REGISTERED CLINICAL COUNSELLOR

Bachelor of Arts in Economics – Wilfrid Laurier University
Masters of Counselling – City University of Seattle

Certification and Special Training:

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy – DBT Vancouver
Gottman Level 1 Couples Training

Special Interests

Trauma, intimate partner violence, anxiety, depression, women, men, couples, youth, neurodivergence, BIPOC, intergenerational trauma.

About Mandy

Having worked in corporate environments for over 15 years, moving to counselling is a career change for me. What inspired me to change is my lived experiences, where I found healing from depression, anxiety, and PTSD through my counselling journey. I want to help people make sense of their experiences and walk with them in their journey toward healing. My lived experiences, professional training, and education deeply inform my work and how I connect with my clients.

I use a collaborative, person-centred approach. I am aware of the constraints and social inequalities people face, which act as both a cause of mental health issues and a barrier to receiving help. I work with those experiencing various concerns through a trauma-informed, social justice and structural systems lens. I value healing through connection, sharing and community. Growth is a lifelong journey, and I provide a judgment-free safe space for clients to explore their inner world. Compassion, authenticity, and cultural sensitivity are my practice’s underlying values.

I use an eclectic approach to meet client needs. I offer evidence-based practices from mindfulness cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT), and others. Clinical experience includes working with trauma, youth mental health, intergenerational trauma, men’s mental health, anxiety, depression, intimate partner violence (IPV), BIPOC, and cognitive dissonance.

This work is profoundly humbling, and I am grateful to my clients who share their experiences with me.

I joined Alongside you in January 2022 as an intern and am happy to continue my practice as a therapist with the team here. At Alongside You, there is a diverse group of counsellors’ experiences, expertise and the range of modalities and clientele they work with. My education, training and lived experiences add a valuable contribution, and I have much to gain from the invaluable experience of working in such a supportive clinic.

What would Mandy be doing if she did not pursue the career path she has right now?

As this is a career change that I put a lot of time and conscious thought into, I see myself doing nothing else. If I had to choose, working in some area of health care or the helping field.

How does Mandy relax when she is outside of work?

I enjoy being in nature and do so as much as possible. My free time is spent listening to podcasts, reading, staying active, learning new things and doing yoga. My family and friends are a significant part of my life and a support network. I love travelling and have always been captivated by cultures and history – specifically how communities find happiness and connection. At our core, we are humans looking for meaning.

What does Mandy consider to be the most important value?

I consider gratitude for being my most important value. My journey has undone a lot of the learning instilled in me, and I appreciate this line of work because I genuinely believe in the power of counselling in healing.