Trainings (by Theme)
Counselling Therapy Skills & Theories
Advanced Somatic Techniques for Mental Health Professionals. 1 hour, online. Canadian Counselling & Psychotherapy Association (CCPA), 2023.
Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST). 14 hours (2 days), in person. LivingWorks, 2020.
Basic Principles for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder. 3 hours, online video modules. National Education Alliance for Borderline Personality Disorder (NEA BPD), 2020
Brain Hacks for Well Being. 1 hour, online. Canadian Counselling & Psychotherapy Association (CCPA), 2023.
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy. 2 hours, self-directed online. Mental Health Academy, 2022. Certificate.
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy for PTSD. 4 hours, self-directed online. Mental Health Academy, 2022. Certificate.
Energy Management. 1 hour, online. Canadian Counselling & Psychotherapy Association (CCPA), 2023.
Foundations: 5 Day Narrative Therapy Practice Training. 5 days, online. Vancouver School For Narrative Therapy, 2021. Certificate.
Introduction to Climate-Informed Therapy. 1 hour, online. Canadian Counselling & Psychotherapy Association (CCPA), 2024.
Men, Masculinities, and Depression: Enhancing Clinical Practice. 1 hour webinar. Judy Chew via Canadian Counselling & Psychotherapy Association (CCPA), 2020.
Sex and Pornography Addiction: Part One. 1 hour webinar. Stacey Lloyd via Canadian Counselling & Psychotherapy Association (CCPA), 2020.
Spirituality and Religious Pluralism and the Campus Mental Health Communities of Practice. 1 hour webinar. Canadian Association of College & University Student Services (CACUSS), 2020.
The Science Behind Tapping: The Fourth Wave in Body-Based Therapy Approaches. 1 hour, self-directed online. Dr. Peta Stapleton, Mental Health Academy, 2022. Certificate.
Working with Trauma. 3 hours, self-directed online. Mental Health Academy, 2021.
Counselling Ethics & Business Practices
Board Imperatives: Effectiveness, Credibility, and Viability. 3 hours, online. Max Chauvin via Sexual Health Nova Scotia (SHNS), 2022.
Understanding Counsellor and Psychotherapist Liability Risk. 1 hour, online. Canadian Counselling & Psychotherapy Association, 2022.
Why Your Psychology Today Profile Isn’t Getting Traction & How to Fix It. 1 hour, online. Canadian Counselling & Psychotherapy Association, 2022.
McGill Personal Finance Essentials. 4 hours (8 modules), self-directed, online. McGill University, RBC Future Launch, & The Globe and Mail, 2022.
Anti-Racism
Ally is a Verb: Africentric Ally Training. 8 hours (4 sessions), in person. Tracey Dorrington-Skinner via Colchester Sexual Assault Centre (CSAC), 2021. Certificate.
KAIROS Blanket Exercise. 3 hours, in person. Linda Denny via Colchester Sexual Assault Centre (CSAC), 2021.
Interrogating Whiteness. 2.5 hours, panel discussion. Diversity and Equity Committee (DEC) Conversation Series, Dalhousie School of Social Work, 2021.
Summit 2020: Resistance and Responsibility. 1 hour, online. Community-Based Research Centre (CBRC), 2020
Queer & Gender Affirming
BDSM: Working with Kinky Clients. 6 hours, self-directed online. Westland Academy of Clinical Sex Therapy, 2023. Certificate.
Re-Imagining Care: A 2SLGBTQIA+ Summit for Service Providers. 9 hours, online, The Youth Project, 2022.
Gender-Affirming Care: Surgical Readiness & Aftercare. 3 hours, self-directed online. Community-Based Resource Centre (CBRC) & prideHealth Nova Scotia, 2022. Certificate.
Gender-Affirming Hormone Prescription Training for Healthcare Providers. 3 hours, self-directed online. Community-Based Resource Centre (CBRC) & prideHealth Nova Scotia, 2022. Certificate.
Integrated Care for Gender Dysphoric, Gender Non-Binary, and Transgender Children into Adulthood. Dalhousie University Department of Psychiatry Trans Health Symposium, 2021. Certificate.
Marginalized Majority Workshop Series. 5 hours, online. Community-Based Research Centre (CBRC), 2020-2021
Trans Mental Health: Trans 101. 1 hour webinar. Stel Raven (MSW, RSW) via Canadian Counselling & Psychotherapy Association (CCPA), 2020
Advancing Excellence in Sexual and Gender Minority Health Conference. 2 hours, online. National LGBT Health Education, 2020
Sexual Violence
Sexual Consent & Communication. 2 hours, self-directed online. Westland Academy of Clinical Sex Therapy, 2023.
An Intercultural Approach to Gender-Based Violence Prevention with Newcomer Communities. 3 hours, online. YMCA Centre for Immigrant Programs via the Colchester Sexual Assault Centre, 2021.
Supporting Survivors of Sexual Violence: Break the Silence Online Training. 8 modules, online. Nova Scotia Department of Community Services, 2019 (Modules 1-6), 2020 (Module 7), 2021 (Module 8)
Understanding and Responding to Sexual Violence in Immigrant and Refugee Communities. 5 weeks, self-directed online. Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI), 2020
Facilitator Training for “Waves of Change: Bystander Intervention Training.” 6 hours, in person. Antigonish Women’s Resource Centre & Sexual Assault Services Association, 2019
Supervision
NSCCT Candidate Supervision. 1 hour, monthly. Brenda Johnson (MEd, RCT, CCC, MTA) via Sound Connections Therapy Services, 2020-2024.
