"It took me, physically and emotionally, a long time to get there - there was a part of me that knew I should seek help for, but coming from a small, northern, first nation community with limited professional services, I felt there were few supports for someone who was not in obvious crisis, and there was a part of me that was fearful of what my opening up would do. I was fearful of so much, so all the more reason to stay in my safety zone and to live behind the mask of things being okay.
During the course of my life I experienced multiple traumas resulting in subsequent multiple, out of my control, changes and by having to focus so much of my energy on personal survival, i had forgotten how to be me. On the surface my life was okay, however, I was carrying underlying issues and emotional pain that affected every aspect of my life and my relationships with the people around me, my family, my friends, my community. Throughout my life, when things happened, I was encouraged to get up, brush myself off, stop crying and keep going, so that is what I did.
I appreciated M helping me to understand myself and how what I thought I had brushed off and left behind, still had relevance to me today.I did not have counselling previously and did not know what to expect. I came away from the first session with a work plan that we created together. I experienced a sense of connection I had not had in a long, long time, there was immediate change, I was able to connect with myself. I understood things about myself that before I may at some level have been aware of but did not have any way of it making sense and I was provided with tools and resources that help me to leave the past behind and to be in the present .
I felt heard - M listened to me as a complete person – she gets the tenuous balance of the physical, spiritual, emotional and mental and how critical that balance is to being human and the challenges and the rewards of maintaining that innate tension or balance in real time. It was like M knew what I needed and guided me to taking the responsibility in making that choice for myself, all the while supporting and providing me with the tools and the resources I needed to understand and follow through with my insights. I became aware of, and with M's insightful and intuitive guidance, was able to make connection with my emotions and with my reaction to what was going on in my life – and upon reflection, understand where that emotion was coming from within myself .
I was given plenty of supporting supplementary material, including a further reading list, that she was familiar with and knowledgeable about, to support what we discussed.
During my time with M I felt safe – she comes from a place of compassion that is real and sincere - she makes herself available and truly cares about your progress.
I came away with a work plan and today I have custom made 'tools' and I choose to use them which makes a difference in my day – i can be present even, and especially, when I face challenges. M has assured me that I can be healthy, happy and whole again if i deal with things – and I trust and believe her."
- Rachel
