Hello! I'm Emma
About Me
My name means ‘to care’ and I have always been drawn to helping others. I grew up in England where I trained to be a middle school teacher. Although I loved teaching, I came to realize that I wanted to focus on supporting people’s social, emotional, and mental wellbeing. Therefore, I left my teaching position and began a convoluted journey that took me all over the world working in a wide range of programs that included working with street-involved youth, individuals struggling with addictions, and those grappling with grief and loss. Eventually, my journey brought me to Victoria, BC. I feel deeply grateful to be able to call this place ‘home’ and to live, work, and play on the traditional lands of the Lekwungen peoples.
Since being in Victoria, I have worked in a variety of contexts, which have all involved coming alongside families facing challenging situations. From 2008-2018, I was employed at the University of Victoria Family Centre offering support to student families juggling school and parenting while a long way from extended family and friends. During my time at the Family Centre, I became a certified Positive Parenting Educator and an accredited provider of the Level Four Group Triple P Parenting Program. In 2018, I left this position to pursue a master’s degree at the University of Victoria. As part of the master’s program, I completed a nine-month clinical internship as a mental health clinician with the Ministry of Children
and Family Development, which included training in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Play Therapy. Since graduation, I have been working as a counsellor at VICYFCS and have also completed my training to become a Certified Synergetic Play Therapist. I have experience providing individual and group counselling services to children, youth, and adults experiencing concerns related to anxiety, management of big feelings, school avoidance, low-mood, grief and loss, and trauma.
I am interested in working with all age groups and look forward to meeting you and finding out how I can help you achieve your goals. When I am not in the counselling room, I can be found hanging out with my husband, two teenagers, and a rather rascally dog called Taz. We like to explore the wonderful nature surrounding us as well as play at making something new out of discarded pieces of furniture!
My Philosophy
My goal is to create a warm, accepting, and collaborative space that allows children, youth, and adults to explore who they are and what it is they want to work on. From a position of curiosity, I seek to come alongside them to understand how they see, and respond to, the challenges that they face. I draw on a range of theoretical approaches, such as Synergetic Play Therapy, Narrative Therapy, and Person-Centred Therapy to tailor counselling sessions to the unique strengths and needs of the individual. I use play, talk, or expressive activities to guide the individual in utilizing their own problem-solving abilities. My hope is that therapy will result in people having a greater sense of well-being and reaching their full potential. I think perhaps my approach is best captured in the following quote:
“I will not lead you through a door, nor will I push you or follow you through the door. I will be fully present beside you and we will discover together what is there.”
(Gary Landreth, p.78, 2012, Play therapy: The art of the relationship).
Professional Affiliations
- Member in good standing with the BC Play Therapy Association
- BC Association of Clinical Counsellors: Registered Clinical Counsellor #18893
- Certified Synergetic Play Therapist
- Certified Positive Parenting Educator, Positive Parenting Association, Calgary, Canada (2017).
- Accredited provider of Level 4 Group Triple P Positive Parenting, University of Queensland, Australia (2017).