Our Therapists
Sarah Angela Clarke
Registered Psychotherapist, RP
Sarah Angela Clarke takes a holistic approach to therapy, considering the person as a whole – mind, body and spirit. She has a diverse background, and has expertise in Spiritual Psychotherapy, LGBTQ2S+, Art Therapy, Spiritual Direction, Play Therapy, Family Therapy and Body/Somatic Inquiry.
Kristen MacCarthy
Registered Social Worker, RSW, MSW
Kristen helps clients reconnect with their inner guidance, nurture a sense of safety in the body, develop self-acceptance, and a renewed sense of wellbeing. She does this through the practice of EFT, Somatic Therapy, IFS and CBT, and has particular expertise in helping clients navigate anxiety, co-dependency, shame and stress.
Jennifer Maleus
Registered Psychotherapist, RP
As an integrative psychotherapist, Jennifer collaborates with clients to facilitate a deeper understanding of themselves. She inspires clientele to create new identities through conscious navigation of our past, present and desired future. Through groups and individual therapy, she guides clients home to themselves.
Jennifer is not currently accepting clients.
Breanna Shanque
Registered Social Worker, RSW, MSW
Breanna works with individuals, using CPT, Mindfulness-Based CBT, and other evidence-based therapy techniques. She specializes in grief support, stress management and living with chronic pain. With 12 years experience in social work, she has supported a wide variety of clients, at all ages and stages in life.
Brittany Tracey
Registered Psychotherapist, RP
Brittany is recognized for her non-judgmental approach and commitment to fostering safe space for her clients. She provides therapy for a variety of mental health concerns, with expertise in addictions and anger management. She uses CBT, DBT, Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), and ACT in her practice.
We Help Clients With
Self Development
- Self awareness
- Setting boundaries
- Shifting limiting beliefs
- Self-concept & identity
- Self-confidence
- Spiritual exploration
- Cultivating acceptance
- Optimistic thinking
- Reframing
Relationships
- Communication skills
- Assertiveness
- Conflict resolution
- Building intimacy
- Releasing judgment
- Active listening
- Vulnerability + Trust
- Developing empathy
- Forgiveness
Managing Stress
- Identifying stressors
- Developing resilience
- Mindfulness/Meditation
- Relaxation techniques
- Guided imagery
- Addressing worrying
- Lifestyle changes
- Practicing self-care
- Breathing techniques
Trauma
- Re-establishing safety
- Emotional regulation
- Coping with triggers
- Grieving loss/change
- Processing trauma
- Havening/de-linking distressing memories
- Coping strategies for moving forward
Areas of Experience
Self & Identity
- Spiritual exploration
- Gender identity
- Sexuality & Intimacy
- Racial identity
- LGBTQQ2S+
- Anger & Irritability
- Sleep issues
- Body image
- Suicidal ideation
Transitions
- Divorce & Separation
- Gender transitioning
- Career changes/loss
- Chronic & Major Illness
- Returning to work
- Pregnancy, Pre/Post Partum
- Parenting
- Estrangement in relationships
Support for Living With:
- Grief, loss and pregnancy/infant loss.
- A diagnosis of mental illness, for self or a loved one.
- Anxiety disorders, panic attacks, and phobias.
- Complex trauma and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
- Mood disorders, such as depression or bipolar disorder.
- Substance use and addictions.
- Eating disorders, such as anorexia or bulimia.
- Challenging personal and work relationships.
- Shame, regret and guilt.
Our Approach to Care
Our therapists take a holistic approach to therapy – considering the person as a whole – mind, body and spirit. We use both traditional therapy techniques and methods, as well as integrative approaches. Our therapists also regularly help clients adopt self-care routines and practices, and lifestyle and mindset changes that support a return to mental, emotional, physical and spiritual health.
Treatment Approaches
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a therapeutic approach designed to help individuals embrace life’s challenges and difficulties. Grounded in mindfulness principles, ACT suggests that achieving greater well-being involves overcoming negative thoughts and emotions. By examining character traits and behaviors, ACT aims to reduce avoidance-based coping strategies. Additionally, ACT focuses on fostering commitment to change and offers strategies for managing setbacks when goals are not met.
Offered By:
Brittany Tracey, RP (Qualifying)
Attachment-Based
Attachment-based therapy explores how early relationships shape current well-being. It aims to address emotional challenges by examining attachment history, fostering self-awareness, and building secure connections for more fulfilling relationships.
