker with special focus and training in perinatal mental health, I offer a unique perspective in our counselling relationship.
If you are pregnant or up to 6 weeks postpartum you may qualify for MSP-covered counselling. Please request a referral from your primary care provider.
It is important to me to carry registration with two professional colleges to maximize my ability to care for people at all stages of their lives. I’d like to acknowledge and distinguish between the kinds of care I can provide.
I have special permission from the BC College of Nurses and Midwives to provide care under an Alternate Practice Arrangement (APA). This means I do not practice full-scope midwifery in its traditional sense with primary care in pregnancy, birth and postpartum. However, if you are pregnant or within 6 weeks postpartum, you can be referred to me by a midwife, doctor, or public health nurse to provide additional mental health support to you. It is important to note because of the APA that I am not an on-call midwife, and I am not taking over care from your primary care provider. If you have urgent concerns, please contact them or 9-11.
As a registered social worker, I work towards “enhancing the well-being of individuals, families and communities within the context of the well-being of society. Social Workers believe in the dignity and worth of human beings. They promote social fairness and equal access and distribution of resources and opportunities.” (BCCSW, 2023). I would like to work with you in an ongoing therapeutic relationship, beyond my specialty focus of the perinatal period, which is what the social work designation allows. It’s important to me to be able to provide continuity throughout your life’s journeys and challenges.
How I work…
I come to counselling non-judgmentally, grounded in the belief of the transformational power of unconditional positive regard. My practice is informed by relational, somatic, attachment theories, as well as working modalities like Narrative therapy and critical social work. My counselling framework is based on the belief that you are the expert of your own life — I can join you alongside in the meaning making and writing of your own story. I can offer an analysis of systems of oppression, like capitalism, racism, colonialism, patriarchy, ableism, transphobia, and homophobia, that I see and how they can impact an individual’s mental health. These perspectives inform my work, however I’m primarily client-centered and want to meet you where you’re at. I want to work with you to figure out what would be best for our time together. Past midwifery clients have described me as a calming presence during times of stress and uncertainty – and I will bring this calming presence with me into our counselling relationship.