It takes an incredible team of individuals to do the work we do.
Meet Sydney, one of Dragonfly Centre’s Counsellors. She shares with us why she became a counsellor, and much more!
What inspired you to become a counsellor?
My journey to becoming a counsellor started when I was really young, before I even really knew what it meant to be a counsellor. I would often tell people that I “wanted to help people and I couldn’t handle blood” so counselling seems like a logical option. Like then I began my undergraduate degree and I absolutely fell in love with understanding the complexity of being human. I started volunteering at numerous non-profit organizations and I started to realize how vital mental health and wellbeing are to being human, to feeling a sense of connection and belonging. It provided me with an opportunity to explore and relfect my own privilege and mental health journey and I felt a deep responsibility and call to support others on their healing journeys.
What is the most important thing that you’ve learned as a counsellor?
This is a hard question because I have come to understand that counselling is a lifelong commitment to learning and growth. That being said I have found that a significant portion of my learning stems from my clients rather than the academic or professional learning opportunities I have had the privilege of attending. I often say that as much as my client’s come to me looking for answers it is often the case I am learning just as much from them. Learning to appreciate, respect and honour the unique knowledge, experiences and perspectives of each client has become the most important part of my work as a counsellor.
What is your favourite strategy to share with client?
I am a sucker for understanding why things are the way they are and I am a huge advocate of the notion that knowledge is power. While there are a handful of therapeutic interventions from different modalities that I enjoy using with clients I think my favourite is arming client’s with the knowledge of the physiological impacts of trauma that are often not well understood. Specifically, when clients recognize how their body is impacted by trauma and how their body is often working to support them in the best way it knows how it can be incredibly validating, freeing or empowering.
Share a surprising or fun fact about yourself.
The past seven years of my life have been dedicated to schooling. Now that I have officially graduate from my masters program I am re-learning how to enjoy the experience of free time I have been trying out different “hobbies.” The ones that have stuck often include getting outside or spending time with the people who are most important to me. However, the years spent reading textbooks have warn off me, and in the winter months my free time is often spent reading a good book, especially if it is a fantasy novel.