Foundational Understandings

I understand health to be dependent on body/mind/heart/soul and the relationship between each. It also relies on our relationships with other people and creation. I have found the work of integral theorist Ken Wilber and his model for the evolution of consciousness to be helpful in understanding how we can get stuck at various places on a number of developmental lines and how those stuck places can become sources of difficulty and pain as we move through life. I find his model to be helpful in understanding how one may draw from various therapeutic approaches to revisit and heal those stuck and hurting so we can move forward on our journey. Working directly with our own experience we can find healing and growth and deepen our connection with ourselves and others.

Early Work Years

My first jobs out of college were in group homes for adults with developmental disabilities, a group home for adults with mental health diagnoses and a psycho-geriatric nursing home. I also had a contract working in recreation at the Federal Prison for Women. Among other things, I came to learn how resilient and strong the drive for health can be even in those who had been profoundly hurt. I saw how each had their gifts and struggles and each also had a contribution to make to the larger community, if only they be given the chance. I also saw how spiritual issues, (guilt, shame, anger at injustice, need for belonging, forgiveness, quest for meaning, etc.), were often central to healing and growth.

My Time as a Minister

I grew up in a predominantly white, Christian, middle class suburb attending the United Church with my Parents and Roman Catholic Mass with my Grandmother. I was fortunate my childhood ministers understood the sacred to be everywhere and appreciated the wisdom and knowledge held by many traditions. My closest friends were Jewish, Hindu and Buddhist and I knew their traditions also led them to God, the Sacred, the Holy. To me, the church was a place where I could join with others on a journey for healing and growth, while focusing on spiritual issues of the call to love God, other, and self. I was drawn to the United Church’s emphasis on social justice and how, at its best, it aspired to hold a deep respect for diverse religions and spiritual traditions. This is what led me to pursue a call to Ordained ministry with the United Church of Canada. I was ordained in 1988 and in the years since served both urban and rural parishes in Ontario and Quebec. I was a minister with the United Church of Canada for over 35 years. Even though my path led me to eventually leave the church, those years profoundly shaped who I am and how I walk in this world. 

Education

I completed a BA in religious studies with a minor in psychology at York University and a MDiv from Emmanuel College at the University of Toronto. After a few years in the parish, I wanted to improve my knowledge and skills in counselling and psychotherapy and this led me to pursue a doctorate in psychology and theology from the Claremont School of Theology, California. While there, I completed clinical internships and residencies with the Clinebell Institute, the Walnut Valley Counselling Center and the San Gabriel Valley Association of Lesbians and Gays Counselling Center.

Upon completion of my Ph.D., I taught at the University of Winnipeg as Assistant Professor of Spirituality and Pastoral Care. I taught graduate level courses on various aspects of pastoral care and counselling, as well as courses on spirituality in an ecumenical global context.

International Perspective

While studying in California, I joined a relief and development organization working in Guatemala. This opened my eyes to the living situations of those in the developing world. I saw how my culture’s grasping for ever increasing amounts of goods was so disproportionate to what most in the world have access to and realized we are the ones who must get control over our need to feed our endless desires. The time I then spent in villages in Kenya, the Philippines, and India reinforced this belief. I am convinced that we are incredibly privileges to live in this time and place and that we have a responsibility to work for right relationship with our brothers and sisters around the globe. It was with this in mind that I came to offer intensive sources on Spirituality and Global Awareness while I was teaching at the University of Winnipeg.

First Nations Communities

While working at in the Prison for Women, I first saw first hand the systemic racism in our justice system. Later, at York University, I heard elders speak of how when they came to a city they would go to the prison, or jail, for they knew that was where their people would be. When I was introduced to the practices of smudging, sweats, and full-moon ceremonies and to teachings of the four directions, the deep truths were self-evident. I have had the privilege of working as an interim minister at the church at Curve Lake, then later as a child welfare prevention worker at the Hiawatha and Scugog Island First Nations. I am appalled at the abuse so many suffered in the residential schools, the effects of which are still being felt today. I seek to be an ally in the process of healing.

Buddhism and Compassion Practices

I will forever be grateful for findings the teachings of Ani Pema Chodron. The heart of Christianity, in my understanding, is to love God, neighbour and self and I knew this love had to be more than an act of the will. The practices of Tonglin and Maitri taught by Pema are powerful practices that help one work directly with one’s heart. She agreed to be my teacher and I had the tremendous experience of living for a time at Gampo Abbey. I am a Buddhist/Christian – Christian/Buddhist and seek wisdom from both traditions for how to work with the heart and mind.

I am a Registered Psychotherapist #12557 with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO)

I am registered with the Non-Insured Health Benefits Program (NIHB) for Mental Health and Counselling with First Nations individuals