My History

I was born and grew up in England, an artist by nature, engineer by nurture, art and music have always been an interest of mine, but science was more stable, and at the time I needed security. Following in my Grandfather’s footsteps, I graduated from my local aerospace engineering college in England, finding my naturally analytical nature (I love to figure out how stuff works) and attention to detail (the more you understand the better as far as I’m concerned), well suited to the problem solving and highly technical environment of engineering. All those very same traits were later to be better expressed in my therapy career, but again, I’m jumping ahead.

My long-standing interest in the psychology of thought processes and my innate ability to help others understand concepts that previously baffled them, was initially expressed in, and quite well suited to, a career in teaching managers, blue collar factory workers and white collar office staff how to work smart not hard, in addition to authoring several technical manuals and instructional aids. My college education had provided me with various communication courses, workplace management classes and a sound background in industrial relations along with a firm understanding of the legalities of employment, which sparked an interest in employment equity. I started serving on an office committee, mediating the working conditions and employee rights of engineering professionals between staff and management, but I was about to spread my wings and venture out into the big wide world.

I began a career in corporate consulting, developing and facilitating workshops in addition to providing technical support and process advice to many of the world’s leaders in aerospace and automotive design in the U.S, Europe and Canada, having been offered the opportunity to travel and teach by a Canadian company, eager to profit from my expertise. I chose to make my home in Ontario Canada and since then, I have spent the second half of my life so far, following my heart in an educational blend of artistic, spiritual and academic pursuits, becoming the mindful therapist I am at this moment. Still interested in equity, just not only at work.

My post graduate level psychotherapy training was conducted by the toronto institute for relational psychotherapy (TIRP). You could consider me a relational therapist, but things are rarely so simple. Drawn to the mind body connection, hypnosis was the first formal training in a therapeutic discipline that I engaged in, followed by a growing client list benefitting from the insights, motivation and direction that self-hypnosis offers. I am informed by a number of psychological theories such as intersubjectivity, humanism, feminism, object relations and self psychology, all inherently psychodynamic and relational modalities.

I have studied the science of stress in great depth. Initially in college from an mechanical, engineering perspective, later followed by an organic perspective. My post-graduate level studies with the Canadian Institute of Stress, founded by Canadian Father of stress, Hans Selye, have significantly informed and moulded my therapist self. I have also studied many empirical research based relaxation strategies in addition to studying the art of meditation instruction under the master guidance of the Lord Abbot of one of Thailand’s most esteemed group of temples.

I have both trained and taught in colleges, university, government offices temples and institutions. I continue to engage in self-development, viewing self-development as a life long commitment, after all, you can never know everything. In addition to my private therapy practice where I see individuals and couples weekly, I have developed several anxiety reduction workshops for York University’s Faculty of Health, School of Nursing, where I have been employed to facilitate anxiety reduction workshops and conduct anxiety and technology based research for the university.

My personal goal is to lead the association into the 21st century by helping them integrate cutting edge technology into the way that this is accomplished.

I will soon hold professional membership with the College of Registered Psychotherapists and Mental Health Therapists of Ontario when the legislation process for the profession of registered psychotherapists (RPs) is completed, scheduled to begin registration this coming summer.

I am currently enrolled in ongoing supervision for my individual and couples therapy in addition to specialized supervision and advanced training in clinical hypnotherapeutic techniques.

My aim is to continue learning and growing as a therapist, particularly in the clinical supervision of trainees which I have been gaining experience in for over a year now.

I do not know where my path will lead, but I do know that the destination will be both challenging and satisfying.