Bio I’m glad you’re here! I am a Canadian Certified Counsellor (CCC). I collaborate with individual adults navigating life’s transitions, relationship hurdles, and everyday "stuckness" (which folks sometimes name anxiety, stress, people-pleasing, burnout, and more).
If you are looking to shake things up, I am ready to put in the work right alongside you to help get you somewhere new. I love it when we get into a good rhythm of asking big questions together that can spark fresh ideas and shifts in physical energy you can take outside our conversations and live in your daily life.
Having called Japan home for more than a decade and a half, I value an honest, grounded talk and try to bring my genuine curiosity and warmth to our therapeutic partnership. I don’t keep secrets about how I work. I aim for a relationship where my work is out in the open with you, whether it’s how I take session notes or how the business side of the practice runs. I believe this transparency keeps me focused on my commitments to respecting and supporting your agency, as well as keeping me accountable to how I use my professional presence in our sessions.
In our talks, I lean heavily into Narrative Therapy and other collaborative and invitational approaches, prioritizing your unique lived experience. We will focus on the things that matter most to you: like your values, your skills, your hopes and wishes, and the life you are actively trying to build despite the hurdles in your way. My strict professional policy is to treat you as the boss of the conversation, ensuring you always guide what we talk about and the pace of the territory we explore. My genuine hope is that you leave our talks feeling a bit surprised by what’s possible and hopeful about the options ahead.
Clients I Work With Individual adults who are physically located within Japan during our online sessions; English-speaking immigrants, long-term residents, international students, corporate expats, and returnees actively navigating cross-cultural complexities; members of the LGBTQIA+ community looking for a welcoming, respectful, and inclusive space.
Hours By Appointment. I generally offer weekday daytime slots, several evenings a week, and alternating Saturdays (usually every other week). Please reach out through my website contact form, and if you note what dates/times will typically work for you, I’ll get back to you shortly about if my availabilities currently mesh.
Please note that 90-minute sessions are available during weekday daytime hours only.
Additional Education What training is a key influence on how I work with your life story?
• Narrative Therapy (Levels 1 & 2) (Institute of Narrative Therapy (UK)) – A collaborative approach that invites us to separate our identities from the problems we face. Narrative practices can allow us to look beyond limiting cultural or mainstream narratives to highlight the unique skills, values, and preferred ways of living you already hold.
What training accompanies me when we step up to experiences of intense inner tension or stress?
• ACT (Acceptance & Commitment Therapy) for Trauma (Dr. Russ Harris) – A third-generation CBT approach using practical mindfulness tools to help you stay grounded through heavy emotional clouds and unhook from restrictive stories.
• Window of Tolerance: Nervous System Regulation (Dr. David Treleaven & Mental Health Academy) – A trauma-informed approach for understanding our immediate somatic experiences (e.g. intense tension or protective shutdown), using mindfulness to safely expand our daily capacity for stress.
