When I decided to call my therapy practice "SpiritFirst Counselling" I did not anticipate the questions the name would generate. "Are you a new-age flake?" or "Are you a religious fanatic?" These two extremes are laughable to people who know me and my work, but they are understandable upon a first encounter with the notion of "spirit first".

No, I am not a new age flake and I am not a religious fanatic. I am somewhere in between.
For my Master's thesis, I created a Masters level course for counsellor-trainees in spiritual competencies. “Spiritual” in this context is not necessarily connected to “religion” (although it can be). I used the American Counselling Association’s competencies in four major areas - knowledge of spiritual phenomena, awareness of one’s own spiritual perspective, understanding clients’ spiritual perspective, and spirituality-related interventions and strategies (Hage, et al., 2006). These competencies are not specific to any one spiritual tradition so my work is syncretic, ecumenical and global. I am respectful and sensitive in acknowledging that spirituality may not be salient for individual clients, and my rigorous training in a variety of psychotherapy modalities allows for other avenues for healing.

I describe my work as holistic, feminist, intuitive and inclusive (LGBT friendly). By holistic, I focus on the biopsychosocial-spiritual resources and obstacles in individuals’ lives. As a feminist, I am concerned with the healing of women and girls from physical and sexual violence. By intuitive, I simply mean I combine my own extensive life experience with all six senses in my work. Finally, by inclusive I mean that while I often work with heterosexual individuals, I am also at ease working with lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or transsexual individuals, or with those who are questioning. Of course, inclusive also means that I work with seniors, immigrants (I welcome translators), and those with physical disabilities (my practice space is wheelchair accessible).

Two upcoming group offerings are:

"New Beginnings: Coping With Change" which will meet Tuesday evenings from 6:30 to 8:30 for eight weeks beginning October 20th. Loss & change can come in many forms from death, a child leaving home, losing your job, separation/divorce, sudden disability or terminal illness, menopause, midlife issues, or
moving. Change pain is personal so your situation cannot be compared to another’s. Together we will explore change & loss in its many forms as well as strategies for coping, & support for one another.

The second group is "Composing Your Spiritual Autobiography". In a safe and accepting space, this three hour psycho-educational and experiential workshop invites you to consider your spiritual journey thus far. You will be guided through a process where you will reflect on transformative events and people in your life to date, and consider next steps in the journey. Join us Saturday, November 7th from 1 to 4 pm at the beautiful, peaceful and inspiring Ocean Resort - 4384 Island Highway, Campbell River, BC.

And . . . no worries, neither group will be led by a "new age flake" or "religious fanatic". Feel free to contact me at 250-792-2501 or e-mail me at spiritfirst,,,shaw.ca. You can visit my website at http://spiritfirstcounselling.shawwebspace.ca