About Joe
My personal and professional interest all of my adult life has been primarily in working with people. I am fascinated with our ability to adapt and survive in the face of so many challenges. And when our world is turned upside down, I am inspired with what recovery and repair is possible. Over and over in my counselling work with clients, I see hope rise out of the dust, as people step by step, pull their lives back together. I like being a part of helping people recover and reestablish their resourcefulness and ability to function.
My formal training is in Psychology. I received a B.A. with a Psychology major at SFU and then in 1986 graduated from UBC with a M.Ed. in Counselling Psychology. In addition, I have a diploma in Shiatsu Therapy and have been an instructor for Langara College/Sourcepoint Shiatsu for six years. Over my professional life to date I have continued to develop my skills through continuing education. This includes the following courses and workshops:
- Sensorimotor Psychotherapy—Trauma and the Body (Dr. Pat Ogden)
- Therapeutic Enactment (TE) (Dr. Marv Westwood and Dr. Patricia Wilensky)
- Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (First Nations Emergency Services)
- Self Regulation Therapy and Pain (Dr. Lynne Zettl and Dr. Edward Josephs)
- Violence against Women Issues
- Family Therapy (Carlos Sluzki)
- Family Therapy (Virginia Satir)
- Family Therapy (David Freeman)
- DSM IV
- Working with Couples (Neil Jacobsen)
- Solution Focused Therapy (John Walker and Jane Peller)
- Solution Focused Therapy (Jack Hirose)
- Narrative Therapy 2 conferences (including Michel White)
- Somatic Experiencing (Dr. Ian MacNaughton)
- Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) (Dr. Alexander Lees)
- Trauma (Jane Middelton-Moz)
- Parenting Issues (Barbara Colorosa)
My work-life has been diverse, providing me an opportunity to work with youth, couples, families and individual adults. A large number of the people I have worked with have experienced violence, tragic loss, sexual abuse, the effects of alcohol and drug abuse, and injury or loss through accidents. The word trauma is being used more and more to describe these types of experiences.
I am encouraged to see a movement in psychotherapy today toward addressing the issue of trauma holistically. Psychotherapy as a whole is paying far more attention to the interplay between the body and the mind. Over the last few years my study and practice of Sensorimotor Psychotherapy has been exciting and encouraging as I witness clients finding freedom from the impact of trauma in their lives.
To take the next step towards repair and recovery in your life call me for a free, in-person consultation at:
604·649·1126 or joe@thewellnessfactor.ca
