My Approach

Therapy Is Commitment to Positive Change

My Philosophy

"Give a man a fish and he won't starve for a day. Teach a man how to fish and he won't starve for his entire life." (Chinese Proverb)

This proverb aptly sums up my philosophy. My goal is to help you become your own therapist as soon as possible.

Therapeutic Modalities I Use

To help you find relief from anxiety and depression. I have found Virginia Satir’s Transformational and Systemic Therapy Model combined with Mindfulness work best.

Satir Therapy

Satir therapy is brief, experiential and in-depth. Below are some of Satir’s beliefs that clients have found helpful.

People are basically good.
Changing external circumstances may not always be possible, but internal change is always possible.
You cannot change the past or present, but you can change the impact it has on you.
You have inner wisdom and the resources to change and grow positively.
You own and manage your own feelings.
Acknowledging and appreciating your past helps you better manage your future.
When stressed, you fall back on the coping strategies you used growing up.
You have choices on how to respond to different situations.

Behaviour and communication (your external world) are anchored on beliefs, feelings and expectations (your internal world). When positive shifts are made in your internal world, your behaviours and the ways you communicate and cope are reflected in your external world.

Mindfulness

Research has consistently shown that practicing mindfulness consistently reduces anxiety and depression.

The tenets of mindfulness include:

Focusing on the present, noticing what is happening with curiosity and without judgement
Treating yourself as well as others kindly, compassionately, and non-judgementally
Managing emotions without becoming overwhelmed by them
The ability to integrate the right brain (emotional) and the left (logical) brain to make good decisions
The ability to connect with each other with empathy, especially when there are differences
The ability to be flexible, open-minded and adaptable

Both these therapeutic modalities lead to positive ways of being and doing. Individuals who have grown up in loving and nurturing families have already learned the basics of mindfulness. Even if that isn’t the case for you, the brain has a marvelous “plasticity” about it. When you commit to practicing the principles of mindfulness and living a mindful lifestyle, new, more positive neural pathways take hold. Change can occur anytime at any age.

Judith is based in Richmond, BC and offers online or telephone therapy to women in Vancouver, Greater Vancouver, Delta, Fraser Valley and Vancouver Island.