Individual Treatment

You take care of everyone else. Who takes care of you?

As a trained helping professional you are often required to respond to the most difficult of situations with skill, composure and professionalism, regardless of the circumstances surrounding you. The degree of responsibility and the expectations of the general public about your performance are extremely high.

Despite your level of experience or training, there can be times when a particular incident or the frequency of exposure to difficult material can affect you deeply. At these times it is important to step back and allow yourself time to regain your perspective.

There may be times when exposure to specific situations or incidents can become overwhelming and make it harder to “bounce back” as you normally would. Maybe a certain incident has stuck with you, and continues to haunt you long after it should. Or perhaps a number of events or the years of witnessing tragedy catch up, and you, your family or coworkers notice you are becoming more negative, cynical and untrusting. Your relationships may be affected. You feel different.

Being exposed to human suffering can take its toll on even the toughest, most well adjusted and seasoned professional.

Does any of this look familiar?

• Having trouble sleeping?
• Find it hard to concentrate?
• Feeling unexpected anger and/or other emotions?
• Exhausted most of the time?
• You’d rather be alone than interact with friends, family, or coworkers?
• You feel overwhelmed and no longer cope with stress as well as you used to?
• You drink more to help you forget or just check out and go to sleep?
• Worried about your memory?

If the list above looks familiar to you, it may be a sign that you are dealing with something that could use a little extra help in getting “unstuck”.

There is hope!

As difficult as they are to experience, the reactions listed above are actually very common for those dealing with stressful or traumatic experiences. Although you may be in a place of despair and can’t imagine ever feeling better, there are a number of effective approaches counsellors and psychologists can use to help you deal with whatever is going on and get you back to living a healthy, happy life.

Making the decision to get help

Making the decision to reach out for help can be very intimidating.

For some, asking for help may be perceived as a sign of weakness. Perhaps you believe you should be able to cope on your own. You always have, why is now different?

For others, you may be having a hard time deciding who you can trust. You may be asking yourself; “Who is this person?” “What is their background?” “Is it safe to talk to them?” “Do they know how to help me?” “Is my information going to be kept confidential?” Having answers to these questions will help determine your comfort level.

About my practice

I have a full time private practice in the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley, focusing on first responders, trauma and resilience. I provide individual counselling/therapy sessions to adolescent and adult clients. My office is located in Langley, British Columbia.

The majority of my clients work in policing, fire-rescue, and emergency medical services. I also work with victim service workers, social workers, doctors, nurses, crown counsel, coroners, sheriffs, and military personnel.

Some of the presenting concerns I work with include:

• Post traumatic stress
• Organizational stress
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Grief/loss
• Secondary trauma
• Sexual abuse

My Office

My office is conveniently accessible by private or public transportation located on the northwest corner of 80th Avenue and 199th Street in Langley. There is free parking on the north side of the building. The office is wheel-chair accessible and designed specifically for your comfort and privacy.

Click here for map and contact information.

My Approach

Having worked with people who dedicate their lives to helping others for as long as I have, I have come to learn that helpers are really not very good at asking for help themselves. I have also found that they have tremendous insight about themselves, they have a great deal of resilience under normal circumstances, and they also have a lot of wisdom.

The primary goals of therapy are to promote healing, growth and well-being. My approach stems from a belief that psychological development is affected by personal history and the larger social, cultural and physical environment. I believe that the capacity to explore personal concerns or feelings, whether large or small, is a sign of strength. I also believe that you are the expert about your own life experiences. Therapy consists of you and I working together to help you with healing and/or reaching your fullest potential.

Once in a therapeutic relationship, decisions about how to proceed are mutually discussed. There are a number of different approaches that can be used to help with the concerns you hope to address. Successful therapy requires an active effort on your part, both during and outside of sessions.

Fee: My fee is $200.00 per hour. This is below the standard rate for psychologists in BC. Many clients have a certain dollar amount allotted each year through their extended health plan. Psychological services can also be claimed on your income tax. If you are unsure of your coverage, check with your extended health company.

Take the next step

Making the decision to seek help is hard to do. Actually taking that step is a sign of strength and courage. If you would like to contact me to talk about whether accessing psychological services is right for you, please call (604) 614-0568 or email carolyn.burns@shaw.ca

Go to the Choosing the Right Professional for You section for more information.