Clinical Consultation

 

Guidance and mentorship for professionals in the fields of social work, mental health, social services, community services, and advocacy…

 

Get the support that you (or your team) need to fine-tune, strengthen and expand your practice and approach to working with your clients, communities and teams.

 

I specialize in working with women (ages 18-55), gender-diverse, queer and trans folks (2SLGBTQIA+), people of colour (BIPOC), newcomers & immigrants, neurodivergent folks, students, professionals and entrepreneurs.

 
 
Photo by Ian Stauffer on Unsplash

Photo by Ian Stauffer on Unsplash

Reflective Practice

When we’re faced with human suffering, it’s impossible not to be touched by it… Often, without expecting it to, it touches our own pain points, whether from our past or in our current life circumstances. We can be left feeling shocked, bewildered and ashamed. We might withdraw and shy away from our work, our teams and our clients, or we might do too much and get too involved as a way of erasing or escaping our own suffering! To sustain ourselves in “helping professions”, we need to recognize that the personal and the professional are interconnected… We need to give ourselves permission and space to engage in ongoing self-reflection and build self-awareness around how our past and our daily experiences impact our wellbeing, our capacity and our actions, both in our work or our personal life. Through this, we cultivate a sense of groundedness in our own identities and abilities, so that we can navigate through any challenges that may come our way!

 

Work-Life Balance

Burnout is a significant issue in “helping professions”! It’s hard to give ourselves permission to unplug from it all, when our work immediately impacts the livelihood, safety and wellbeing of others. Yet, the more we push ourselves to give without replenishing our own reserves, the less we’re able to give! And, if one more person tells us to “self-care”, we’re ready to scream! There is a path through this… It involves honest reflection on our own reserves and capacity, the willingness to practise setting boundaries with ourselves and others, and connections with personal and professional communities of care.

 

Confidence in your Competence

It’s hard not to feel like an imposter when you’re faced with the responsibility to help another human being or a community facing great suffering! How the heck are you supposed to know what to do and what to say to make things better, especially if you’re new to the field, in a new job, or faced with an unforeseen tragedy? You look at your more confident and experienced colleagues with envy (and, perhaps, a bit of resentment). How do you quiet that voice that keeps telling you that “you’re not good enough and people can tell” or “you’re going to fail and ruin everything”? Receiving personalized mentorship in an open, honest and compassionate space can help you recognize and leverage your strengths, learnings and identities, fill in the gaps in your knowledge-base and skills, cultivate gentleness and balance in yourself and your life, and nurture your confidence in your professional competence.

 

Professional Growth

Our professional growth doesn’t stop when we finish school… It’s an ongoing process that requires an investment of time, energy and resources, especially if we’ve chosen “helping others and making the world a better place” as our craft! It’s not just about reading every book or completing every training available on every topic or issue, which can confuse and overwhelm… It’s about reflecting on our own areas of growth and our interests (as they ebb and flow and change throughout our career), finding learning opportunities that meet our needs, sifting through the frenzy of information to find approaches and techniques that apply to us, and receiving the support we need to practise and fine-tune them in our work.

 

Teamwork

So much of our work in “helping professions” involves working together with other colleagues and professionals to create, deliver and manage programs and services… No wonder we were forced into so many group projects when we were in school! Just like then, there are some of us who thrive in group / team settings and others who struggle. Add in a mixture of personalities, perspectives, identities and lived experiences and you’re bound to have misunderstandings, tension and conflict! Strengthening group / team dynamics is challenging, but it’s certainly possible! It takes some openness to a bit of guidance, a willingness to try some new techniques and approaches, and a commitment to reconnecting for the wellbeing of everyone involved (including the clients and communities we serve)!

 
Photo by Mike Swigunski on Unsplash

Photo by Mike Swigunski on Unsplash

Leadership

Some go after it, others are called to it, and the rest stumble into it… Leadership can bring with it high highs and low lows! As they say, “with great power comes great responsibility”, and there are few moments in leadership that don’t make this point painfully obvious (*cue sigh*)! It’s a constant juggling act of organizational and infrastructural factors and limitations, relationships and opinions, performance and deliverables. It challenges every part of our being and identity… The struggles (if we allow them to) offer incredible opportunities for personal and professional growth and expansion. Yet, to be successful at it and sustain ourselves through it, we cannot do it alone! We need compassion. We need honesty. And, we need guidance. Let’s do it together!

 
 
 

My fee for Individual Clinical Consultation is $180 / hr + HST

My fee for Leadership Coaching is $200 / hr + HST

My fee for Group Clinical Consultation (booked as a 1-3 hour session) is $250 / hr + HST

*Services are provided through a secure video portal.