Sometimes the hardest experiences are the ones you feel like you should be handling better. You may be lying awake worrying about your child, questioning whether you’re making the right decisions as a parent, or struggling with the emotions surrounding infertility or growing your family through adoption.
Or perhaps you were adopted yourself and find yourself wrestling with questions about identity, belonging, family, or where you fit. You may feel caught between different parts of your story, curious or conflicted about your birth family, or carrying feelings of grief, loss, rejection, or disconnection that can be difficult to explain to others. These questions can emerge in childhood, adolescence, or much later in adulthood, sometimes when you least expect them.
You might also be navigating complicated family relationships or a major life transition and feeling anxious, overwhelmed, disconnected, or simply exhausted from carrying so much.
For children and teens, these feelings may be harder to put into words. Instead, parents might notice anxiety, big emotions, withdrawal, changes in behaviour, questions about identity or belonging, or difficulty coping with changes at home, school, or within the family.
I provide a warm, client-centred, non-judgmental space where children, adults, and families can feel heard and understood. Together, we explore the emotions and experiences underneath what is happening, including how relationships, attachment, and past experiences may be influencing the present.
I have a particular interest in supporting people navigating adoption-related experiences, parenting challenges, infertility, family relationships, anxiety, and significant life transitions.
My goal is to help you feel less overwhelmed and more confident in your ability to handle what comes next. For parents and families, this may mean feeling more connected, understanding one another better, and responding to challenges with greater confidence. For individuals, it may mean developing greater clarity, self-trust, and emotional resilience so that life feels more manageable again.
Experience
Josie is a Qualifying Registered Psychotherapist completing her Master’s degree in Counselling Psychology at Yorkville University. She brings nearly twenty years of experience counselling and mentoring children and youth in private and community settings.
As an adoptee, Josie brings personal insight and sensitivity to the complex experiences that can arise for adoptees, adoptive parents, and birth parents. She has a particular interest in adoption-related trauma, attachment, identity, belonging, and family relationships.
Josie also has a special interest in supporting individuals and families navigating infertility and parenting challenges. As a parent of three boys, she understands the joys, pressures, uncertainties, and changing needs that can accompany different stages of parenting.
Client’s Served
Individuals, Families, and Children ages 6+
Therapeutic Approach
Person-Centred Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Attachment-Focused Therapy
Issues Supported
Anxiety
Depression
Trauma
Adoption-related trauma
Adoption and Attachment
Identity and Belonging
Parenting challenges
Infertility
Family and relationship challenges
Education and Certifications
Bachelor of Arts Degree, Dalhousie University
Career and Work Counsellor Diploma, George Brown College
Master of Counselling Psychology, Yorkville University, in progress