Perinatal, Infant-Parent & Parent Counselling

The perinatal stage of life, includes the whole phase from thinking about having a baby, conceiving (or not), through pregnancy, birthing, post-natal and the early parenting of infants and toddlers.  As much as it can be exciting, it is often a time equally charged with anxiety, ambivalence, guilt, uncertainty and a whole range of other feelings.  It is a stage that often brings to mind (consciously or unconsciously) feelings about ones own experience of being a child to their mother/father.

Perinatal/Infact-parent

Karen works with parent(s) on any issues that arise during this stage, such as:

  • Fertility/conception issues
  • Anxiety and/or depression during pregnancy
  • Pregnancy, stillbirth or the loss of an infant/toddler 
  • Twin pregnancy – the complications and/or losses
  • Problems/trauma during birth
  • Depression and/or anxiety postnatally
  • Issues with infants sleeping, feeding, or settling
  • Infant/toddler behaviours concerns, disorders, genetic anomalies, special needs
  • Managing twins with or without older children
  • Infant attachment or parent bonding issues
  • Struggling with the changes in family dynamics and/or in becoming a mother/parent

Many of the above are common in the transition to and through early parenthood.   As such, the support of a perinatal specialist can help to develop deeper understanding, and build on skills and capacities to work through these issues and enjoy family life ecwn more.

Parenting

Raising children is one of the most important roles in life and it can also be the most challenging.  All parents want to be the best they can for their children, but sometimes this can be difficult.  Parents can experience: uncertainty, anxiety, frustration, guilt, irritability, doubt, sadness, feeling out-of-control and overwhelm.  Understanding and working through these emotions as well as learning parenting skills can help parents feel more satisfied and competent in their daily life and in their relationships with their children.

With this understanding, Karen works with parents of children and teenagers, providing developmental information, education, support, guidance, and strategies.  She also works with adoptive and foster parents as well as couples to deepen and strengthen the couple bond, at a time when it is significantly under stress, with many demands.  In addition, Karen works with parents of adult children, and when/if needed the parent/adult child together.

Individuals & Couples - Life Transitions/End of Life

The journey of life for an individual and couple involves experiencing a series of transitions or phases.

These transitions include the beginnings and endings of: relationships, work, health, home and the losses or the death of important people and pet.  This area also is about the transition inward, to explore, understand and develop our inner life (mentally, emotionally and spiritually).  And, over the years with relationships, couples go through many stages and phases that can be difficult to navigate together.

The end of life phase includes when living well and healthy, receiving a life-limiting diagnosis and/or during the period toward death.  When living well we start to become more aware and reflective about life, our mortality and the last phase of our own life and our loved ones.  This is a sacred time, both for the person going through it, as well as for family and loved ones.  

Karen offers emotional, spiritual, and practical guidance, support, information and counselling to individuals, couples and/or family members.  Reflecting on, thinking, and talking about and preparing for our death is a profound opportunity to be in life and with death more fully and with acceptance.  Karen can also help with any relevant forms that might be needed, with discussion and assistance to complete.

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All transitions offer us an opportunity to delve deeper into ourselves, to change, heal and grow.  They often involve many mixed emotions including anxiety, confusion, uncertainty, excitement, relief, shock, fear and grief.  The end of life phase can include any or all of these emotions as well as bereavement. 

In these areas, Karen works with people to:

  • Explore and process all the mix of feelings and thoughts associated with the transition and/or loss
  • Come to terms with the reality of the loss
  • Work through the pain of grief and bereavement
  • Build new and/or strengthen coping mechanisms
  • Find acceptance and trust in the unknown and uncertainty
  • Adjust to life without the deceased
  • Maintain a connection with a loved one you’ve lost while finding ways to move forward in life.

Supervision & Mentoring

Karen offers clinical supervision to practitioners seeking support, guidance and/or processing around their work with clients. Supervision helps to further develop knowledge and understanding of issues that arise for clients. It can expand and deepen the understanding of the relational issues that can arise between practitioners and clients.  In addition, supervision builds greater capacity and offers skills and tools to manage all the various issues that can arise.

The mentoring relationship is an extremely rewarding experience.  It is a one-on-one opportunity for learning, encouragement, support, guidance, and development in any or all areas of one’s life.  This process is about exploring and clarifying who and where you are now in life, and who/where you want to be and identifies how to get there.  It could be about life in general, in work, and/or relationships.