Sarah connects with clients with warmth, curiosity, and acceptance, acknowledging each persons inherent worth and strength to overcome challenges. She is offering sessions both in person in Skwxwú7mesh-ulh Temíx̱w (Squamish) and online to clients in British Columbia. She works with clients in their teens and adulthood who are facing transitions, anxiety, stress and relational challenges.
Sarah takes an ecological approach that considers mind, body, relationships and connections to the natural world. She draws together the client’s story (narrative therapy) with a body-based lens of somatic and nervous system-based approaches (polyvagal theory). Sarah takes a relational approach that is grounded in the importance of relationship and community in healing (attachment theory). She honours our inherent connection to the land through a nature-based approach, collaborating with the land to facilitate regulation, clarity, and authenticity.
Sarah spent seven years facilitating wilderness and adventure based therapy for youth and young adult men with addictions. She supported a deep process of change for clients through the intentional use of adventure activities, group therapy and individual sessions. Sarah completed an undergraduate degree in Outdoor Recreation and Leadership as well as a teaching degree focused on Indigenizing practices in education at Lakehead in Thunder Bay, ON. She went onto complete a Master of Counselling Psychology degree with City University where she focused on nature-based therapy and therapeutic climbing. Sarah’s passion for utilizing climbing as a tool for growth and empowerment prompted her to co-found Dirtbabe Collective, a grassroots organization impacting mountain culture through offering therapeutically framed experiences in combination with technical skill development and visual storytelling.
A third generation settler of Scottish, Irish and English descent, Sarah was raised where prairies meet mountains on treaty Seven Territory, home to Blackfoot, Tsuut’ina and Ktunaxa peoples.
She is blessed to now reside on Skwxwú7mesh-ulh Temíx̱w (Squamish Territory).
Sarah is a Certified Nature-based therapist, level 1.