Life is difficult. We all face
challenges that leave us feeling sad, angry, overwhelmed, and at times,
stuck. Our feelings affect our
behaviours and soon we find ourselves snapping at others, hating our jobs,
drinking, and not eating or sleeping, among other symptoms. People
naturally find ways to cope, but not every coping skill is helpful. Some
people use over-reactive emotions, self-harm, substances, and/or sex to
control their pain. Others shut down and become stuck in toxic
relationships and stressful work environments. Suddenly we barely
recognize ourselves. If you have ever
told yourself that this is not the person you want to be, you are not
alone. Seeking professional help is the
first step in making positive change. As
a registered psychologist, I am prepared to help you alleviate these symptoms,
process difficult experiences, and move on with a new perspective.
If you are consumed by intense emotions, emptiness, worry, grief, or
suicidal thoughts, I want to help. If
you lack fulfillment and want a better life, I want to help. I believe in creating a comfortable, understanding,
and trusting relationship that is conducive to promoting personal growth. It is important to me that you feel safe and
free to share about your difficulties.
Together, we will give you a voice and the tools required to make
positive life changes.
I have worked effectively with adult individuals, as well as children, teens, and
families for 7 years. If you are hurting, there is a large chance that your
family is also hurting. My goal in family work is to
restore damaged familial relationships and target tantrums, shutting down,
social isolation, self-harm, and suicidal ideations in children. I
can address individual concerns with parents or children and provide
psychoeducation on parenting in difficult situations.
Although I generally
use a Cognitive Behavioural approach to therapy, I also implement elements of
mindfulness, Positive Psychology, Solution-Focused, Play, and Art therapies to
better fit your or your family's needs. Sessions include working together to set
goals, challenge problematic thinking patterns and behaviours, and improve
coping skills to help you overcome difficulties and successfully work through
challenges. Please contact me to find out how we
can work together to take that next step forward and change your life.
What does a typical first appointment with me look like?
Setting up first appointment can be a scary process. We do not know what to expect or how to proceed. Will I be charged for a phone consultation? Will I be judged before I even make it to my appointment? Clients may contact me by telephone or email. If I am not readily available, I will typically reply within a few to 24 hours. We may briefly discuss your issues prior to setting up an appointment to determine whether or not we are a good therapist/client match and to better plan for our first session. I will highlight any important issues and answer questions that you may have before scheduling you in for an official first session. During our initial session, we will take some time to get to know one another and to feel comfortable within the environment. With a cozy office and an amazing view of the legislature buildings, comfortability is often easily achieved! We will also complete consent forms, gather information about your difficulties, and create a plan for how to address your concerns. Subsequent session topics will vary depending on our plan, but the session itself will typically last from 50-60 minutes, with payments being processed at the end of each session. I often encourage clients to engage in tasks outside of our sessions to ensure that you are receiving the maximum benefit of our work together.
Working with Adults vs Children
I love the diversity of working with both adults and children. I customize my approaches based on the strengths, interests, and developmental capacities of each client. If a client is not able to engage in typical talk therapy and would benefit from alternative means of communication, I am able to incorporate play and art therapies, mindfulness approaches, and solution-focused perspectives. It is not unusual for me to use sand trays, plasticine anger monsters, memory boxes, and visual timelines or behavioural cycles in my sessions with both adults and children, depending on their wants and/or needs.
What do clients say about me?
A recent client described me as compassionate, genuine, and down-to-Earth, yet not afraid to challenge them! I believe that challenging you is imperative to our work together and your success. My goal is not to enable that feeling of being stuck, but instead, to give you the tools and encouragement you need to move forward.
For 6 years, I worked with very intense cases that widened my perspective on the world and challenged my knowledge and abilities. With this work in mind, it would be easy to describe me as an open-minded therapist who does not shy away from tough cases or resistant clients. I easily adjust my counselling approaches to help promote positive rapport, comfortability, knowledge development, and overall personal growth. I do not give up easily.
Miranda Rempel Reaches
Mill Woods, Edmonton AB