Queer & Trans Therapists of Nova Scotia. 1 hour, monthly. Peer supervision, 2022-2023.
Trans Health Provincial Supervision. 1 hour, monthly. IWK Trans Health Team, 2021-2023.
Group Supervision. 1.5 hours, monthly (occasional). Sound Connections Therapy Services, 2022-2024.
Public Presentations
Gender Identity Development. MEd Counselling Program, Acadia University, 2023.
Discussing the Stigma Surrounding Male Survivors of Sexual Assault. Culture & Perspectives on Sexual Assault Policy (CAPSAP), Mount Saint Vincent University, Saint Mary’s University, Dalhousie University, Cape Breton University, 2022. [VIDEO]
“Later in Life Lesbians:” Romantic Orientation Transitions of Women in Middle Adulthood. CCPA 2021 Virtual Conference, 2021
Awards
CCPA Conference Attendance Award. CCPA 2021 Virtual Conference, 2021.
Volunteering
Halifax Sexual Health Centre (HSHC) Board Member, 2022-2024
Volunteer member of the HSHC Board of Directors who collaborates with co-members on decision-making and strategic planning.
Sexual Health Nova Scotia (SHNS) Board Member, 2022-2024
Volunteer member of the SHNS provincial Board of Directors as a Member Representative of the Halifax Sexual Health Centre. Advocate for provincial funding and community resources for the HSHC.
CCPA 2022 Counselling Resources & Training Materials Award Selection Committee, 2023
Volunteered on the adjudication committee for the CCPA’s 2022 Counselling Resources & Training Materials Award. Evaluated resources via written feedback and a scoring rubric.
Peer Supervision: Pre-Practicum Counselling Students at Acadia University, 2021-2022
Worked with a small group of MEd Counselling students as a peer supervisor to provide feedback about case consultation, facilitate group discussion, and share experiences of being a practicing counsellor in Nova Scotia.
CCPA 2021 Master’s Thesis Award Selection Committee, 2022
Volunteered on the adjudication committee for the CCPA’s 2021 Master’s Thesis Award. Evaluated Master’s Theses via written feedback and a scoring rubric.
Waves of Change Facilitation, 2019-2020
Group facilitator for the “Waves of Change” Bystander Intervention Training, a program developed by the Antigonish Women’s Resource Centre designed to address sexualized violence on campus. Helped post-secondary students recognize common sexualized violence scenarios and equip them with safe, effective intervention techniques to prevent and interrupt acts of sexualized violence.
Sexual Consent Pilot Project Group Facilitator, 2019-2020
Co-facilitator for a sexual consent pilot project for Nova Scotia high schools. In a series of small workshops, we engaged middle and high school students in discussions about enthusiastic consent and sexualized violence.
Women’s and Gender Studies Planning Committee, 2019-2020
Member of the Women’s and Gender Studies Planning Committee, where I participated in monthly discussions with faculty and students about the future of the WGS program at Acadia University.
Reading
Professional Guidelines
Code of Ethics (2020). Canadian Counselling & Psychotherapy Association.
Standards of Practice (5th Edition). Canadian Counselling & Psychotherapy Association.
Duty to Report: Children and Family Services Act. Government of Nova Scotia.
Code of Ethics (Revised, 1999). Feminist Therapy Institute
Standards of Care (SOC), version 7. World Professional Association of Transgender Health (WPATH).
Ethical Guidelines (for Research). Canadian Professional Association of Transgender Health (CPATH).
Two-Eyed Seeing: Mi’kmaq Elder Albert Marshall’s Guiding Principle for Inter-Cultural Collaboration (2017). Climate Change, Drawdown & The Human Prospect: A Retreat for Empowering Our Climate Future for Rural Communities (Pugwash, NS).
Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Government of Canada.
Counselling Therapists Act. Government of Nova Scotia.
Book Recommendations
Man’s Search for Meaning, Viktor E. Frankl [Complete]
Hold Me Tight: Seven Conversations for a Lifetime of Love, Dr. Sue Johnson [In Progress]
Maps of Narrative Practice, Michael White [In Progress]
Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones, James Clear [Complete]
It Didn’t Start With You: How Inherited Family Trauma Shapes Who We Are and How to End the Cycle, Mark Wolynn [In Progress]
Queer: A Graphic History, Meg-John Barker [In Progress]
Pleasure Activism: The Politics of Feeling Good, Adrienne Maree Brown [In Progress]
All About Love: New Visions, bell hooks [In Progress]
Loud Hands: Autistic People, Speaking, Julia Bascom [In Progress]
Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents: How to Heal from Distant, Rejecting, or Self-Involved Parents, Lindsay C. Gibson [In Progress]
The Transgender Child: A Handbook for Families and Professionals, Stephanie Brill and Rachel Pepper [Complete]
The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma, Bessel van der Kolk [Complete]
Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches, Audre Lorde [Complete]
We Have Always Been Here: A Queer Muslim Memoir, Samra Habib [Complete]
The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself, Michael A. Singer [Complete]
The New Queer Conscience, Adam Eli [Complete]
Healers on the Edge: Somatic Sex Education, Cassie Moore, Caffyn Jesse, and Mehdi Darvish Yahya [Complete]
Running on Empty: Overcome Your Childhood Emotional Neglect, Jonice Webb [Complete]