Cara's Counselling Experience

I come to this work as a deeply feeling therapist. I’ve accumulated 40 years of
experience in being human, including navigating my own relationship with anxiety, self-
criticism, and learning to balance caring for others with caring for myself. I hold a
Master’s degree from the University of Victoria and am a Registered Clinical Counsellor
(RCC) and Registered Social Worker (RSW)

My path into this work began in 2007, supporting families working to break cycles of
trauma and abuse. That early work shaped both my clinical lens and my deep respect
for resilience. Over the past 15 years, I’ve practiced across a range of clinical settings,
including private practice, outpatient and residential treatment programs, sexual assault
centres and community-based agencies. This breadth of experience allows me to work
flexibly with both immediate distress and long-standing patterns.

My approach is warm, attachment-oriented, and trauma-informed. I balance safety and
atunement with thoughtful structure and gentle challenge — always at a pace that feels
respectful and supportive. I draw on several evidence-based modalities to address
trauma and complex trauma (PTSD/C-PTSD), cycles of OCD and anxiety, self-criticism
and perfectionism, BPD and emotional or relationship patterns that feel difficult to
interrupt.

I draw on evidence-based approaches such as DBT, ERP, ICBT, CBT to help clients
learn tangible tools for feeling safe in their minds and bodies. When trauma is a
contributing factor, I integrate EMDR alongside somatic and parts work to help the
nervous system reprocess unresolved experiences.