“The experience of speaking from the heart and being taken seriously builds the psychic architecture that supports the capacity to bear life”
Nancy McWilliams
How did you get here?
Perhaps you've noticed you have difficulty controlling spinning thoughts. You go through imaginary arguments in your mind or replay real life conversations over and over and over again. You may ask yourself how others see you or "how do I even see myself anymore?" Maybe you feel you have had the same relationship on repeat with different people or you have difficulty creating one with others in general. You've read a bunch of books off Amazon and you've streamed all The TED talks. You've tried so hard at replacing your negative thoughts with positive thoughts, but it's not quite working. You may have been in therapy before and it didn't feel like it was the right fit. You feel like you’ve tried all the things and maybe it’s just a part of who you are and who you always will be. You might even have a sneaking suspicion of where it may have started.
But you’re here. So maybe you still believe in the possibility of change.
So lets start from the beginning. The very beginning. We can work at healing past wounds while using healthy coping strategies we build together to reduce symptoms. We do this with the ultimate goal of having the symptoms occur less and less often. Your present challenges are not to be minimized as we use these to create new strategies and outcomes.
If you feel you are ready, you can make the call or send an email to set up an initial appointment. Grab a coffee before, get comfy on your couch/bed/ back yard (sessions are virtual only) , maybe bring your dog, cat, bird or lizard and we can start a new journey. Tears are not mandatory and a sense of humour is always welcome. It is one of the more sophisticated defense mechanisms after all.
About Jillian
Jillian holds a Masters degree in Counselling Psychology from McGill University. She has also received specialized training in psychodynamic/psychoanalytic psychotherapy form the Argyle Institute of Human Relations in Montreal, Quebec and holds a certificate in Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy. She has experience working with long-term clients at both of the above-mentioned institutions as well as ten years in full time private practice post graduation.
Jillian works from a psychodynamic orientation to assist clients in the process of working through issues such as anxiety, trauma, anger and attachment difficulties. Through the therapy process, clients can expect to learn and be aware of how to identify and communicate emotions, to learn how their past informs the present, and to gain a deeper understanding of relationships, including the relationship with the therapist.
Psychodynamic Orientation
Psychodynamic psychotherapy is considered a more modernized approach of psychoanalysis. It’s not quite the “lay down on my couch and I will interpret your dreams” type of therapy you might imagine. But if your couch is comfortable, I have the training to interpret dreams if you so wish. The client and therapist work together to develop healthy coping skills while delving deeper to identify long standing emotional and behavioural patterns. The focus and exploration of these patterns emphasize questions such as “why are the symptoms there in the first place? And where did they come from?” The therapist and client work together to process and resolve past emotional pain and attachment wounds while creating healthier patterns of relationships and emotional processing.
Psychodynamic therapy is a form of long term therapy where clients attend sessions on a regular and consistent schedule. I ask that clients commit to a biweekly (every second week) schedule minimum. Weekly is also available. Sessions are at the same time on the same date. I do not offer once a month or casual appointments.
I do not ask for a specific length of time that clients remain in therapy. Termination of therapy sessions is based on personal readiness and is up to your discretion.
For further information, please click on the link below.
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