Guiding Principles of Joy's Work

Joy graduated from the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) in San Francisco, CA.  Her graduate training in Integral Counselling Psychology provides a unique background integrating Eastern wisdom and Western counselling approaches.  While counselling or psychotherapy is largely a western practice, Joy believes in the importance of integrating the wisdom, traditions and philosophical ideas from the East into my counselling practice.  The counselling process is to support clients in becoming integrated as a whole being and connected with their mind, body, and spirit.

Relational / Attachment Based Therapy

Attachment-Based Therapy is a relational approach that focuses on understanding how early childhood experiences with caregivers shape our emotional patterns, sense of safety, and relationships in adulthood. This therapy helps clients explore how unmet needs or disruptions in early attachments may be influencing present struggles—such as anxiety, insecurity, relationship difficulties, or self-esteem challenges.

The therapeutic relationship is the foundation of growth and healing.  A trusting and safe relationship provides corrective emotional experiences which were missed in a client's earlier experiences or exposure to an unsafe, neglectful, abusive or traumatic environment.  In a supportive and secure therapeutic relationship, clients are invited to reflect on their attachment history, build healthier ways of connecting with others, and develop a stronger internal sense of security. The goal is working through attachment wounding from the past and focus on creating new emotional experiences that foster trust, resilience, and more satisfying relationships in the present.

Internal Family Systems Therapy

Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy is a gentle and down-to-earth approach that helps people understand the different “parts” of themselves—like the worried part, the angry part, or the part that tries to keep everything under control.  IFS sees them as protective inner parts that developed to help us cope with difficult experiences.  Instead of judging these parts, IFS helps you get to know them and understand what they’re trying to protect you from.  Through a gentle, guided process, clients learn to identify these parts, understand their roles, and access their core Self—a calm, wise, and grounded inner presence.  When you are connected to the grounded inner self, the parts that are carrying old hurt or stress are comforted and healed. This process often leads to feeling more balanced, connected and accepting life.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

CBT is a type of psychotherapy that focuses on changing unhelpful thought patterns and behaviours that contribute to emotional and mental distress.  Our thoughts, feelings, and behaviours are interconnected and changing one of them can shift the others.  In therapy, we work with identifying unhelpful thoughts, changing and challenging those thoughts, and changing unhelpful behaviours in order to reduce distressed feelings and improve one’s emotional well-being.  CBT tends to be goal-oriented and may also includes problem solving and skill building.  It is shown to be an effective therapy approach to depression, anxiety, stress and other difficulties.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy or ACT, is a mindfulness-based behavioral therapy that integrates principles of acceptance and mindfulness.  In ACT, we learn to accept our thoughts and feelings rather than fighting against them.  In addition to accept and embrace our inner experience, we also work to understand our values and make commitment to value-driven actions.  This therapeutic approach encourages us to increase psychological flexibility, work with life's challenges, and take actions to achieve what will give us meaning or to live life aligned with our values. 

​Mindfulness

Mindfulness practices is one way for us to become more present in life.  Through mindful practices, we learn to focus our attention on our inner experience, becoming more aware of our thoughts, feelings, sensations and body.   We also have a choice of shifting our focus to the outside world to be more aware of our surroundings.  With repeated practice, we become less attached and less reactive to our experience, and better able to allow thoughts and feelings to pass.  This is helpful particularly for managing unhelpful thoughts or distressing emotions. ​

The practices of non-violence and compassion are important parts of a mindfulness practice.  Our emotional pain and sufferings intensify when we put ourselves down, judge ourselves harshly, or when we try to push away unwanted feelings.  When we are faced with challenges and our own limitations, it is important to remind ourselves to accept who we are with gentleness and kindness wherever we are in this journey.

Humanistic & Existential

​Person-centred or humanistic counselling is based on the idea that each person is capable of self-actualization and reaching their full potential for growth.  Empathic understanding, unconditional positive regard, and congruency of the therapist create an environment where clients feel accepted and understood.  These qualities facilitate the development of self-regard, trust of one's own experience, and the innate tendency for growth that is in all of us. The therapist is non-judgmental, genuine, and deeply involved in the process.  The therapist may also draw on their own experience to help build a stronger therapeutic relationship.
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Human conflict arises from our confrontation with existence:  we experience isolation and aloneness; the freedom of choices and the responsibilities that come with choosing; sense of meaninglessness, and inevitability of death / fear of non-existence.  Existentialism encourages people to face the conditions of being human.  By facing life, one can embrace the freedom to choose or to be, and at the same time take responsibility for those choices.  We may explore existential issues in our work together.  Questions such as: Why are we here? What does it mean to be me? Who am I? What do I want out of life? Why do I make certain choices? Or not? Why am I so fearful or anxious about living? Why am I so afraid of aging and death?

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Online Booking is available! Currently offering remote appointments (virtual or phone). 
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​Please contact Joy if you are looking for other times.

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