About Monique

I have a MA in Counselling Psychology from the Adler School of Professional Psychology. I offer individual sessions to adults. I am certified to practice through the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association and the British Columbia Association of Clinical Counsellors and hold both a CCC and RCC from these organizations. I adhere to the code of ethics of my professional associations, and carry full professional liability insurance.

I also have a MFA in Photography and Integrated Media from the California Institute of the Arts.

My Approach to Counselling

My work is primarily relational, experiential and emotion-focused. This approach is called Accelerated Experiential Psychodynamic Therapy (AEDP) and seamlessly encourages you to engage with your emotional life while addressing your early relationships and attachment style. This approach helps you locate the often elusive “felt sense” that we all experience but often have difficulty articulating. Even though this methodology feels like a warm in-depth conversation, I assure you it’s evidenced based. It also quickly and effectively keeps you out of the trap of “just talking” about what isn’t working or feels difficult in your life.

In order to transform suffering, AEDP is informed by the latest in neuroscience and clinical theories. Rather than an insight orientation or one based solely in behavioral change, AEDP takes a positive and authentic approach to healing and it draws on the knowledge that you hold in your own body, heart and mind. Your brain actually changes and creates new neural pathways that evoke healing on an emotional level and a sense of wellbeing as those emotions are felt in the body. Simply put: your neurobiology changes so you can start feeling better. This experiential therapy goes well beyond managing distressing symptoms and frees clients to live their most meaningful and fulfilling lives possible.

Understandably, we’re often afraid of our emotions because don’t want to feel pain. Our defenses are designed to protect us and they become part of our public personas. AEDP offers the opportunity to safely feel our feelings fully, in the presence of a caring professional, so we can move past all of our well-worn protective defenses. Once we do, we feel great deal of relief and we begin to make different choices that reflect our best selves.

Because no two people are the same, I supplement my work with different modalities and interventions. I strive to integrate all the parts that make you, individually you: Body, Mind, Heart and Spirit. Also inspiring and informing my work are Carl Rogers and Alfred Alder from the humanistic schools, and Solution Focused Therapy from the brief therapy model.

Client safety, confidentiality, and professional ethics are essential to a counselling relationship. I strive to provide counselling experiences that are positive, beneficial, useful and safe. While painful and difficult emotions can emerge through counselling, I also respectfully incorporate lightness and humor into my work because I believe that therapy can be enjoyable while also being effective.

My Goals

  • To provide an empathetic, safe & respectful environment
  • To help you access your own insight
  • To encourage you to act on the self-identified change that you desire
  • To strategize how to make change happen
  • To witness your experiences
  • To advocate for your future sense of happiness and fulfillment
  • To support you through your personal process
  • To foster your capacity to work through issues with increased independence
  • To reveal unproductive patterns of behaviour
  • To inspire you in the transformation of your life

Please reach out by phone or use the form below to get in touch.

Call Me: (250) 537-1067

ccpa-logo
bcacc counselor counsellor

#4 -127 Rainbow Road,
Salt Spring Island, BC
V8K 2R7

Tuesday – Thursday:
2:00 PM – 6:30 PM

Friday:
9:00 AM – 2:00 PM

monique@moniquesilverman.com
250-537-1067

©2024 Monique Silverman  | 250-537-1067

Log in with your credentials

Forgot your details?