Offered By:
Sarah An Clarke, RP
Jennifer Maleus, RP
Breanna Shanque, MSW
Kristen MacCarthy, MSW
Compassion-Focused Therapy
Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) can be beneficial for people dealing with mood disorders, anxiety, or feelings of shame and self-criticism, often rooted in past experiences of abuse or neglect. Using techniques such as role-playing, visualization, meditation, and gratitude exercises, CFT educates clients about the connection between the mind and body and helps them become more aware of their thoughts and physical sensations. This enables clients to develop self-compassion and empathy for others, leading to better emotional regulation and a greater sense of security, self-acceptance, and well-being.
Offered By:
Brittany Tracey, RP (Qualifying)
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
CBT is a structured, time-limited, problem-focused and goal oriented form of psychotherapy. CBT helps people learn to identify, question and change how their thoughts, attitudes and beliefs relate to the emotional and behavioural reactions that cause them difficulty.
Offered By:
Breanna Shanque, MSW
Kristen MacCarthy, MSW
Brittany Tracey, RP (Qualifying)
EMDR
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) is a targeted and effective therapeutic method centered on relationships, primarily couples. It concentrates on understanding and transforming emotional dynamics within relationships. EFT helps individuals recognize and express their feelings, facilitating a deeper connection and bond with their partners. Through structured interventions, it seeks to reshape negative patterns of interaction, promoting emotional security and satisfaction in relationships.
Offered By:
Jennifer Maleus, RP
Breanna Shanque, MSW
Inner Child Work
Inner child work is an approach to recognizing and healing childhood trauma. It recognizes that our behaviors as an adult stem from our childhood experiences. It is a metaphor for working with our emotional body, using various tools to access buried emotions and connect with current feelings.
Offered By:
Sarah An Clarke, RP
Jennifer Maleus, RP
Jungian
Jungian or analytical therapy, created by Carl Jung, aims to assist individuals in tapping into their unconscious to achieve deeper self-awareness and personal growth. Jung, a psychoanalyst, explored the human psyche through various lenses including dreams, art, mythology, religion, and philosophy. The Jungian therapist supports the patient in uncovering more profound meaning in their life while acknowledging the enigmatic aspects of the human soul.
Offered By:
Jennifer Maleus, RP
Kristen MacCarthy, MSW
Somatic
Somatic therapy is a holistic approach that focuses on the mind-body connection to address and resolve emotional and psychological issues. It recognizes that emotions and trauma are held not only in the mind but also in the body. Through techniques like body awareness, movement, and breathwork, somatic therapy helps individuals release physical tension and promote healing, fostering a deeper understanding of and connection to their emotional experiences.
Offered By:
Sarah An Clarke, RP
Jennifer Maleus, RP
Kristen MacCarthy, RSW
Culturally-Sensitive
Culturally sensitive therapy respects and considers the diverse cultural backgrounds of individuals in counseling. It acknowledges the influence of culture on beliefs and values, aiming to create an inclusive and tailored therapeutic environment that recognizes the unique cultural context of each person.
Offered By:
Sarah An Clarke, RP
Jennifer Maleus, RP
Breanna Shanque, MSW
Brittany Tracey, RP (Qualifying)
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is a type of talk therapy for people who experience emotions very intensely. It’s a common therapy for people with borderline personality disorder, but therapists provide it for other mental health conditions as well.
Offered By:
Sarah An Clarke, RP
Breanna Shanque, MSW
Emotionally-Focused
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) is a targeted and effective therapeutic method centered on relationships, primarily couples. It concentrates on understanding and transforming emotional dynamics within relationships. EFT helps individuals recognize and express their feelings, facilitating a deeper connection and bond with their partners. Through structured interventions, it seeks to reshape negative patterns of interaction, promoting emotional security and satisfaction in relationships.
Offered By:
Sarah An Clarke, RP
Jennifer Maleus, RP
Breanna Shanque, MSW
Kristen MacCarthy, MSW
Focusing
Connecting into your body to access emotions rather than being too ‘in your head’. This practice helps you become more grounded and anchored in your physical experience and increasingly able to navigate the inevitable emotional ups and downs of life.
Offered By:
Sarah An Clarke, RP
Jennifer Maleus, RP
Breanna Shanque, MSW
Energy Psychology
Energy psychology combines exposure therapy, a Western approach, with holistic techniques to treat mental and physical health conditions. By pairing exposure to anxiety-inducing situations with meridian point stimulation, energy psychology aims to reduce hyperarousal and create healthier responses. Techniques include thought field therapy, tapas acupressure technique, and emotional freedom techniques. While the exact mechanisms of energy psychology are not fully understood, many individuals have reported significant relief from long-standing pain and psychological distress through these interventions.
