Family Counselling Services in Chilliwack, BC.

Experience: Throughout my 20 years of professional experience in the human services field I have been driven by a passion for helping others that I now bring to Clinical Counseling. It is rewarding to serve youth, adults, and families, helping them to overcome distressing and traumatic life events while realizing their strengths and resilient qualities. My clinical counselling practice includes supporting individuals who experience anxiety, depression, PTSD, grief and loss, self-harming behaviors, suicide ideation, and those who experienced domestic violence. My lived experiences inform my practice. Being married for 33 years and raising three children, now young adults, has increased my empathy, compassion, and understanding for youth, adults, and...(view profile to read more)

Today family can mean different things to different people. Each family structure is challenged with their own set of difficulties and problems. Whether you are a blended family, single parent family due to divorce or loss, adoptive family, same sex parents, or traditional, we recognize family dynamics can be complicated. Together we will work to develop strong communication skills between each family member, while nurturing and solidifying the family unit. We will work to overcome conflict, heal the wounds of the past, build parenting skills and create a safe environment where all family members can be heard.

I strongly believe in restorative and compassionate counselling for families that have conflict in their relationships. Family members can also get into patterns of communicating and relating that cross healthy boundaries and leave them feeling drained and disrespected. My approach leans on family systems and understanding each individual and their role in the family unit. My therapeutic approach is built on Bowen's family therapy, tragic therapy, contextual and narrative therapy modalities. Family therapy is beneficial to building healthy boundaries between family members, strengthening the family unit , building trust and respect where is was lost, and finding healing from loss and trauma

My approach is centered on fostering open communication, understanding, and cohesion among family members. Recognizing the unique dynamics within familial relationships, I tailor interventions to address the complexities of diverse family structures. By emphasizing effective communication strategies, conflict resolution, and the cultivation of a supportive family environment, my goal is to strengthen the bonds that connect each family member. Through a collaborative process, clients benefit from developing practical tools to navigate challenges, build resilience, and foster a harmonious family life.

Family therapy is essential for understanding deeper systemic issues. Through the implementation of family systems therapy and family counseling nurturing family change and ongoing development becomes possible. It's important and helpful to involve the family in solutions as this quite often benefits the clients. This direct involvement of families is commonly accomplished by direct participation in the therapeutic process. When one person starts to change this evokes change in other family members.

Family counseling focuses on improving dynamics and fostering harmony within the entire family unit. My approach emphasizes understanding each family member’s unique perspective while addressing patterns that may cause conflict or disconnect. Together, we work to enhance communication, resolve misunderstandings, and strengthen relationships by building mutual respect and collaboration. Clients benefit from a deeper understanding of one another, improved problem-solving skills, and a more supportive, connected family environment where everyone can thrive.

Any relationship at any time, can face challenges. Families are not an exception to the rule. When crisis hits, we sometimes feel desperate, seeking help from a professional might be the best route at that time, instead of trying old tools that have never worked. At Cognitive Health Clinic, the DESTINATION AFFINITY COUNSELLING CENTRES you will feel not be judged, you will feel accepted, comfortable, in a safe and confidential environment to disclose the issues that hindrance your family dynamic. I will support you, work with you to find sustainable solutions.

Family dynamics can be a complicated and sensitive balance within a home. This can be made increasingly complicated by divorce, blended families, individual parenting, spiritual values, health issues and much more. Counseling can provide family members a neutral voice and a place to be heard when fighting and arguing is impacting daily functioning and happiness, of one or more family members. We also help develop necessary tools to resolve conflict in a healthy way, bringing peace and harmony back to everyday lives.

Exploring better ways to resolve conflict and communicate effectively with one another can be meaningful ways of supporting many concerns within families. Concerns can range from communication issues to crises. I, therefore, approach family counselling through a systems lens, where each member plays an integral role within the system and where the system can impact each individual within it.

Imagine a family as a tree with branches, roots, trunk representing parts of the immediate and extended family. When working with families, all elements are considered. Usually there is a request for family therapy due to one of it's members in crisis, often a child. However, when an analysis of need is done it becomes apparent that more than one member of the family needs help in adjusting, growing and learning new behaviours. Clients contact me for a variety of reasons: to improve communications, solve family problems, support in special situations such as death, divorce, marriage, illness, child or adolescent issues.

Listening with love is a gift that family members can give to each other. Carey can help you to have meaningful conversations that lead to desired changes in the family. Relying on systems theory and effective communication practices, emotional bonds can be strengthened and misunderstandings corrected. Carey's goal is for each family member to have a positive counselling experience with their hope for change realized. Family members can work toward interpersonal goals on their own in session or invite family members to join them.

Most of my training has been in family therapy. I love having the opportunity of working with the whole family as it is often so productive and rewarding! I have training in several different modalities which provides me with the opportunity to mix and match as needed when trying to help families solve complicated issues! It is often much more effective working with the complete family rather than pieces of the family.