My name is Laura (she/her), and like you, I’ve done my own searches for counsellors over the years. I, too, have needed to find a caring, non-judgmental person who can help me move forward when I feel overwhelmed, alone, or stuck. And that’s what I want for you. I want you to feel safe with a counsellor who is not only trained and experienced, but who wants to understand your lived experiences and the unique ways you choose to exist in this world. I am a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) and a Canadian Certified Counsellor (CCC).
While I see clients with many different backgrounds and therapy goals, including finding relief from anxiety or depression, or navigating a cancer or heart disease diagnosis, I also have special interest and experience in three areas:
Narcissistic Partner Abuse and Narcissistic Parent Abuse
These are clients whose partners or parents use emotionally immature or manipulative strategies to deny responsibility for their actions and maintain a sense of control. This may look like a dominating partner who uses
invalidation, control, or gaslighting, or a parent who demands constant attention. Together we’ll process your experiences, explore the patterns in your relationship, and work on building resilience for you as you decide how to move forward.
Spiritual Trauma and Abuse, Including Purity Culture
Spiritual abuse may have begun for you at a very early age, as you were blamed or made to feel ‘bad’ for normal human emotions and actions, for another’s ‘lustful’ thoughts, or for abusive acts committed against you. This may have led to deep shame that is difficult to heal, and a sense that you will never be good enough, leading to anxiety and depression, and affecting your ability to trust your intuition about who you truly are, and what you’re capable of. Whether you’re transitioning away from your faith or transforming it, together we’ll bring light into shame filled places with increased self-compassion, identity exploration, and examining anger as a vital stage in healing.
Relationship Development and Skill Building for Individuals and Partners
Whether individuals, couples, or polyamorous partners, you’ll find validation and understanding for what you’re experiencing in your relationships, whether it’s high conflict, a lack of passion, or a recent betrayal. Throughout our sessions you will learn how to identify helpful and unhelpful patterns, practice difficult conversations, and build better communication both with your partner/s and with yourself. With my training in Emotionally Focussed Therapy (EFT) and The Developmental Model from the Couples Institute, we will explore attachment styles as they affect each
person’s need for both deep connection and differentiation in romantic relationships.
If you decide on me as your therapist, you can expect a judgment-free space that honours all ways of knowing and being, and is filled with empathy, compassion, and deep respect. Early in our first sessions, I’ll draw on an eclectic mix of counselling theories and methods, which includes both talk therapies and somatic approaches (body work) as together we personalize your plan of therapy and address your specific growth goals. As we progress, you can expect to feel more grounded and secure in yourself, and your future path, and will be equipped with new skills to try out in your daily life and relationships.
I welcome clients of all genders, orientations, abilities, and cultures, and those of no or all religions, and can integrate elements of spiritual beliefs such as Sikh, Christian, Muslim, Hindi, Buddhist, and pagan spirituality into our sessions, if desired. Additionally, my decades long background in spirituality and mental health enables me to assist clients who are questioning the teachings of their faith as it relates to LGBTQIA2S+ populations, especially parents of transgender or varied sexual orientations.
When not counselling (or reading oh-so-many counselling books), I enjoy spending time with my husband of 25 years, my teen goddaughter, and our two cats, Brad Boimler and Bellatrix. You’ll also find me walking the sidewalks and parks of my suburban South-Asian neighbourhood of Newton and creating custom cakes for family and friends.
If you have any questions not answered here, please book a 15-minute free consultation, or
reach out to me at laura@talkingwithlaura.ca
I offer accessible counselling for $95/50 minute session from Tuesday – Friday between 2 & 4pm.
