I studied social work in London, U.K. from 2004-2007 and received my Bachelor of Social Work there.

During my internship and brief subsequent employment, I worked in outpatient palliative care social work, where I worked with terminally ill people at the end of life.

The work included formal psychotherapeutic support as well as help with practical and bureaucratic matters. During that time, my practicum supervisor trained me in Roger’s person-centered approach, which still serves as a foundation for me today.

Not long after graduation, I moved to Canada where I soon became the mother to our first child. Workwise, I no longer dealt with death and dying or with social work.
Over the course of a few years I completed several courses in the areas of personal training and movement and instructed pre and postnatal exercise classes and workshops.

During that time I became more and more interested in the mechanisms of the human body and learned a lot about anatomy, biomechanics and that our bodies need movement for health. I also learnt about birth injuries and birth trauma, as well as the physical and psychological stress of mothers.

In this context, I came across Somatic Experiencing (SE) which is Peter Levine’s body of work. SE is a resource and body-focused approach to resolving traumatic and chronic stress.

Between 2015 and 2018, I completed the 3 year SE training as well as a Masters in Social Work.

My Master’s program had a strong focus on antiracist and anticolonial social work and psychotherapy which challenged me (as it still does) to reflect on my own social location, a process that hopefully benefits my clients.

The story of our family of origin as well as the social, political and economic structures we grew up in and within which we currently live are closely intertwined with our physical and mental health (or illness). My therapeutic approach meets along those intersections.