Moving towards joy.
Heart Tree Psychology provides skilled and compassionate counselling services to support you in reclaiming joy.
PLEASE NOTE:
Heart Tree Psychology is now located in the Brick House Collective at 9948 - 88 Ave.
In person and online sessions will continue as usual.
Why choose counselling?
The purpose of accessing counselling services is to alleviate symptoms that prevent you from experiencing ease and joy in your life. These symptoms often take the form of anxiety, depression, restless or poor sleep, physical complaints and relationship issues. These difficulties often arise from an acutely stressful event, a cascade of stressful events, or prolonged and chronic stress. In my field, we often name this type of stress “trauma” – that is, any event or series of events that overwhelm the nervous system beyond its capacity to self-regulate.
Heart Tree Psychology takes a holistic approach to counselling, treating both the symptoms and the root causes of the distress. Heart Tree Psychology’s mission is to help support your nervous system in (re)connecting to its innate ability to self-regulate.
Laura Kennedy
Registered Psychologist
Laura understands the challenge of changing uncomfortable thoughts, feelings and behaviours. Laura has a warm, empathic approach, and a good sense of humour. Laura is both pragmatic and creative, and works with each individual to find the best way to work through their particular issues.
Optimally, what comes up also comes down. When we experience stress, we also want to experience the release of and recovery from that stress.
If we lack sufficient time, space or resources, a stress response can get stuck in our bodies, resulting in the symptoms of anxiety, irritability, pain and depression. Heart Tree Psychology supports you in (re)learning how to settle and release this bound energy. This frees you to cope with everyday stressors with greater ease, and increase your capacity for joy.
My Approach
It takes courage to actively engage in a healing process. Often people wonder why they would choose to stir up old wounds, or to embark upon a journey into the unknown. There can be times that the therapeutic process feels overwhelming, or like your progress is being measured in millimetres. Heart Tree Psychology works collaboratively with you every step of the way, providing education and skilled guidance throughout the process, ensuring that you understand and agree with the direction of therapy. For some people 10% better is good enough; for others, healing is a life-long process that supports personal growth. Heart Tree Psychology works with you to engage in the change process that fits best for you.
“Just when the Caterpillar thought the World was over, it became a Butterfly.”
— Proverb
Self Regulation Therapy (SRT)
Heart Tree Psychology works with you to gently renegotiate experiences in your life that may feel overwhelming to deal with. Laura is trained in SRT (self-regulation therapy), a gentle, body-centred approach that supports the nervous system.
What does SRT look like?
The best way out is always through.
— Robert Frost
As you and Laura discuss the issue(s) that have brought you to counselling, Laura will invite you to pause and notice what is happening in your body: where do you notice sensations. For example, when people talk about a stressful experience, they often notice tightness in the chest, clenching in the stomach, shortness of breath. You are then invited to notice where you feel most settled or the least tight or clenched i.e. perhaps where you sense the support of the chair, or your feet on the ground. You gently “pendulate” – move back and forth – between the state of stress or activation and the state of calm or stability. This helps the nervous system settle and the body to let down from held tension. People often notice the tightness or clenching diminishing, and feel a greater ease of breath. Laura supports you to continue to do this as you work through your issue and the activation in the body is sufficiently resolved.
Heart Tree Psychology works with traumatic experiences in this same, gentle manner. Laura will guide you to work non-chronologically. This means that you start from where you are or were resourced (i.e. felt more like yourself), and gently work toward resolving the traumatic experience(s), allowing lots of time and space for the nervous system to fully move through what is called the “trauma response.”
The trauma response is our innate need (when threatened) to fight or flee. Often these impulses become “thwarted” (or stuck) if we are unable to mobilize during a traumatic incident or series of experiences. Through the gentle pendulation between activation and settling in the body, Laura supports you and your nervous system in completing its cycle, releasing bound energy and freeing you from the past.
“Life does not put things in front of you that you are unable to handle”
— Anonymous.
One of the final stages of processing through past distressing experiences or traumatic events is making some meaning from the experience. Why did I go through this? What useful piece of learning am I taking with me going forward? This meaning-making is referred to as “post-traumatic growth”.
Laura is continuously impressed by people’s incredible resilience and ability to heal, despite being profoundly affected by past stressful or traumatic experiences. Clients often deepen their empathy for others, and develop a greater appreciation for the sweetness of life.
Post-Traumatic Growth
Heart Tree Psychology recognizes that it is an honour to be able to walk with you on your healing journey.
Counselling
Laura considers a session a success when, as a client, you leave with increased clarity about the issues that you are dealing with, feel hopeful about addressing the challenges holding you back, and feel confident practicing new skills that you have added to your personal skill set.
Heart Tree Psychology offers body-centred therapy such as SRT (Self-Regulation Therapy), EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), and EFT (Emotion Focused Therapy). Laura’s extensive background in creative modalities provides alternate approaches for individuals who have not found more traditional counselling approaches to be helpful.
Heart Tree Psychology strives to offer a safe space for individuals in the LGBTQ2S+, indigenous and BIPOC communities.
Specializations:
Trauma
Interpersonal abuse
Sexual abuse/assault
Accidents & injury
Chronic Pain & Health Issues
Medical and dental preparation & recovery
Anxiety, fears & worry
Depression
Body-Image issues
Self-Esteem issues
Stress & burnout
Sexuality
Grief & Loss
Communication & Assertiveness
Relationship Issues