Heal, Grow, Shine

Hi, I’m Maria

Welcome,

For as long as I can remember I have been drawn to core questions faced by humanity: Who are we? Why are we here? How can we live fully and exuberantly? As life unfolded and presented challenges and losses, new questions were added to this list: How do we make sense of suffering? How can we cultivate resilience? What does it mean to live in community? And ultimately, how can we navigate and integrate the inevitable hardships of life and still find space for joy, wonder and curiosity?

We all face times throughout our life where support for the journey is needed. I believe that connection and belonging are foundations for building hope and resilience, and I work from a lens that honours the wholistic integration of physical, emotional, mental and spiritual wellbeing. .

I believe we all have inherent worth and I affirm our human right to respect and belonging. My practice is inclusive and I welcome individuals of all identity factors including gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, language, and any other status.

In my practice I offer support in three interrelated areas of focus supporting clients to heal, grow, and shineIt is a privilege to walk alongside and bear witness to the process of client’s healing, growth and transformation.

CREDENTIALS

Registered Counselling Therapist Candidate (RCT-C) - Nova Scotia College of Counselling Therapists

Canadian Certified Counsellor - Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association

Master of Education in Counselling (M.Ed.) - Acadia Univeristy

Extensive Polyvagal Training - Rhythm’s of Regulation by Deb Dana

Bachelor of Education in Outdoor and Experiential Education - Queen’s Univeristy 

Therapeutic Approaches

Grounded in evidence-based therapeutic approaches, and working from a place that honours body, mind and spirit, each counselling session is catered to your specific needs and goals. Therapeutic methods regularly included in practice include:

  • Polyvagal Theory

  • Mindful Self-Compassion

  • Person Centered Therapy

  • ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy)

  • Existential, Narrative, and Feminist theory

  • Arts and Nature-Based Modalities

Areas of Focus

  • Existential questioning/crisis

  • Grief

  • Anxiety and depression 

  • Spiritual support

  • Career counselling

  • Navigating difficult life transitions (adults)

  • Transition to post-secondary and adulthood (youth)

  • Resilience building

  • Personal growth and development

  • and more…

Supporting you to

Heal, Grow, Shine

Heal

At some point in our lives we will all experience some form of pain, loss, trauma or suffering. From this place of woundedness we can choose to harden and become bitter, or choose to embrace a pathway of healing and transformation. I work with individuals facing grief, existential crisis, trauma, depression, and other types of suffering. Whether your experience is recent, or has been present for a long time, having someone walk alongside can be a significant part of the healing process. I am grateful to be able to offer a variety of modalities to support wholistic healing of body, mind, and spirit.

“The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen.”

- Elizabeth Kubler Ross

Grow

As humans, we are designed and hardwired for growth and at some level we all desire to be the best versions of ourselves! Sometimes the desire to grow comes from the realization of a gap between the reality of where we currently are, and the ideal of where we would like to be. This can be a painful and challenging experience to realize we fall short of the mark we set for ourselves. But there is so much hope! Commitment to personal growth fosters resilience, empowerment and personal transformation; it is nothing short of life-changing.

“Never underestimate the power you have to take your life in a new direction” - Germany Kent

Shine

Do you have a deep sense that you were designed for more? Do you have dreams and goals and visions for your life that you are passionate about but feel stuck in moving towards them? Or do you struggle with articulating your dreams but have a desire to live a life of contribution and influence in the world? Counselling not only provides support when things are challenging, but can also be an incredible tool that provides insight, fosters personal development and helps burst through barriers that are preventing your fullest expression. Offering tools for self-discovery, self-mastery and accountability, while remaining grounded in our humanity and inherent worthiness, I am passionate about supporting individuals seeking to pursue living as fully, abundantly and wholeheartedly as possible.

“What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” - Mary Oliver

It is worth noting that while you may or may not have a clear starting place that prompts you towards counselling, the elements of Heal, Grow, Shine are not linear. Different areas of our life may be more focused on healing, or growth, and it is part of the lifelong journey of “shining” to embrace and integrate all our parts.