“You have noticed that the truth comes into this world with two faces. One is sad with suffering, and the other laughs; but it is the same face, laughing or weeping. When people are already in despair, maybe the laughing face is better for them; and when they feel too good and are too sure of being safe, maybe the weeping face is better for them to see.” 
― Black Elk, Black Elk Speaks: Being the Life Story of a Holy Man of the Oglala Sioux

”Beneath the surface of the protective parts of trauma survivors there exists an undamaged essence, a self that is confident, curious, and calm, a self that has been sheltered from destruction by the various protectors that have emerged in their efforts to ensure survival. Once those protectors trust that it is safe to separate, the self will spontaneously emerge, and the parts can be enlisted in the healing process” —- Bessel A Van Der Kolk

First of all I want to thank and acknowledge that the traditional land on which I have made my home-is in Treaty Six Territory. I would like to thank the diverse Indigenous Peoples whose ancestors’ footsteps have marked this territory for centuries, such as nêhiyaw (Nay-hee-yow), Dené (Deh-neyh), Anishinaabe (Ah-nish-in-ah-bay), Nakota Isga (Na-koh-tah ee-ska), and Niitsitapi (Nit-si-tahp-ee) peoples. I also acknowledge this as the Métis’ (May-tea) homeland and the home of one of the largest communities of Inuit south of the 60th parallel. 

As a strong ally to first nations peoples I conduct therapy with first nation people using an anti oppressive and decolonizing lens. I have had the honour and distinct pleasure of living and sharing stories and eating and sleeping under the same roof with many first nation people across Canada (from the north to the south and from the east to the west) many of whom are my good friends today.