Offered By:
Jennifer Maleus, RP
Internal Family Systems
Internal Family Systems (IFS) is an approach to psychotherapy that identifies and addresses multiple sub-personalities or families within each person’s mental system. These sub-personalities consist of wounded parts and painful emotions such as anger and shame, and parts that try to control and protect the person from the pain of the wounded parts. The sub-personalities are often in conflict with each other and with one’s core Self, a concept that describes the confident, compassionate, whole person that is at the core of every individual. IFS focuses on healing the wounded parts and restoring mental balance and harmony by changing the dynamics that create discord among the sub-personalities and the Self.
Offered By:
Sarah An Clarke, RP
Jennifer Maleus, RP
Kristen MacCarthy, MSW
Brittany Tracey, RP (Qualifying)
Solution-Focused Brief Therapy
Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), also known as “brief therapy,” centers on clients’ desired outcomes from therapy rather than their difficulties or mental health concerns. The therapist assists the client in imagining a positive future and identifying the steps, both small and large, needed for the client to achieve their goals. Celebrating any progress the client makes, the therapist encourages them to leverage their strengths instead of focusing on their challenges or constraints.
Offered By:
Brittany Tracey, RP (Qualifying)
The Havening Techniques®
The Havening Techniques®, which utilizes current neuroscience, can help with many issues, including distressing memories, trauma, fear and pain. Havening is a psycho-sensory technique which uses the sensory input of touch, imagination, and attention to create lasting change. The banner image at the top of this page shows me faciliating a Havening session.
Offered By:
Sarah Angela Clarke, RP
What to Expect from Therapy
Introductory Meeting
Each of our therapists offers the opportunity to meet over the phone for a complimentary 15-minute discussion. This is a chance for you to see if their approach and personality are going to be a good fit for you. Think of some specific questions you have about therapy, and about the therapist’s philosophy of care that you could ask during this brief introduction. Having a good fit with your therapist is crucial for therapy to be effective, so don’t hesitate to ask any questions you have on your mind.
Please note: This is not a treatment session. Therapists cannot give advice or a plan of treatment in these introductory meetings, as your consent for treatment has not yet been established.
Initial Assessment
Before your first appointment, you will fill in an intake form online that will be submitted electronically to your chart.
At your first therapy session, the therapist will gather more information about you, your history, your needs and your goals. It might take a few sessions for your therapist to fully understand your situation and concerns and to determine the best approach or course of action.
Once a treatment plan has been established, your therapist will share which types of treatment or approaches will be used, the recommended frequency of visits, and the goals for treatment.
Confidentiality
Except in rare and specific circumstances, conversations with your therapist are confidential. This means that any details you discuss, your personal health information, your name and any identifying information will not be shared with anyone unless your written and expressed consent is given to do so.
However, a therapist may break confidentiality if there is an immediate threat to safety (yours or someone else’s) or when required by provincial or federal law to report concerns to authorities. Your therapist will discuss confidentiality with you in your first visit, and will answer questions you may have throughout your treatment process.
During Sessions
For most types of therapy, your therapist will encourage you to talk about your thoughts and feelings and what’s troubling you. Don’t worry if you find it hard to open up about your feelings. Your therapist can help you gain more confidence and comfort as time goes on.
Because therapy sometimes involves intense emotional discussions, you may find yourself crying, upset or even having an angry outburst during a session. Some people may feel physically exhausted after a session. Your therapist is there to help you cope with your feelings and emotions, so that you can be free to allow whatever emotional reactions come up during session.
Direct Billing
To make therapy as accessible as possible, we work with various programs to make it easier for clients to gain access to care.
Non-Insured Health Benefits (NIHB)
The Non-Insured Health Benefits (NIHB) program provides eligible First Nations and Inuit clients with coverage for a range of health benefits, including mental health counselling. Every 12 months, an eligible client can receive up to 22 hours of counselling performed by an eligible provider on a fee-for-service basis, such as individual or group counselling. Additional hours in the same 12 month period may be provided on a case-by-case basis. Our therapists are approved providers with NIHB, and for eligible clients we are able to bill the program directly for therapy services.
Blue Cross
Members of the Canadian Armed Forces and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, as well clients of Veterans Affairs Canada may be eligible for therapy with our therapists. We direct bill to Blue Cross for these programs when the proper approvals have been obtained.
Employee Health Benefits
Through TELUS Health eclaims, we are able to direct bill to client employee health benefits, if the policy allows for this.
