Emily Vanden Hanenberg,
MA, M.Ed.
Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying)
Change is hard, but necessary. Throughout life we often develop ways to cope with life's hardships, trials, and tribulations. While those may have been helpful at the time, we sometimes outgrow these strategies. I use trauma-informed and attachment based interventions to help guide my clients through the process of change.
Our experiences in life inform our understandings of the world. However, we may sometimes go through challenges that leave a lasting mark. We may find ourselves struggling to form healthy relationships, or finding it difficult to maintain our current relationships. We might feel disconnected from ourselves or the world around us. We may believe that the world is an unpredictable place and others cannot be trusted. Or maybe we feel so preoccupied with worry and fear about our loved ones abandoning us, being rejected, or being hurt again that we begin to panic or isolate ourselves.
In therapy, we spend time examining how our experiences create our internalized beliefs and how they influence our lives; for better or worse. We then explore new ways of relating to the world around us and ways of coping- like adding tools to a toolbox. By creating a strong therapeutic relationship, it is my goal to provide a safe environment that makes navigating this change a little less difficult. I aspire to create an environment where my clients feel safe, seen, and understood.
As we gather, work, and reside on this land, it is important to acknowledge that it is the traditional, unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe people. I acknowledge that I live and work on stolen land and respect the enduring presence of the original guardians and protectors of this land past, present, and future.
Inclusivity is a fundamental aspect of respect. I acknowledge the privileged identities that I hold that influence the ways I move through the world. I believe that everyone deserves to be treated with respect and dignity regardless of their race, gender, sexual orientation, body size, religion, faiths, or nationalities. I strive to create a welcoming and inclusive environment for all my clients.
