INTRODUCTION
This section is written for potential clients who may wish to know more about the services I provide. These services are broadly grouped into two categories, general counselling and trauma counselling.

General counselling usually includes issues relating to family, relationships, life-changes, work and/or education.

Trauma counselling addresses both acute and chronic reactions to occurrences which are, for the most part, outside the scope of everyday events. We have a shock response when we are confronted with an inescapable event -- inescapable shock. For example, following a car accident or break-in a person may have an acute reaction in the form of anxiety, nightmares or sleeplessness. Similarly, persistent symptoms can result from repetitive traumatic events.

CHOOSING A COUNSELLOR FOR THE FIRST TIME
It can be difficult to choose a counsellor if you have never done so. Just like it can be difficult to buy a car for the first time! It's a basic "common sense" consumer choice, with more similarities than differences...

What do you need the car/counsellor for? Big or small jobs; intensive or intermittent work? (Off-road warriors need a different vehicle than someone doing household errands; serious gardeners need something different from highway commuters.) Have you talked to other people about their car/counsellor? What do they like and dislike? Are you knowledgeable about drive trains and R.P.M's, or do you want to put your automatic-transmission vehicle in "Drive" and trust that it will get you from point A to point B? Do you understand "insider jargon" or do you need a primer? Be mindful of your skills and limitations when you are shopping.

Interview prospective counsellors over the phone or in person (some offer a free first consultation). Ask questions. Ask about what you might expect the counselling to be like; how does she or he work? Be curious about what you might want from a new counsellor:

• competency. This can be difficult for a newcomer to ascertain. There is a broad range of counselling areas -- family systems, children, marital/couples, trauma, psychotherapy, career/vocational, art, dance, sexuality, substance abuse, psychometric testing, geriatrics, death and dying, brief therapy, hypnotherapy... One might ask questions about education and experience to get a "feel" for competency. Where and how did you learn? What kinds of work have you done? In which areas don't you work?

Many counsellors are registered by a professional organization, although this is not a requirement in British Columbia. (Licensing requirements are mandatory in the United States.) Ask questions about what the counsellor's particular registration means, and remember that registration is no guarantee in any trade or profession.
• beliefs. It's my opinion that we can work best when we can choose a counsellor whose beliefs are a fair match for our own; we are less likely to trip over unspoken assumptions at a later date. What kinds of things matter significantly to you? Will you be uncomfortable if your counsellor does/doesn't believe in God? gay rights? free-market economy? social democracy?
• trustworthiness. It may take you a long time to fully trust your counsellor or therapist -- that's okay. However, you should find her or him trustworthy right from the start. How will you know this? How do you know this about your mechanic, accountant or dentist?
• availability. How available do you need your counsellor to be for emergency appointments and phone-calls between sessions? Two regular sessions each week and on pager for immediate response? Or occasional appointments and it doesn't matter if calls are returned within three days... Give some thought to your expectations and discuss them with the prospective counsellor.
• friendliness. A counsellor is, by definition, not your friend. However, you probably want him/her to be friendly! How friendly? Do you want someone warm and cheerful? Or do your close friends tend to be cool and somewhat formal or business-like? What would suit you?
• limitations. What kinds of limitations does your counsellor have? 48-hour cancellation policy? Available only during office hours? No phone-calls returned on the weekends? Periods of travel when a colleague covers the practice? Do your needs coincide with their abilities to provide service?